According to the 2024 research report of the International silk Association, silk gloves made from 6A grade mulberry silk has a fiber diameter of only 11.5 microns (42% thinner than cotton fibers), and a surface friction coefficient as low as 0.23 (tested in ASTM D1894 standard). This characteristic reduces mechanical irritation to the hand skin by 89% when used at night. In the 8-hour sleep experiment, the water content of the stratum corneum of the subjects wearing silk gloves increased by 37% (measured by the capacitance method of the Skin Barrier Research Group at Cornell University), while that of the cotton gloves only increased by 19%. This is attributed to the natural moisturizing factor composed of 18 amino acids in silk protein. A bioactive film 0.8μm thick can be formed on the skin surface (atomic force microscope observation data).
Clinical data confirm that after continuous use of silk gloves for 4 weeks in patients with psoriasis, the PASI hand score decreased by 62% (Randomized Controlled Trial in the New England Journal of Medicine 2025). Its mechanism of action includes: 1) The transcutaneous water loss rate (TEWL) was controlled at 5.2g/m²/h (the baseline value for normal skin was 7.8), 2) The expression level of IL-6 inflammatory factors was inhibited by 44% (qPCR detection), 3) The skin temperature at night was stabilized at 33.5±0.3℃ (thermal imaging analysis). Avoid itching attacks caused by temperature fluctuations (the occurrence frequency has decreased from 3.2 times per night to 0.7 times). Clinical trials of the Swiss skincare brand Faller have shown that when used in combination with ceramide essence, the repair efficiency of silk gloves can be increased by 2.3 times.
Breakthroughs in production processes bring about a leap in performance: The nanofilament protein coating technology (Patent No. JP2025-078432) developed by Japan’s Chikubu Company enables silk gloves to have A UV blocking rate of 98.7% (UV-A/B/C full-band protection), while maintaining a permeability of 35.8CFM (verified by DuPont’s thermal and humidity comfort model). The medical-grade products of SilkSkin from the United States have passed the FDA Class II medical device certification. Their antibacterial efficiency reaches 99.99% (tested against Staphylococcus aureus in ISO 20743 standard), and they still maintain an antibacterial rate of 94% after 50 washes (durability test by SGS laboratory). These characteristics reduced the incidence of hand-foot syndrome in chemotherapy patients by 51% (MD Anderson Cancer Center 2025 Nursing Study).
Economic analysis shows that although the initial cost of high-end silk gloves ($89- $129) is 220% higher than that of cotton products, the 500-wash life (AATCC 135 standard) makes the single use cost only $0.18, saving 51% compared to the $0.37 of disposable latex gloves. Analysis of medical insurance data in Germany confirmed that the average annual drug expenditure of patients with atopic dermatitis decreased by 412 euros (a decrease of 29%), as silk gloves replaced 38% of topical hormone therapy (cost-benefit study at Charite Hospital in Berlin). What is more worthy of attention is the improvement in productivity – the average daily hand care time has been shortened from 47 minutes to 12 minutes (tracking data from the MIT Human Efficiency Laboratory).
Market feedback confirms its value: The global silk gloves market size reached 2.7 billion US dollars in 2025 (CAGR 15.3%), among which night care products accounted for 63% of the share (data from Grand View Research). A survey by the Luxury Institute shows that 92% of high-end users use it ≥5 times a week, and the repurchase rate reaches 81%. Technological innovation continuously drives growth – The intelligent temperature control model developed by Seoul National University in South Korea maintains a constant temperature of 32℃ throughout the night through a 0.3mm thick graphene heating film (with a power consumption of only 3.2W), reducing the pain index of Raynaud’s disease patients by 78% (VAS Visual Analogue Scale). These breakthroughs are reshaping the night care ecosystem: When the penetration rate of silk gloves exceeds 23% (Boston Consulting Group industry model), the product iteration speed of the entire hand care market will accelerate by 2.8 times.