Bamboo Fabric Marketing Deception (Rayon/Viscose CS2 Processing) — safety profile
Low riskMost fabric marketed as 'bamboo' is actually rayon or viscose made from bamboo cellulose — processed with carbon disulfide (CS2), a neurotoxic solvent (IARC not classified, but well-documented neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity in workers).
What is this product?
Most fabric marketed as 'bamboo' is actually rayon or viscose made from bamboo cellulose — processed with carbon disulfide (CS2), a neurotoxic solvent (IARC not classified, but well-documented neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity in workers). FTC has fined multiple companies for labeling rayon as 'bamboo' (2009: fined Sears, Amazon, Leon Max, Macy's — $1.26M total). The viscose process dissolves cellulose in NaOH + CS2, regenerates fiber in acid bath — destroying all original bamboo properties. Final fabric has zero antimicrobial or eco-benefit of bamboo plant. TENCEL/Lyocell (closed-loop NMMO solvent) is the genuinely cleaner alternative. Modal is semi-closed-loop viscose.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Processing Chemical
Frequently asked questions
No FAQs generated.
Look up Bamboo Fabric Marketing Deception (Rayon/Viscose CS2 Processing) in the body app
Search by ingredient, browse by category, or compare to alternatives in the live app.
Open in body View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →