I tested out the cooling sheets that were on Dragon's Den and actually got too cold at night

Eucalyptus Silk Sheet Set: from £169 at Ethical Bedding

You can buy all the separate components of Ethical Bedding's Eucalyptus Silk individually, or pick up a bundle that groups them all together in one easy package. They're on sale right now, so you get 41% off the full set.

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These days, the best bedding doesn’t just need to look cosy — it has to feel good, do good, and keep you cool. That’s a lot to ask from a few threads, but Ethical Bedding's Eucalyptus Silk Sheets have it (duvet) covered — and then some.

You might recognise the brand from Dragons' Den, where it impressed with its planet-friendly mission and innovative materials. James Higgins, the founder, spotted that many hot sleepers turn to linen or cotton, but he asked the question, "what if eucalyptus could do an even better job?"

I first came across eucalyptus silk while researching the best silk pillowcases (not on Dragons Den) although I've since had many people mention it to me for its celebrity TV appearance. For me, Ethical Bedding’s silk pillowcases stood out when I was testing the — not just for its luxurious feel, but also for their eco-friendly credentials. It earned a well-deserved spot in our silk pillowcases buying guide, and after that, I couldn’t resist testing out the full bedding set. And wow. It really is the best bedding for hot sleepers.

I say that from a slightly unexpected angle — my mum’s. I’m a self-confessed hot sleeper, but these sheets were so cooling, they were actually too much for me. I passed them on to my mum, who deals with night sweats, and I’m pretty sure she’d wrestle me if I tried to take them back. For anyone struggling to stay cool and comfortable through the night, these are a total saviour.

Specifications

Unboxing

You get the luxury experience right from the very beginning with Ethical Bedding. Their Eucalyptus Silk Sheets come in, you guessed it, eucalyptus silk drawstring bags. I opted for an all-white set, because that's my kind of style, but you could choose to mix and match between their classic colours: pink, blue, green, grey, pastel yellow.

The bags are embroidered with what's inside, making laundry storage both easy and tidy. It made sorting my bed set-up out positively breezy. I kept my fingers crossed that things would stay that way. You will see that it looks a little crumpled around the creases, but these dropped out in a matter of hours.

Who would it suit?

Ethical Bedding's Eucalyptus Silk Sheets are brilliant from a few different perspectives: they're the most cooling sheets that I've ever slept on; they're ultra natural and gentle on sensitive skin; they have great eco-credentials; and the fibre is a plush, soft alternative to silk. If you fall into any of those categories, you can get very excited about sleeping in these sheets.

We can start with the cooling properties. You've probably already come across eucalyptus fibres in your clothing. It goes by the name Tencel Lyocell. Now you know it, you'll see it everywhere, especially at brands such as The White Company. The reason people love to wear (and now sleep) in eucalyptus threads is that it has two key properties that are really effective for cooling: the fibres are open and really breathable and they're moisture-wicking too. That's a dynamic duo that all hot sleepers can rejoice sleeping in. As I said, these sheets so cooling I actually got too cold sleeping in them.

Now, we can move onto the natural aspects of the sheets. You spend one third of your life asleep, so it makes sense to try to steer clear of nasties and unnatural fibres. Ethical Bedding says "we use eucalyptus that's grown using 95% less water than cotton, no farmable land, and zero herbicides or pesticides. It's naturally hypoallergenic, resistant to bacteria growth and has the same sleep benefits as conventional silk." The fibre is oeko-tex certified, all the dyes are natural and plant-based, and every aspect of the sheet (even down to the button) is biodegradable.

This stems off the natural benefits of eucalyptus, but opting for this instead of bamboo is proving to be a popular choice for the eco-conscious. Ethical Bedding harvests eucalyptus plants (rather than uprooting them); they don't use pesticide sprays; and they make sure to have carbon neutral delivery. There's even more on their website, but I've pulled out the headlines.

Aside from all that, eucalyptus is also a fabulous alternative to silk. Not only is it vegan-friendly, it's much more affordable than silk and you can be a bit rougher with it. So, if you're looking to curate the luxury sleep experience, but you're also working on a bit of a budget, this is perfect.

What is it like to use?

The sizing for Ethical Bedding's Eucalyptus Sheets is spot on. I have a king size bed and this fitted comfortably over all my pillows, duvet, and mattress. The aspect that I was most worried about was my mattress, because I have a thick mattress as well as a 6cm deep topper, but the base effortlessly wrapped around that, with the elastic drawing all of the sheet nicely taut over the base.

My Oxford pillowcases slid perfectly around my plump pillows, securing themselves wonderfully. I move around a lot in the night, but they remained smart, plump, and crease-free. As for the duvet, the corzo nut buttons kept the duvet cover subtly sealed. There's plenty of material to play with, if you want to tuck your buttons inside or outside your duvet and I really didn't struggle putting everything together. The whole bed looked tidy and smart after I had finished.

I gave you a bit of a spoiler for what the Ethical Bedding Eucalyptus Sheets are like to sleep on, because I said they were too cooling for me. They really are. I consider myself a hot sleeper, so often opt for linen over any other material, so switching into the silky texture for Eucalyptus immediately had my skin glowing (in the good way). The fibres feel like silk, which can make them almost slippery to some people, but for me, it just meant they were really cool.

I'm known to wake up from getting hot, at least once in the night, but with these I was walking up cold. I was piling the duvet over me, which is impressive from a cooling perspective, but not quite ideal for me. I handed these over to my mum, who regularly struggles to sleep from her night sweats and she loved them. She said, "I've slept on bamboo sheets before, but they were too slippery, so I ended up on linen. This is the perfect balance of the two: it's cooler than my linen sheets, but a bit softer with more sumptuousness than bamboo, which was incredible."

She's told me since that these are the coolest sheets she has tested so far. She's my partner in crime for all our bedding tests, so that is quite the compliment. She said she didn't wake up in a sweat at all and didn't feel the need to switch out any of her bedding when the weather warmed up.

Cleaning

Ethical Bedding, as you might expect, are really good for their aftercare. The sheets are all biodegradable and gentle on the skin, but you don't have to be too gentle with them in the wash. These are colourfast and machine washable, so you can load them in and set the machine running. I would recommend washing them at 30 degrees with an eco-friendly laundry detergent, such as Ecover or Method. You can see on the label above that Ethical Bedding recommends avoiding fabric softener as these are soft enough already. I can testify that they really are. You'd be on a relative slip and slide if these were any softer.

You'll also see that Ethical Bedding recommends air drying sheets, which I second. Of course, that's not possible for everyone, but if you have a clothes airer and a warm day, make use of it. Your sheets and bank balance will thank you for it.

As for the colour and size, I tested the white, so didn't need to worry too much about the colour running or about shrinkage. However, if you opt for the blue or green colourways, Ethical Bedding uses plant-based all natural dyes that I'm told don't run. That's not just from the brand, reviewers say the same too. My sheets stayed the same size, wash after wash, so you can really rest easy from a longevity perspective.

How does it compare?

I'll admit that I was initially very reluctant to swap over to Ethical Bedding's Eucalyptus Silk sheets. I had just settled into my dream "French Girl Sleep" routine with Soak&Sleep's French Linen Bedding Set. As a hot sleeper, the linen strikes the perfect spot of being soft against my skin and cosy, whilst still regulating my temperature and keeping me cool. I ended up preferring the texture and softness of the linen against my skin, but, as I said, when I handed these over to my mum, she preferred the extra-cool, slippery, silky feel.

If you like the idea of that silky feeling, you can take it one step further and opt for Panda London's Bamboo Bedding. This is even cooler and even silkier than the Eucalyptus Silk, so if you are after extreme cooling power, these will do the job. They definitely take some getting used to. Lots of people feel like they're sliding out of bed when they first try these, but if you can adjust, they're really good.

Should you buy it?

If you're a seriously hot sleeper and you're looking for some light, icy relief, these are the perfect sheets. They're soft to touch and gentle on your skin, whilst feeling plush and luxurious too. The fact that I found them too cooling is a testament to just how effective these sheets are.

How we test

At woman&home, sleep is something we take seriously — so when I’m testing bedding, I go all in. I look at the science behind great sleep to figure out what really makes a difference, and that insight shapes every review I write. From breaking down fabric compositions to checking whether brands are truly using 100% natural fibres, I make sure you know exactly what you’re curling up in at night.

Each bedding set goes through weeks — sometimes months — of real-life testing. I sleep in them through changing seasons, track my sleep quality, and see how they perform in different conditions. I pay close attention to how they feel on the skin, how well they wash, and whether they’re prone to creasing or fading. I also stack them up against other popular sets, so you get a proper side-by-side comparison. By the end of my review, you’ll know whether they’re worth your money — and if you’re still torn, just ask. I never get tired of talking about bedding.