Cashmere or merino wool: which one is really warmer?

When temperatures drop, a question often comes up:
should you choose merino or cashmere to really stay warm?

Both are high-quality natural materials, but they don't offer the same warmth or the same feel on the skin.
Here's a simple explanation — to make the right choice for your needs.

1. Merino: fine, breathable... but still wool

Merino wool is already an excellent material:

✔ soft (less rough than classic wool)
✔ breathable
✔ thermoregulating
✔ ideal for sports, movement, active life

But despite these qualities, merino wool:

• doesn't insulate as much as cashmere,

• is less warm at equal weight,

• and remains a more “active” fiber than a cocooning fiber.

Great for moving, less for cocooning.

2. Cashmere: one of the warmest materials... at equal weight

Cashmere is not ordinary wool:
it's the fine, insulating down of the cashmere goat.

Its advantages are incomparable:

✔ up to 3 times warmer than wool at equal weight
✔ second-skin softness
✔ light warmth (doesn't feel heavy, isn't suffocating)
✔ very fine fiber (14–16 microns)
✔ instant comfort as soon as you put it on

➡️ Ideal for indoors, calm, slowness.

3. At equal weight: cashmere is objectively warmer

To understand, you need to look at insulation.

Simple comparison:

Cashmere retains heat better without preventing the skin from breathing.
It creates a comfortable microclimate, whereas merino primarily manages perspiration.

4. For indoor wear, what to choose?

To stay warm at home, in the morning or evening:

Cashmere is unbeatable.
Because it warms without being heavy, it's light, and it promotes relaxation.

Merino is perfect for:

• hiking

• physical activities

• active days

Cashmere is perfect for:

• reading

• working from home

• getting up in the morning

• winter evenings

• evening ritual

• relaxing

5. The CÉTOILE kimono: the "warm without overheating" philosophy

A kimono made of organic cashmere offers:

• the warmth of cashmere,

• without the weight of a bathrobe,

• without the overheating of fleece,

• without the roughness of wool.

It's an indoor piece designed to provide gentle warmth, not to be stifling.
A calm, light wrap, perfect for winter.

To go further

Read the pillar article:
Organic cashmere: why such an expensive — and so precious — kimono?

Discover the piece:
Organic cashmere kimono — Maison CÉTOILE