From cooling features to customizable filling, today’s feature-rich pillows are not one size fits all.
With mattress sales sluggish to flat these days, sleep accessories like pillows are an increasingly important line of business to boost total revenue. Recent research from the Better Sleep Council, which leads consumer research and education for the International Sleep Products Association, states that pillows should be replaced every two to three years. With a shorter replacement cycle than mattresses — which the BSC recommends replacing every seven to 10 years — pillows offer an opportunity for more frequent sales. As an accessory, they’re an overlooked but important part of a great night’s sleep.
“The pillow is really a critical part of your comfort and support,” says Jonah Nelson, senior director of brand experience for Farmingdale, New York-based mattress and accessories company Bedgear. “The mattress is about 70% of your comfort and support system when you’re sleeping, and the pillow is that other 30%. When customers go home with 100% comfort, they’re going to be much more satisfied with their sleep quality and more likely to keep those products once they have them in home,” Nelson says. “That’s the power of pillows.”
Derek Leishman, national sales director of mattress and sleep products for Knoxville, Tennessee-based manufacturer Mlily USA, agrees. “With growing awareness of sleep health, consumers are prioritizing both comfort and recovery in their sleep products,” Leishman says. “They’re looking for pillows that provide the right mix of support, breathability and pressure relief, similar to what they expect from their mattress. Retail sales associates can boost customer satisfaction and therefore overall sales attachment rates by positioning pillows as a key part of the sleep solution for optimum spinal alignment, pressure relief and temperature regulation.”
Read on to discover what’s trending in the marketplace and the latest product launches in pillows.
Pillows for Wellness: Health-Focused Sleep Solutions
Lubia Rodas, Talalay Global product manager, says she has witnessed a recent shift in the type of messaging resonating with consumers.
“Similar to what has been occurring with mattress demand, we see consumers shifting toward pillows that promise better health and performance,” she says. “They are concerned about the materials used in the pillow on which they are going to lay their heads down every night, as well as how that pillow will provide the optimum comfort and pressure relief to recharge their bodies. The increasing amount of scientific/medical information on the importance of sleep and the direct impact it has on one’s health will only serve to continue this trend. As the world’s largest producer of Talalay pillows, which have strengths in both natural and performance attributes, we have been the beneficiary of this trend and continue to see significant growth in new programs.”
Products like Talalay Global’s pillows offer built-in wellness benefits from Talalay latex’s inherent hypoallergenic qualities (resistance to mold, mildew, bacteria and dust mites), and thanks to the materials’ buoyancy, pressure relief for aches and pains, Rodas says.
Tempur-Pedic’s Adapt Pro collection is designed to help with aches and pains.
Kyle Borreggine, vice president of specialty sales for Princeton, New Jersey-based licensing group Therapedic International, echoes Rodas’ observation of an increasing focus on health.
“Getting a healthy night’s sleep starts with the right pillow,” Borreggine says. “Finding one that provides the right balance of comfort with proper neck and spine alignment is essential. Consumers are looking for options that not only feel good but also support their overall sleep health.”
According to Borreggine, memory foam is a popular material for pillows because of its contouring support. Therapedic recently introduced its SleepWare pillow program, a three-model memory foam collection that includes the Support Gel, Pure Gel and Cool Gel pillows.
Similarly, Somnigroup International’s Tempur Adapt pillow collection features the company’s Tempur material, a viscoelastic memory foam. Designed to reduce aches for sleepers, the three-model lineup includes the adjustable-height Adapt ProAdjust; the 5-inch profile Adapt ProLo; and the 6.6-inch Adapt ProHi.
Borreggine also notes that down alternative pillows are popular, thanks to a softer feel at a more affordable price. “Whatever the consumer’s preference may be, the main goal is to achieve an undisturbed slumber, which is essential to rejuvenating sleep,” Borreggine adds.
Temperature Regulation: A Key Feature in Modern Pillows
Although there are many different materials available for pillows, one feature reigns supreme.
“Consumers are still looking for that cool-touch experience when it comes to pillows,” says Shannon Duffy, product development and sourcing manager at foam specialist Carpenter Co. “Recently, that has been paired with temperature-regulation treatments. Cool-touch fabrics give the customer an instant peace of mind that they will sleep cooler, but adding temperature-regulating aids in the overall sleep experience, balancing your temperature while you sleep so you are not too hot, but also not too cold.”
At the winter Las Vegas Market, the Richmond, Virginia-based company debuted a line of mattress toppers and pillows with La-Z-Boy. Each line in the collection — Vail, Aspen, Everest — comes in various comfort levels, cores and fabrics. Most notably, the Aspen collection features a Tencel lyocell/recycled polyester knit cover with phase-change material for a cooling sensation and the company’s proprietary Serene foam.
Another chilly offering is Mlily’s PowerCool pillows, featuring a bamboo charcoal memory foam core wrapped in a cooling knit fabric cover. The ergonomic design cradles sleepers’ heads.
“Mlily offers a wide range of pillow options to meet consumers’ needs and preferences, such as the Gel AeroFusion memory foam and ventilated bamboo charcoal memory foam pillows, designed to deliver cooling, contouring and enhanced airflow,” Leishman says.
Although Bedgear plans to turn over 25% of its pillow lineup this year, a figure that Nelson says is “pretty consistent on a yearly basis,” its top performers will remain the same. Currently, two of Bedgear’s bestselling pillows are its Storm performance pillow ($200), followed by its Night Ice performance pillow ($300).
bamboo charcoal memory foam.
Speaking of ice — Malouf, headquartered in Logan, Utah, recently relaunched its Ice Chill pillow ($135). Available in three lofts, it contains shredded memory foam on one side and solid memory foam on the other. With so many options in the market, it’s clear that consumer demand for keeping cool won’t slow down any time soon.
Custom Pillow Solutions: Enhancing Customer Satisfaction
Offering specialized features like cooling is just one element of a diverse pillow lineup. Today’s consumers are also looking for customization, from fit to adjustable filling to double-sided options.
At the winter Las Vegas Market, Prato, Italy-based Magniflex debuted PillowFit, a measuring tool to help match consumers with their best pillow. By measuring the distance from a customer’s ear to the end of the shoulder, the tool helps identify the ideal fit for proper head and neck alignment.
of pillows and mattress toppers.
most popular products.
“Over 25% of body support when you rest at night comes from your pillow, and it’s important to get that right,” says Marco Magni, president of Magniflex. “The PillowFit tool ensures that no matter the type of shoulder anatomy a consumer has, we can provide them with a pillow that fits them. Using PillowFit, our sales representatives can accurately recommend not only pillow height but pillow type and, in doing so, realize our brand goals of providing products that promote healthy and restful sleep.”
Magniflex offers pillow heights from small (less than 3 inches) to extra large (more than 7 inches). In tandem with the launch of PillowFit, Magniflex released its enhanced Classico pillow assortment. Available in small, medium, large and extra-large heights, all contain the company’s Memoform foam and viscose covers to dissipate heat.
Similarly, Bedgear’s Performance pillows come in a range of profiles. “Within the same style, you’re going to get different heights of pillows from 0.0 to 3.0,” Nelson says, referring to the company’s naming system. At brick-and-mortar stores where Bedgear’s products are available, sales associates will help direct consumers to the right size. For online shoppers, Bedgear’s website has a “Find Your Fit” quiz, with questions about body type and sleep position to help shoppers identify the best pillow for them.
In addition to offering a range of sizes, double-sided and adjustable fill options are proving popular for a more bespoke sleep experience. At the Vegas market, Cariloha unveiled expanded pillow offerings. Its dual-chamber Retreat pillow boasts both qualities with kapok and latex on one side and bamboo charcoal memory foam on the other.
“It’s awesome because it gives you more of a structure on one side and on the other, you can customize the amount of fill,” says Dustin Tate, executive vice president at Cariloha, headquartered in Sandy, Utah.
Identifying Pillow Trends: Key Innovations for Revenue Growth
In another trend to watch, Bedgear is taking the saying “get your beauty sleep” literally. In the second quarter of 2025, Bedgear plans to launch the Bedgear Beauty line. According to the company, the Bedgear Beauty pillow ($220) has an ergonomic design that reduces friction and pressure on the skin and features a synthetic blend Hyper-Silk cover to “reduce overheating, morning wrinkles and inflammation.” Another bonus: The cover will not absorb skin care products, a perk for devotees of nightly beauty routines.
By manufacturing pillow collections that are diverse in materials, profiles and features, you’re sure to boost revenue and offer extra value to your customers.
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