Natural vs Synthetic
In the mattress and manchester industries, it is always known that natural fibres are the best. Similarly, with your clothing, it is better wearing cotton, silk, Tencel, bamboo clothing rather than polyester based items. Well it is the same for pillows.
In the world of pillows, the following fibres are considered natural: natural latex, feather/down, wool, silk, cotton, Tencel, bamboo, and kapok.
Synthetic fibres are: polyurethane foam, memory foam, visco-elastic foam, synthetic latex foam, gel-infused foam, charcoal infused foam, microfiber, and polyester.
Many of these synthetic materials are chemical based, especially when referring to the various types of foams and memory foams. The main chemical compounds of the foams are polyol and toluene dilsocyanate. These on their own are harmful chemicals although many of them need a few more additives to make their formula unique; change in density, colour or even to hold a memory. The main problem with this (despite them being chemical based) is that the sponge like texture absorbs odour, moisture and heat which is the perfect breeding group for bacteria. So, to counteract this, many companies use added chemicals such as UltraFresh or HealthGuard to their products so that they can claim the product is “allergy friendly” to prohibit the growth of bacteria.
The majority of the pillows on the market are unforunately synthetic based, and their price points are so vast it is sometimes difficult to determine what the pillow is made from. They can range from anywhere from $39-$239 each. The following is a sample list of leading pillows that are sold in Australia in 2019/2020.
| Natural Based Brands | Synthetic Based Brands |
|---|---|
| Spinal Design® | Koala |
| Target-Talalay Latex Fullcore | ECOSA |
| One Pillow | |
| Spinaleze | |
| Tempeur | |
| Sleeping Duck | |
| SoundaSleep |
It is astounding to see the amount of synthetic on the market especially with Australia having one of the highest rates of allergies on the world. These pillows do not breathe, there is little to no circulation once tested on the ErgoVent® (hyperlink), the sleeper then sweats, wakes and moves position several times throughout the night which then disturbs the sleeping pattern and you wake up groggy and grumpy. Pillows with natural fibres will minimise the need to add chemicals for dust mites and will assist in the ventilation of the pillow. Some natural based pillows will out do others, and this comes down to the design and functionality of the pillow. (See results here)
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Are you ready to replace your old pillow with one that can provide adequate head and neck support? Consider trying our Spinal Design pillow!
You can watch a video all about our Spinal Design Pillow by clicking the link here >
Spinal Design is dedicated to bringing you the best nights sleep possible. After 20 years of refined customer-based research combined with scientific Ergovent testing we have produced the BEST pillow that is proudly made and owned in Australia. The Spinal Design pillow provides individual support and hypoallergenic comfort especially for those with allergies and ventilation to suit the humidity of the Australian climate.
If you have any questions regarding our state of the art pillow please do not hesitate to Contact Us and we will be happy to answer any query you may have!
