Alaska Bear Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask

Quick verdict

The Alaska Bear Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask is the best silk sleep mask for most people. It’s the mask we’d point to when someone asks for a starting point, and its simple, unfilled design makes it a natural everyday mask. It’s not the densest silk on this list, not the darkest, and not the most luxurious — but it delivers genuine mulberry silk at a price so low that you can replace it without grief, and its featherlight feel makes it the easiest mask to forget you’re wearing.

Our take

Alaska Bear’s singular achievement is making genuine mulberry silk accessible at a price that used to belong to polyester. Skepticism is reasonable at this price — silk this cheap often turns out to be a silk-feel polyester with a thin silk facing. Alaska Bear lists this mask as 19-momme mulberry silk on both sides, all the way through. That’s the point that matters: a mask that is real silk on both faces drapes and breathes like silk, rather than just looking like it on the outside.

Its defining trait is weight, or rather the absence of it. At 19 momme with no filling, it’s about as light as a silk mask gets, so it rests over the eye area without the pressure, heat or bulk of foam and polyester designs. For something worn all night, that low weight is the main comfort advantage: the less a mask asks to be noticed, the easier it is to fall asleep in.

The design suits home, hotel and travel use. Unfilled 19-momme silk packs small and dries quickly after a hand wash, and the strap is a simple silk-covered elastic with little that can break. With around 30 colors and patterns, it’s also easy to find a shade you like.

The adjustable strap is silk-wrapped elastic with a small loop adjuster. It’s not the widest strap on the market, and a narrower band concentrates pressure on a smaller strip at the back of the head than a wide one would. The adjuster lets you set the tension for your head size, which is worth doing before bed so the mask stays put without feeling tight.

The silk quality

19-momme mulberry silk sits in the solid mid-range of commercial silk weights. Below this you start to see budget silk or synthetic blends; above this is the 22-momme tier used by Blissy and Slip, which offers greater density and durability. For a sleep mask worn and washed regularly, 19-momme is entirely appropriate — it’s soft, breathable, and durable enough to last 18 months to two years with proper care.

What Alaska Bear gets right for this price is the construction. The silk is genuine mulberry on both sides of the mask, not a silk shell over a synthetic backing. That matters for feel, breathability, and longevity: there’s no synthetic layer to trap heat against the skin. To protect the color, especially on darker shades, stick to cool-water hand washing and dry it out of direct sunlight.

It’s not the OEKO-TEX certified silk of the Blissy, and it doesn’t claim grade-6A filaments. What it claims is 19-momme mulberry silk, and it delivers that accurately.

Light blocking and comfort

Alaska Bear is a flat mask, and flat masks have an inherent light-blocking ceiling. The silk lies across your face and adapts to the topography of your eye area, but it touches your eyelids rather than creating clearance above them. In a dark bedroom with minimal ambient light, it’s more than adequate for sleep. In a bright hotel room or with morning light coming under a gap in the curtain, light will get in at the sides and nose bridge.

For a bedroom that’s already reasonably dark, a flat silk mask like this is usually all you need. For shift workers or anyone with a very light-sensitive bedroom, we’d suggest pairing it with blackout curtains or stepping up to a contoured mask.

Comfort is where Alaska Bear’s design pays off. With no filling, foam or molded cups, there’s nothing to create pressure points, and unfilled 19-momme silk adds very little weight. Silk is naturally thermoregulating — it conducts heat away from the skin rather than trapping it — so it’s less likely to feel clammy on warm nights than foam or polyester. Its smooth surface is also less likely to crease facial skin, which matters if you’re particular about skincare.

How it compares

Against the Blissy (22-momme, flat): Blissy uses denser, higher-grade silk (22 momme versus 19), which means more fiber for long-term durability and a slightly more substantial feel. Both are flat, so both share the same light-blocking limits at the sides and nose bridge. If you want the best flat silk regardless of cost, choose Blissy. If you want great silk at a fraction of that price, Alaska Bear is the answer.

Against the ZIMASILK (22-momme, filled): ZIMASILK uses slightly denser silk and adds a silk filling for more cushion and better light blocking. It’s warmer as a result. At its price, ZIMASILK offers a real upgrade in light blocking and silk weight; at Alaska Bear’s price, the value isn’t there to beat. Choose Alaska Bear for breathability; choose ZIMASILK for more darkness.

Against the Jersey Slumber (budget flat): Jersey Slumber is cheaper and uses thinner silk. Alaska Bear is worth the small premium for the material step-up — a stated 19-momme mulberry silk on both sides, and heavier silk generally holds up better to repeated washing.

Who this is for

• First-time silk mask buyers — it’s the lowest-risk introduction to what silk actually feels like
• Hot sleepers who need breathability above all else
• Anyone who wants real silk but not a real-silk price
• People who like having 30+ color options for matching or gifting
• Back sleepers who don’t need lash clearance or total blackout

Who should skip it

• Lash extension wearers — the flat design rests on your lashes; choose the Slip Contour
• Anyone who needs true blackout for shift work or light-sensitive sleep — a contoured mask will serve better
• People who want maximum durability from their silk — step up to a 22-momme option if you expect two-plus years from one mask

Care and durability

Hand wash in cool water with a gentle silk detergent. Do not machine wash, wring, or tumble dry — these will degrade the silk and distort the strap’s elasticity. Press gently in a towel to absorb water, then air dry flat. The silk dries quickly and should be ready for the following night.

How long the mask lasts depends heavily on wash frequency and technique. On a simple unfilled mask like this, the elastic strap is usually the first part to give, and the heat and agitation of machine washing and tumble drying are what wear elastic out fastest. Hand wash it, air dry it, and the silk itself should outlast the elastic.