Why Organic Cotton

Why We Chose Organic Cotton

When we set out to create BARE Bear, we knew the fabric choice was the most important decision we'd make. It needed to be pure and soft enough for delicate newborn skin, durable enough to withstand daily use, and credible enough to hold up to scrutiny. Here's why we chose GOTS certified organic cotton, why we said no to bamboo and conventional cotton, and why microfibre was a nonstarter.

Why Organic Cotton?

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton is different. It's grown without synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilisers, or GMOs. The certification ensures the entire supply chain, from field to finished product, meets rigorous environmental and social standards.

What GOTS Certification Means:

• No toxic chemicals: No synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilisers, no formaldehyde, no phthalates
• Safer for farmers: Protects the health and livelihoods of farming communities
• Better for soil: Organic farming practices build healthy soil that retains water and carbon
• Purer for babies: No chemical residue in the fabric that touches delicate skin
• Traceable: Full supply chain transparency from field to final product

Our manufacturer is GOTS certified, and our cloths are made with GOTS certified organic cotton. This means you can trust what touches your baby's skin.

Why We Said No to Bamboo

When we started researching fabrics, bamboo sounded ideal. It's marketed as antibacterial, eco-friendly, and fast-growing. Sounds perfect, right?

Then we dug into how bamboo fabric is actually made. Spoiler: it's not at all what the marketing suggests.

It's easy to assume bamboo fabric is natural. We did too. But most products labelled "bamboo" are actually bamboo viscose (rayon), a semi-synthetic fibre made by dissolving the bamboo plant in sodium hydroxide, carbon disulphide, and sulphuric acid.¹ This chemical process transforms bamboo into something entirely different: a regenerated cellulose fibre, not a natural plant-based fabric.

Carbon disulphide is particularly concerning. Studies have shown it's highly toxic and linked to:

• Nervous system damage
• Reproductive harm
• Heart disease
• Health risks in manufacturing facilities

What we found really enlightening is that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states that once bamboo becomes viscose, "there is no trace of the original bamboo plant left", meaning NONE of bamboo's natural antimicrobial properties remain. The FTC has repeatedly ruled that fabrics made from bamboo cannot be marketed as "natural bamboo" or "antibacterial" because those claims aren't supported by the material's actual properties.²

There is a true bamboo linen made through mechanical processing, but it's extremely rare, costly, and produces a coarse fabric, not gentle enough for a newborn's skin and not what the industry sells as "bamboo."

Once we learned the reality of bamboo processing, the answer was clear: we couldn't use it.

The Problem with Conventional Cotton

Cotton has been loved for thousands of years because it is soft, breathable and naturally absorbent. But the way most cotton is grown today looks very different from the cotton our grandparents knew. Modern farming of conventional cotton is widely described by environmental and agricultural organisations as one of the most chemically intensive crops on the planet earning it the nickname: "the dirtiest crop."

Although cotton covers only 2-3% of global farmland, it uses 4.7% of the world's pesticides and 10% of its insecticides.³

Conventional cotton is grown using chemical fertilisers and genetically modified seeds. Processing then involves harsh chemical treatments including bleaching agents, synthetic dyes, and various finishing chemicals. Even after washing, residues from this processing can remain in the fabric. When you're wiping your baby's face, hands, and bottom multiple times a day, that matters.

And it's not just chemicals. Conventional cotton is one of the most water-intensive crops on the planet. Producing a single conventional cotton t-shirt takes about 2,700 litres of water from field to fabric. Organic cotton? Just 243 litres. That's over 2,400 litres lost per t-shirt. To put this in perspective, that's enough drinking water for three expectant mums for their ENTIRE nine months of pregnancy. Wasting this precious water unnecessarily was not an option.⁴

For it to be BARE it couldn't be made this way. We needed a material that felt clean in every sense. Pure for babies. Safer for the people who grow it. Better for the land it comes from.

We knew we could do better. That's why we chose GOTS certified organic cotton.

Why Microfibre Was a Nonstarter

Let's just call a spade a spade, microfibre is woven PLASTIC fibres; synthetic fabric made from polyester. With all the news about microplastics and the dangers for all of us, especially babies, that's where the conversation ended for us.

Microfibre textiles shed tiny plastic particles with washing and use. Studies show microfibre fabrics can release over 1,900 fibres per wash. When you're repeatedly wiping your baby's face, bottom, and hands with a plastic-based fabric, those particles can end up on their skin, in the air and in the water you're using; ultimately into their little bodies.

We don't know all the risks yet. But we know enough to know it's not good.

Current research links microplastic exposure in babies to:

• Respiratory conditions including asthma, pneumonia, and allergic rhinitis⁶
• Compromised immune barriers that increase susceptibility to allergies⁷
• Worsened asthma symptoms and increased respiratory infections⁸
• Disrupted developmental processes with long-term health consequences⁹

So we're not taking chances with what touches your babies' skin.

That's why we chose 100% organic cotton for our cloths. No synthetic fibres. No plastic fabrics touching baby. Just natural cotton that's been safely used for generations.

Want to learn more? Read about 2025 microplastics research¹⁰ or Stanford Medicine's review of microplastics and health.¹¹

The BARE Choice: Organic Cotton

After researching every option, organic cotton was the clear winner. It's:

• Pure: No synthetic chemicals, no toxic processing, no plastic
• Safe: Gentle on the most delicate skin
• Sustainable: Biodegradable, renewable, supports healthy soil
• Honest: What you see is what you get: 100% natural cotton

Yes, organic cotton costs more. Yes, it requires more care in sourcing. But we believe that parents deserve products made without compromise.

BARE is about going back to basics. Back to what our grandmothers knew: that pure cotton and water are all you need. No chemicals. No synthetics. No compromises.