When the towels around your house get tattered and faded, you may consider replacing them with organic ones instead of the typical polyester or conventional cotton.
And the good news is that there are some really great brands to choose from that are not only using healthy, non-toxic, and eco-friendly materials, but will look beautiful in your bathroom, too!
In this article, I’ll talk about why organic towels are better, let you know what to watch out for while you’re shopping, and then I’ll tell you about my favorite brands.
Table of Contents
- These Are My Favorite Brands for Organic Bath Towels
- 2. Pact (Most Affordable)
- 3. Under the Canopy
- 4. Boll & Branch (Best Plush Luxury)
- 5. MagicLinen (Best Linen Bath Towels)
- 6. California Cloth Foundry (Best Bath Towels Made in the USA)
- 7. Sunrise Bliss (Best Hair Towels)
- 8. Anact (Best Hemp Towels)
- 9. Rawganique
- 10. Public Goods (Best for XL Organic Bath Sheets)
- 11. Parachute
- What is the Best Material for Non-Toxic Bath Towels?
- What to Look for in High-Quality Sustainable Bath Towels
- More FAQs About Organic Towels
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. We only make recommendations that are genuine and meet our standards. Featured Image Credit: Coyuchi
These Are My Favorite Brands for Organic Bath Towels
If you want to read about what to look for in a non-toxic and eco-friendly bath towel, just scroll down. But first, here are the best organic cotton towels to stock up your eco-friendly bathroom!
1. Coyuchi (Best Overall)
- Carries: Bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths, beach towels
- Made In: India, Turkey
- Price: $8 (wash cloth) – $238 (for their most expensive 6-piece set)
Coyuchi is one of my favorite brands for non-toxic and organic bedding, bath, and other home goods. Their highly absorbent organic cotton towels are colored with low-impact dyes and have various certifications, including GOTS Organic, MADE SAFE, and Fair Trade.
They also have some other great sustainability initiatives, such as their 2nd Home circular program to give products a second life, and they give back 1% of their profits to non-profit environmental organizations.
Coyuchi has a wide selection of towels to choose from when it comes to colors (including undyed), textures, weight, absorbency, and more. So you’re almost certain to find something you love!
In addition to non-toxic bath towels, they also carry hand towels and washcloths, beach towels, bath rugs and mats, and organic bath robes.
2. Pact (Most Affordable)
- Carries: Bath towels and sheets, hand towels, wash cloths
- Made In: Turkey
- Price: $20 (set of washcloths) – $105 (most expensive set)
Pact has got you covered with organic cotton bath towels, which are made in a GOTS certified factory in Turkey. They are super absorbent, soft, and leave your skin feeling clean and refreshed for the day ahead.
In addition to bath towels, Pact offers hand towels, washcloths, and full towel sets. They also have a range of other organic and sustainable home goods, from bedding to clothing. They’re one of my favorite brands for organic home goods and casual clothing that’s actually affordable!
Use the code THEFILTERY15 for 15% off full-priced items.
3. Under the Canopy
Carries: Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths
Made In: Pakistan
Price: $8 (wash cloth) – $118 (set)
Under the Canopy offers high-quality bedding and bath goods at a lower price than some comparable brands.They use organic cotton and hemp for their towels, which are available in Textured, Plush, and Classic. These ethically made and sustainable towels are both GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified.
4. Boll & Branch (Best Plush Luxury)
Carries: Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths
Made In: India
Price: $22 (pair of washcloths) – $398 (most expensive set)
You’ve likely heard about Boll & Branch before; they’re perhaps one of the most successful direct-to-consumer companies that have hit the market in the past decade.
Their spa-quality towels and washcloths are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, and are finished with an OEKO-TEX certification, too. Although they have a wide variety in terms of weights, sizes, weaves, and colors, I especially like their plush collection. If you love that extra fluffy luxury feeling in your bath towels, definitely check out Boll & Branch.
Oh, and they also carry bath mats and plush and waffle robes for adults.
5. MagicLinen (Best Linen Bath Towels)
- Carries: Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, robes, hair turbans, beach towels, and bath mats
- Made In: Lithuania (where they’re based)
- Price: $23 (hair turban) – $76 (set)
If you enjoy linen for your bath towels, MagicLinen is a great brand. Some of their towels are made from 100% European flax linen, whereas others are made from a blend of linen and cotton… But they’re all soft, quick-drying, and long-lasting. I have a bathrobe from MagicLinen that I use almost every day, and I love it.
For their towels, they offer a couple of different varieties—from your ‘standard’ linen towel to a waffle towel that uses a cotton/linen blend. They all come in a variety of colors that I personally think are beautiful.
Their products are OEKO-TEX certified, meaning that they are tested to be free from a list of toxic chemicals.
6. California Cloth Foundry (Best Bath Towels Made in the USA)
- Carries: Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths
- Made In: USA
- Price: $19 (washcloth) – $239 (set of 6)
It can be difficult to find non-toxic bath towels that are made in the USA from start to finish, but California Cloth Foundry (a B Corp brand) has them! (They do come with a pretty price tag, though.)
Cotton towels that are made in America usually have an overall lower carbon footprint because they cut down on driving emissions and minimize the size of the overall supply chain.
Not only that, but these towels go beyond organic by using regenerative cotton that restores the soil in the way it is grown and harvested. That means they have a more positive environmental impact from start to finish.
Plus, these ethically made bath towels contain all-natural, plant-based, and low-impact organic dyes. So if you have a lot of skin sensitivities, I would definitely recommend checking out California Cloth Foundry.
7. Sunrise Bliss (Best Hair Towels)
- Carries: T-shirt hair towels
- Made in: Michigan
- Price: $30-$39
I have a couple of these t-shirt hair towels and use one every time I wash my hair. They are so convenient—they wrap up nicely on your head, and I can keep my hair tied up while I’m getting ready or doing things around the house. They absorb just as much water as a regular towel but without all the bulkiness.
Handmade in Michigan out of GOTS-certified organic fabric, the towels come in small (for kids and folks with short hair), medium (for all hair lengths), and large (for those with long and/or thick hair). They come in solid colors as well as fun patterns.
They also make scrunchies, face masks, and drawstring bags out of their fabric scraps to reduce waste!
8. Anact (Best Hemp Towels)
- Carries: Bath & hand towels, washcloths
- Made in: China
- Price: $10 (washcloth) – $60 (3-piece set)
I love hemp—it’s an incredibly healthy and sustainable fiber. I can’t wait to continue seeing more brands use hemp fabric in their towels, clothing, and other textiles.
These towels from Anact are made with a blend of 55% hemp and 45% GOTS-certified organic cotton for a hemp towel that’s still super plush and soft. They’re available in “Natural” (which is both unbleached and undyed) as well as “White” (which is undyed but bleached).
9. Rawganique
- Carries: Bath & hand towels, washcloths
- Made in: USA
- Price: $10 (hand towel) – $69 (100% hemp bath towel)
Rawganique is another great brand that makes everything in the USA, completely handcrafted and sweatshop-free. They focus on clothing and home goods that are unquestionably non-toxic so that even the most chemically sensitive among us can safely use and wear them.
They carry a wide selection of kitchen and bath towels that are made using eco-friendly materials like organic cotton, hemp, and linen.
They offer a range of textures and colors, but many are completely unbleached, undyed, and completely free from harmful chemicals. (Even their striped towels are dye-free—the color comes from the different varieties of cotton!)
They also carry lots of other non-toxic bathroom products like bath mats, robes, and more.
10. Public Goods (Best for XL Organic Bath Sheets)
- Carries: Hand towels, large and extra large bath towels
- Made in: Turkey
- Price: $13 (hand towel) – $60 (extra large bath towel)
Public Goods is another good brand for affordable bath towels, especially if you’re looking for extra large organic cotton towels (40″ x 70″).
These crisp white towels are made out of 100% long-staple organic cotton from Turkey and are manufactured without any harmful chemical treatments, synthetic fertilizers, or pollutant dyes.
These would be a great option for college students moving into their dorm rooms!
11. Parachute
- Carries: Washcloths, hand towels, bath towels, baby towels (and a bunch of other home goods!)
- Made in: Turkey
- Price: $14 (washcloth) – $672 (most expensive set)
Parachute is another great brand for bed and bath goods that are both organic and high-quality. Some of their towels are made from 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton, while other collections are made out of long-staple Turkish cotton (which is OEKO-TEX certified, but not organic).
Available in a variety of sizes and colors, they offer “classic” bath towels, waffle textures, and more. They offer a variety of solid colors, along with stripes and mosaic patterns… So you’re sure to find something that matches your bathroom!
What is the Best Material for Non-Toxic Bath Towels?
Most towels are made out of cotton, polyester, or some mixture of the two.
Polyester is not the best option because it’s just plastic. It takes a toll on our environment and can include chemicals like bisphenols (BPA, BPS, etc.), which are endocrine disruptors. Not only that, but polyester fibers shed microplastics, which are currently wreaking havoc on our ecosystems and food chains.
(P.S. If you see the word “microfiber” on towels, that usually means it’s made at least in part with polyester or another synthetic.)
The next best option is conventionally grown cotton. It’s better than polyester because it’s a natural fiber, which means it’s renewable and biodegradable. It’s also more breathable and moisture-wicking than most synthetic fabrics.
But conventional cotton comes with its own downsides, too. The main thing is that it’s sprayed with potentially toxic pesticides. This not only puts farm workers and surrounding communities at risk, but it also leads to pesticides leaching into our soils, waterways, and food crops.
Not only that, but the conventional cotton industry is incredibly harsh on farmers, particularly in India (where a good deal of the world’s cotton is produced). Not only are the poisonous pesticides themselves killing a large number of Indian farmers each year, but the entire corrupt industry is causing thousands of farmers to die by suicide.
The best materials for towels are organic cotton, hemp, and linen. These three natural resources that are biodegradable, healthier for the Earth, and better for the humans who use them.
Organic cotton doesn’t use toxic pesticides, requires much less water to grow, and is not destructive to the soil. Most third-party labels like GOTS Certified Organic Cotton also ensure that farm workers along the supply chain are safe and treated/paid fairly for their work as well.
Hemp is a strong fiber that’s naturally resistant to mold and bacteria growth. It also requires significantly less water to grow than conventional cotton, doesn’t require pesticides, and can yield a lot of crops quickly. Hemp plants also produce more oxygen and absorb up to four times more carbon dioxide than trees.
Unfortunately, hemp farming got caught up in the drug war, which is why it’s still almost impossible to find in the U.S. The good news is that’s slowly starting to change!
Lastly, one more natural material that’s great for towels is linen. It’s similar to organic cotton and hemp, requiring much less water and zero pesticides to grow. It’s also very breathable, hypoallergenic, anti-pilling, strong, and durable.
Linen towels also tend to be thinner, which means they dry faster and take up less space in your washing machine and linen closet.
What to Look for in High-Quality Sustainable Bath Towels
Here are a few more things to look for in organic towels:
1. Non-Toxic Dyes
If you’re buying colored towels, ensure the brand uses non-toxic, low-impact, and/or natural dyes. Look for the OEKO-TEX certification, which indicates that the product has been tested to be free from a long list of toxic chemicals. (Or just go undyed if you want!)
2. Third-Party Certifications
Third-party certifications indicate that someone outside of the company has verified the brand’s safety and environmental claims. It’s important to keep in mind that no third-party label is perfect… But I still think they are helpful!
Here are the three main labels you’ll see when it comes to towels:
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): This indicates that a material has been grown and processed without harmful chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides. GOTS also has qualifications that involve fair treatment of farm workers and suppliers.
- OEKO-TEX: This certification verifies that a finished product has been tested to be free from a list of known toxins.
- MADE SAFE: This one is similar to OEKO-TEX in that it ensures that the end product is safe and free from potentially toxic chemicals. MADE SAFE is a newer and smaller certification than OEKO-TEX, but has stricter standards.
Ideally, you want to see at least two certifications: one that indicates that the plant was grown organically from the start (like GOTS) and another that indicates only safe ingredients were used throughout the rest of the process (like OEKO-TEX or MADE SAFE).
It should be noted that while third-party certifications are great, they aren’t the end-all/be-all. These types of certifications can be very costly to small farmers who work with tight margins.
That’s why some farmers choose to grow crops using organic methods, but skip the certification process. Don’t be afraid to ask more questions of brands to find out more about their sourcing practices.
3. Other Ethical & Sustainable Initiatives
We didn’t stop at natural, organic, and non-toxic materials when looking for the best organic towels. We also look for ethical supply chains (such as Fair Trade certified) and other initiatives like low-waste and low-energy production methods, non-profit give back programs, and circularity schemes.
More FAQs About Organic Towels
Are There Any Organic Bath Towels Made in the USA?
Yes! California Cloth Foundry and Rawganique are two brands that make high-quality, sustainable, and organic cotton bath towels in the USA. (Although much of Rawganique’s towels are made in Europe.)
What About Turkish Cotton?
Turkish cotton is exactly what it sounds like: it’s cotton that’s grown in Turkey. The fertile soil in Turkey has made it an ideal place for growing cotton for centuries. Turkish cotton fibers are usually extra long, which makes for stronger and smoother textiles. You’ll notice a lot of the brands below use Turkish cotton.
Other types of cotton include Pima cotton (also an extra-long staple cotton and primarily grown in China), Supima cotton (a higher-quality version of Pima), and Egyptian cotton (which simply indicates cotton grown in Egypt).
Turkish, Pima, Supima, and Egyptian cotton can all be organic or non-organic. It just depends on the way in which the plant is grown in their respective regions.
Of the brands above, Coyuchi and Public Goods use Turkish cotton.
What Does GSM Mean for Towels?
Another thing you’ll see when you’re looking at bath towels is GSM. GSM stands for “grams per square meter,” and indicates a towel’s weight and absorbency level.
Bath towels and sheets with lower GSM ratings tend to be more affordable, faster drying, and lighter weight (therefore better for travel and storage).
Towels on the high range of GSM are usually considered “luxury” towels and are very soft, plush, and ultra-absorbent. They’re typically more expensive, require more time to dry, and take up more space in your washing machine and linen closet.
Most beach and bath towels lie somewhere in the middle of the GSM scale.You can read more about GSM here.
Bath Sheet vs. Bath Towel: What’s the Difference?
When you’re shopping for organic bath towels, you’ll see two different terms used: standard bath towels versus bath sheets. They’re actually very similar; the biggest difference is just that bath sheets are larger. For more explanation into what a bath sheet is (and to help you decide which one is best for you), check out this article.
When it comes time to replace your towels, go for organic cotton, hemp, or linen. These materials are healthier for you and the planet we call home!
To stay updated on environmental toxin news, get quick & easy tips about decreasing toxins in your life, and more, sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Related Guides:
I really love that you have listed so many organic towels. But, I don’t like that you have to buy a whole set and cannot purchase just bath towels.
Thank you,
Sharon V.
Hi Sharon, You can actually easily buy single bath towels from most of the brands listed here!