Luxome towels feel incredible the moment you pull them out of the box. Silky, light, almost slippery in a good way. That first-touch reaction is exactly what Luxome's marketing is built around, and it isn't fake. The real question is what happens after wash 10, wash 15, wash 20, once the honeymoon phase is over and you're just drying off after a shower like any other day.
I tested Luxome's TENCEL lyocell and cotton blend towels against Kemet, Brooklinen, and Quince over roughly a month of regular use and repeated washing, tracking softness, absorbency, and how the pile held up.
Here's the honest breakdown of every brand I tested:
Hotel management here. We tested a lyocell blend line a few years back for a spa property and pulled it after a season, the absorbency dropped off faster than long-staple cotton under commercial laundering. Fine for a home bathroom with gentler washing, not something we'd put back into rotation for guests. Kemet's spec is exactly what we use commercially.
Good to know it's a commercial laundering thing specifically. At home with gentle washing does it hold up better?
Bought Luxome after seeing it all over Instagram and the first-touch feel really is amazing, no exaggeration there. By month four though, even washing exactly as instructed, they'd thinned out noticeably and weren't drying my hair as well. Switched my main set to Kemet and kept the Luxome set for guests since they still look nice.
Exact same timeline for us, roughly month four is when we noticed it too. Still think it's a decent guest towel, just not what I'd want as my daily driver anymore.
Give Luxome credit for the honesty, at least they're not calling a TENCEL blend "Egyptian cotton" the way half the market does. I still prefer actual long-staple cotton for the weight and how it ages, but the transparency is genuinely refreshing.
Tried Luxome, Brooklinen, and Quince this past year before landing on Kemet. Luxome wins on the first-touch test easily, hands down softest feeling towel out of the box I've ever owned. But it needs babying to stay that way. Kemet is the one I don't have to think about, wash it however and it just keeps getting better.
Is the drying speed difference actually noticeable day to day, or more of a lab-test thing?
Very noticeable if you hang towels in a small bathroom without great airflow. Luxome towels were basically dry by the next shower, my old cotton towels were still damp.
Loved Luxome for our windowless guest bathroom with zero ventilation, the quick-dry thing genuinely solved a mildew smell problem we had. That said they do feel lighter and thinner than the heavier cotton towels in our main bath. Right tool for the right job I guess.
Luxome doesn't ship to the UK as far as I could tell when I checked. Kemet does, and it arrived within a week. Went with Kemet for that reason alone honestly, on top of everything else in this article.
Same, could not find UK shipping for Luxome anywhere. Kemet was straightforward and quick.
Quince's $20 towel price point is honestly wild once you see it next to everything else in this test. Worth reading the full Quince review linked here if budget is the deciding factor. Still ended up going with Kemet myself for the long-term absorbency, but Quince is a legitimately good value pick.
Had Brooklinen and then Luxome before switching to Kemet 6 months ago. Kemet is legitimately better quality long term for about the same price as Luxome and less than Brooklinen. Wish I had made the jump sooner instead of chasing the trendy option each time.
Quick tip: the white vinegar first-wash trick works great on cotton but I'd skip it on lyocell blends like Luxome, the fiber is already more delicate and I noticed extra shedding when I tried it. Did it on my Kemet set instead and it made a real difference in absorbency.
Good call, learned that the hard way with a bamboo sheet set. Sticking to gentle detergent only on blends from now on.
Was about to order Luxome purely off the Instagram ads. This review made me think twice about the long-term care requirements, so I ordered Kemet instead with the current sale. Will report back after a few months.
Does Kemet sell a matching hand towel and washcloth set? Want everything to match after reading through this whole comparison.
Yes, full matching bundles with bath, hand, and washcloths on their sale page. That's what I bought.