Forget Feathers and Foam—The Plushest Pillow I’ve Tried Is Filled With Something Else Entirely
And it’s 20% off right now.
Updated Dec 14, 2023 11:24 AM
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The silk pillow featured in this story is currently 20% off (and ships for free) during Cozy Earth’s Holiday Sale, going on until the end of 2023.
For more than a decade, I’ve been Team Down Feathers. I have my great-grandmother to thank for that; she gifted me (and all of her great-granddaughters) a fancy-schmancy pillow when I turned 13. Let’s just say it had a pretty big influence on my firmness preference: Things need to be plush. As in melted-marshmallow, all-fluff-no-bounce plush. Ever since, I’ve needed a supersoft pillow that will totally envelop my head, layered on top of a more affordable, down-alternative base. If there’s even something slightly off with the one I’m using—a clump, too little or too much fill, a gap between the mattress or headboard it can slip into, or a bunched-up pillowcase—a restful night’s sleep evades me.
Needless to say, finding the best pillows, when the necessity for a new one arises, always feels like an impossible task. Earlier this year, when my previous one started showing signs of age, I decided to branch out beyond feathers, giving well-reviewed and editor-backed brands a try. I even took memory foam and latex for a spin. But comfort is relative, and while I could fall asleep on different fills, I never felt 100% comfortable. That is, until I tried Cozy Earth’s take.
Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
The Cool Shell
I had never slept on—let alone heard of—a silk-filled pillow before. This one from Cozy Earth had earned the top spot in our guide to the best bamboo pillows, thanks to its cool-to-the-touch shell made from a blend of bamboo and viscose. While silk naturally retains heat, the fabric is designed to keep your noggin cool throughout the night, and the slight sheen calls to mind Buffy’s eucalyptus duvet cover. From my experience, that’s not just a claim. Months later (even through the record-breaking temps this summer), I have yet to wake up with sweaty hair.
The Supersoft Fill
The main reason Cozy Earth’s pillow works for me is that it’s ridiculously soft. There aren’t any pesky sharp feathers poking through, and it has retained the initial fluffiness from when I first pulled it out of the reusable, zippered tote bag. Inside, the fill is all mulberry silk, a long-strand fiber that’s thinly threaded like cotton, but with a shinier, smoother texture. The material and weave are great for pillowcases and sheets, and apparently also for stuffing a pillow. Cozy Earth sources from China, using the 6A grade (the highest rating) of silk. The cloudlike feel likely has to do with the fact that it’s stonewashed and treated with aloe vera.
The Price
This level of luxe, regrettably, comes at a price. The original cost will surely raise a couple of eyebrows—$299 for the standard size, $349 for the king—but hear me out. After factoring in how long the brand says the product should last (10 years with proper care) and knowing the interior contents will never shift (warranty-backed), I’d argue it’s a worthy investment.
The Final Word
As one of the pickiest pillow people I know, I wouldn’t recommend a product that isn’t worth taking a chance on. Thanks to Cozy Earth’s silk pillow, I fall asleep faster and sleep longer, without the chance of a middle-of-the-night boxing match to fluff up flattened fill.
