How to choose the best duvet insert for your bed
Deciding between a down duvet insert or a down alternative? Here’s what experts say you should consider.
The Legends Hotel Organic Cotton Down Duvet Insert from The Company Store is both RDS- and Oeko-Tex-certified, which means it’s been lab tested for harmful levels of toxic substances by independent textile and leather testing institutes across the world. It’s filled with hypoallergenic down and it has a 600 to 650 fill power, meaning it’s a little heavier-feeling than the Parachute Down Duvet Insert. The down is encased in a 100% cotton shell.
The Company Store’s Legends Hotel Organic Cotton Down Duvet Insert comes in several warmth options — Light, Medium, Extra and Ultra — and in four sizes: Twin, Full, Queen and King/Cal. King. It has an average 4.5-star rating across a handful of reviews. And should it ever fall short of expectations, it comes with a Lifetime Guarantee — The Company Store says it will accept returns at any time and offer an exchange or merchandise credit in return.
Filled with down feathers and with a fill power of 650, the Oeko-Tex-certified Tuft & Needle Down Duvet Insert has a cotton shell that should feel breathable, the brand says. The Tuft & Needle duvet insert comes in two warmth options — Light and Medium — and three sizes: Twin/Twin XL, Full/Queen and King/Cal King. It has an average 4.7-star rating across 106 reviews. Tuft & Needle also carries a Down Alternative Duvet Insert with a polyester fill.
The brand says it’s important for shoppers to note that the duvet insert is intentionally oversized to appear fluffy, so be sure to check its dimensions before you buy it. The Tuft & Needle Down Duvet Insert comes with a 100-night trial and a two-year warranty to cover defective materials or workmanship, the brand says.
Casper’s Humidity Fighting Duvet is filled with 750 fill power down and it has a 100% cotton shell. Casper says the duvet is constructed with sewn-in chambers to keep its down fill in place. It’s made with an added layer of merino wool to naturally wick away moisture and prevent you from sleeping too hot, Casper says.
For extra warmth, you can buy the Humidity Fighting Duvet in Mid Weight or Lightweight, and the duvet comes in Twin/Twin XL, Full/Queen and King/Cal. King sizes. This duvet has a 4.5-star rating across 113 reviews. Casper also offers a regular Down Duvet that comes with 600 fill power down, if you’re less concerned about how heavy your duvet feels and want to save a little money. The Casper Humidity Fighting Duvet comes with a one-year warranty.
When searching for alternatives to a down duvet, we found very few options that came with long warranties, or any warranty at all. (Where possible, we noted their return policies instead.) Though we prioritized options with decent warranties, we also highlighted some duvets strictly for their popularity or great reviews. The down alternative duvet inserts we cover are also machine-washable, making them easy to care for.
Parachute’s Down Alternative Duvet Insert is the best option that we’ve found in our research thanks to its reasonable price, multiple density options and five-year warranty (no other down alternative duvet insert we found offers such reassurance). It is made of a 100% hypoallergenic microfiber fill and a 100% sateen cotton shell and has received a 4.7-star rating across more than 500 customer reviews. Both the Parachute Down and Down Alternative Duvet inserts come in Twin/Twin XL, Full/Queen and King/Cal. King sizes.
The Company Store’s Company Essentials Down Alternative Duvet Insert has a hypoallergenic polyester fill and offers medium warmth for year-round use, the brand says. (While its down counterpart comes with the four warmth options, the Down Alternative Duvet Insert only has one.) It also has a cotton shell exterior
The duvet comes in five size options: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen and King/Cal. King and has an average of 4.8 stars across nearly 70 customer reviews. And though it doesn’t have the same Lifetime Guarantee that its down counterpart has, the Company Essentials Down Alternative Duvet Insert comes with a “Rest Easy Guarantee” that gives you three months to return it if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
Allswell’s Year Round Down Alt Duvet Insert is made with a 100% antiallergen, polyester fill and a 100 percent cotton cover, according to the brand. The brand describes the duvet, which is only available in one density, as a “year round down alt duvet insert.” (We’ve recommended Allswell’s Down Alternative Pillow, too.)
The Allswell duvet insert is offered in three sizes: Twin/Twin XL, Full/Queen and King/Cal. King. It comes with a 4.2-star average rating across more than 70 reviews and comes with a 30-day return policy.
Like the Casper Humidity Fighting Duvet that we recommend above, West Elm’s HydroCool Alternative Duvet Insert is especially good for hot sleepers, because — according to the brand — it has a polyester fill that’s meant to absorb and evaporate moisture. It also comes with a 100% cotton cover. It’s hypoallergenic and Oeko-Tex-certified, too.
Like other duvets in this guide, you can decide between two densities: All Season, which is lighter for sleeping cool throughout the year, and Extra Warm, which is ideal for cold climates. It comes in three sizes: Twin/Twin XL, Full/Queen and King/Cal. King. The West Elm HydroCool Alternative Duvet Insert comes with a 30-day return policy.
Although “duvet” and “comforter” are sometimes used interchangeably, the two are technically different. While a duvet is usually sold separately from a duvet cover — which you can then pair with your duvet — a comforter is usually made from polyester fill with a quilted decorative cover that cannot be removed, experts told us.
A down duvet is made from the “undercoating or under feathers of duck or geese” and is known for warmth despite its light weight, according to Anupama Pasricha, a professor of fashion design and merchandising at St. Catherine University in Minnesota. Down duvets are especially breathable compared to down alternative duvets, too.
There are ethical concerns when it comes to the production of down, including the plucking and pulling of the birds’ feathers and the conditions the animals are kept in, Pasricha informed us. If you want to make sure the down duvet you buy is ethically sourced, Pasricha recommended looking for a responsible down certification, or Responsible Down Standard (RDS), a set of guidelines created by the nonprofit Textile Exchange, that ensure the animals that were not subjected to unnecessary harm, according to the organization.
A down alternative duvet uses fiberfill, typically polyester or other synthetic stuffings, to provide insulation. Because the fill is made from a synthetic material, it can be a good alternative for anyone with allergies or those specifically allergic to down. These fibers are “made in different sizes and shapes to mimic down feathers,” explained Kiersten Muenchinger, an associate professor of product design with a focus on sustainability at the University of Oregon. Down alternative duvets are also machine-washable, which makes them easier to care for than traditional down duvets.
Down alternative duvets are typically more affordable — direct-to-consumer retailers like Parachute and Brooklinen offer their down alternative options for $259 and $209, respectively, in their Queen sizes. You might also see down alternative duvets billed as more eco-friendly, but that’s not entirely true. While the fiberfill in down alternative duvets makes them washable, microfibers can find their way into water streams. Tha said, “low energy consumption in production and durability in use are the environmental strengths of down alternatives,” explained Muechinger. Pasricha suggested washing your duvet cover regularly, rather than the duvet insert.
Picking the right duvet is ultimately a matter of personal preference, experts told us. For kids, a down alternative duvet that can be regularly washed might be preferable. For adults, it’s worth contemplating whether you want a duvet to be lightweight (which down is), according to Muenchinger, or denser like a down alternative duvet. Pasricha recommended thinking through what’s best for your lifestyle and preparing for longevity by taking good care of your duvet.
If you go with a down duvet or insert, you should also consider fill power, or the number that measures the quality of the down product. With a down duvet, the higher the fill power, the fluffier and more insulating it is. The lower the fill power number, the less insulating it is.
With down alternatives, it’s not as simple. Some down alternative duvets will advertise fill power, but according to Casper, down alternative fill is harder to quantify since it’s made up of various materials. We highlighted this number in each of our down duvet recommendations. If you’re particular about how you sleep, it may be worth experimenting with a couple duvets before you commit to one.
At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Kiersten Muenchinger is an associate professor of product design with a focus on sustainability at the University of Oregon.
Anupama Pasricha, a professor of fashion design and merchandising at St. Catherine University in Minnesota.
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