Guides

A practical checklist, based on what we've seen on thousands of Amazon clothing listings.

1. Don't trust the title

Sellers put popular words in product titles to show up in searches. A title can say "Cotton" and the item can still be mostly polyester. In our own testing we found a "Women's Cotton" sweatshirt that was 65% polyester and 35% cotton.

2. Know what Amazon's "Cotton" filter does

Ticking Cotton in the Material filter on the left narrows the results a lot, but it can still include blends. Treat it as a first pass, not a guarantee.

3. Find the "Fabric type" line

Open the product page and look under Product details (sometimes "Product information" or "About this item") for a line called Fabric type or Material composition. It's written by the seller, in many formats:

• 100% Cotton: what you want.
• 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester or Cotton 60%, Polyester 40%: a blend.
• Shell: 100% Cotton; Lining: 100% Polyester: different parts, different fabrics.

4. Watch for vague wording

• "Cotton blend" or "cotton feel" with no percentages usually means it isn't 100% cotton.
• A bare "Cotton" with no percentage isn't a promise either.
• Percentages that don't add up to 100 mean something is missing.
• Some listings give a different fabric for each color. Check the one you're buying.

5. Decide how much stretch you'll accept

Many tees, leggings and jeans are 95% cotton, 5% spandex (also called elastane or Lycra). That small amount of stretch helps fit and shape. If you want only cotton, look for exactly 100% Cotton.

Why it matters: the numbers on synthetic fabric, with sources.