Yes, that's true, but the 12-16 layer masks were ostensibly superior to single layer masks. The authors seem to treat "12-16 layer" masks as somewhat equivalent to surgical masks throughout the article, which might answer my original question.

"For the general public, evidence shows that physical distancing of more than 1 m is highly effective and that face masks are associated with protection, even in non-health-care settings, with either disposable surgical masks or reusable 12–16-layer cotton ones, although much of this evidence was on mask use within households and among contacts of cases."

In another part, they compare 12-16 layer/surgical masks to single-layered masks, ranking the single-layered as less effective.