The word on the label and the word in the sales pitch are allowed to differ, and knowing why protects you rather than the factory.

How the fibre is actually made

Bamboo is dissolved into a solution and spun back out as a cellulose filament.

What comes out is chemically the same class of fibre as any other viscose.

So the generic name applies

US labelling asks for the generic fibre name: rayon made from bamboo, or viscose from bamboo.

A garment labelled simply bamboo is mislabelled, however soft it feels.

The claims attached to it

Antibacterial and antimicrobial wording has drawn regulator action, because the plant’s chemistry does not survive the process that makes the fibre.

Eco and organic wording needs a certificate behind it, not a marketing line.

What to ask your supplier

For the fibre content in writing, and for the exact wording that will appear on the label.

If they cannot answer either question, the shirt is being sold to you on a word.