Deborah Cotton History
With eco-friendly, organic cotton fast gaining popularity today, you might think it’s a new idea. However, Sweden’s Deborah Cotton started offering green bedding in 1996 with her bedding linen products. Deborah suffered from asthma and psoriasis. Practical scientist that she was, Deborah patented the way of making organic cotton sheets harbor as few dust mites that can be. And without dust mites, allergies such as rashes and stuffed noses became non-existent for those who had been at the mercy of their afflictions.
Who was Deborah Cotton?
A biochemist from Gothenberg, Deborah began selling her non-allergenic sheets in 1996 in Swedish pharmacies. It was, literally, a spot on marketing metaphor. In the Gothenburgian dialect, “De’ e’ bra” means, “it is good.” Before long, Deborah’s Cotton sheets became known as, “It is good cotton.”
Deborah, though, realized that the avoidance of dust mites altogether was an even better solution. So, she created a subscription service where customers could sign up for fresh new bedding every two weeks. Allergy sufferers went for it big time, in order to regain their sanity.
The subscription service in turn became a do-good project. Used sheets were brought to a Swedish nonprofit, Emmaus Bjorka. Emmaus washed the still new organic linen and donated it to four countries: Angola, Nicaragua, Palestine and West Sahara. For resourceful Deborah, continuing doing De’ e’ bra, “it is good,” was the social equalizer benefiting yet another group of humanity.
However, Deborah Cotton passed on in 2003, and the company took a nosedive. After selling agents tried to expand too quickly into multiple retail outlets, a marketing strategy that Deborah never allowed, the pharmacies stopped selling them. In Sweden, pharmacies are government-owned and operated. Purchasing agents believed the products were ubiquitous as they were now available everywhere. But, retail outlets didn't promote the items either.
DeborahCotton.com
Longtime allergy-sufferer and customer Henrik Lindberg wondered where he could get the sheets after Swedish pharmacies stopped selling them. Henrik and his son suffer similar bouts of rashes and asthma. Henrik tracked down the owners and bought the company in 2008.
And a new chapter for Deborah Cotton begins at this web site—with a universal reach that stretches around the globe.
Henrik’s vision is to make nights as quiet and relaxing for those suffering from toxic bedroom allergens as they are for the nine out of ten of the population without allergies or eczema. DeborahCotton.com's mission is to deliver directly to the world outside of our current indirect sales in Sweden starting with the Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland and Norway. We are excited about expanding our eco-friendly and non-allergenic solutions to open a fulfillment center in North America in a few months.
“I’m delighted to revive Deborah Cotton to help allergy sufferers everywhere,” said Henrik.
He and his wife Petra, a student of medicine to graduate in 2010, are the proud parents of two school-boys and baby daughter.
Growing up, Henrik battled eczema. The scars remain indelible in his memory. “My skin never stopped itching. It got worse every night. Unless I took oil baths, I could not sleep. I had to have my own bathtub because the tub got too greasy for others to use. I still remember the messy bedding from these baths and ointments my mother slathered on,” Henrik said.
But once he started using Deborah Cotton, Henrik’s allergies subsided. His oldest son inherited the same predicament, and found respite with the same solution.
Petra added, “It’s best not to wear pyjamas when sleeping between these sheets so your skin finds immediate relief.” If traveling, she recommends bringing along silk pyjamas as the longer, rounded silk fibers are gentle on the skin. Fabrics with shorter fibers such as wool and acrylic, though, irritate skin. The downside to silk is drawing static electricity.
“We’re trying to raise a happy, healthy family,” said Henrik. “It’s everyone’s dream to be healthy, isn’t it? That’s why I’m so excited to be able to help allergy sufferers everywhere resume a normal life—with Deborah Cotton.”
Production Processes
How enviro-friendly is Deborah Cotton?
Very. Organic cotton grown in India is devoid of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and harvested without using defoliants. After the fabric arrives in Sweden, it’s made into sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers in Smaland, not far from mega-chain IKEA’s headquarters, at a family-owned factory founded in 1951.
Customer Comments
Our four-year old son Benjamin would wake us up 6-7 times at night. “It never stops itching,” he sobbed, as he looked at his body. We tried cold showers, creams and cooling balms, but nothing worked. As parents, we felt so utterly helpless. We were going insane, as well! Luckily, a pharmacist recommended Deborah Cotton sheets. We immediately noticed a huge difference that first night. A month later, Benjamin’s red spots have shrunk, and keep shrinking every day. ~ Malin Lindberg, StockholmWe were terrified out of our wits as to why our daughter Wilma, aged six, snored louder than my grandfather. Sometimes she gasped and wheezed for air. We would run to her bedroom with her asthma inhaler at every slight wheeze. My husband and I slept fitfully, and tired out easily. Wilma preferred sheets with princesses and shiny glitter. In desperation, we allowed her not to make her bed—if she used Deborah Cotton sheets. Well, it didn’t even take two nights when she told us how much better she slept, and felt. As for us, we woke up several times those few first nights because we didn’t hear her snoring and wheezing. We thought she’d stopped breathing! Soon, we realized she never slept more soundly, even when she was a baby.~ Kristoffer and Lena Svensson, Malmoe
I have hay fever. My nose felt like a huge balloon, especially when I got up in the morning. I can’t even remember when I became an Otrivin nasal spray addict. My nose started bleeding. The doctor noticed how fragile my nasal bones had become and told me to lay off Otrivin. I was ready to kill myself. Finally, my doctor recommended Deborah Cotton and ventilating out my house. It took a few weeks. But, I finally returned to breathing normally again through my nose. It’s ironic, but I didn’t appreciate wellness until I hit bottom—and regained my health. ~ Erik Blomkvist, Gothenburg
I’m 29. For the longest time, I thought my nasal problems began when I quit smoking four years ago. I thought I had an allergy, since I have a horse and a dog. However, even when I wasn’t with them, I didn’t get better. Worse, tests showed I didn’t suffer any allergies. But my mucus membranes deteriorated. Plus, I started snoring, loudly. My girlfriend couldn’t stand it. When we spent a week at her parents’ summer cottage, she had me stay in my own room. Strangely, I got better there. After we returned home, I moved back in with her, and my nose immediately felt stuffed up that first night. She mentioned it to her mother, who said the bed linen was Deborah Cotton. Now that I’ve started using these linens, I’m okay again. Not snoring can be good for your health, too!~ Karl Cederbom, Stockholm
Our three-year old daughter, Ellen, suffered a bad case of atopic eczema. At night, she literally tore her skin off her body. But after getting her to sleep in the buff in Deborah Cotton, her eczema cleared up completely—and we got to sleep soundly, for hours. ~ Louise Johansson, Bromma