TechRadar Verdict
The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is a soft, squishy and supportive pillow which has made sleep time a dream. It self-plumps as you move, and minimal reshaping is required the next day. Height and firmness is adjustable, but side sleepers may feel more comfortable with a second pillow to prop their head up for a little more support.
Pros
- +
Beautifully soft material
- +
Soft yet supportive filling
- +
Requires minimal plumping
Cons
- -
Some may find it too soft
- -
Side sleepers might need to double up
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The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is a fluffy down-alternative with an adjustable height and firmness, and was added to the range in 2022. It appears to offer a solution to common pillow conundrums with claims that it is suitable for all sleeping positions and that it is all entirely machine washable. There are even parallels being made between the pillow and a cloud. So, with that, we just had to find out more for ourselves.
We've been using the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow for three weeks to see how it compares to the rest of the best pillows on the market. Our testers are predominantly side sleepers, and while we'd usually sleep with two pillows underneath our heads for support, the Emma has been our main pillow for the purpose of this review.
Pillows are generally either better suited to one specific sleep style or all types of sleepers, so we also tried sleeping on our front and back with this Emma pillow. Despite being a very soft pillow, if you give it a chance (as we did), you may be pleasantly surprised at how supportive it is.
Emma is the brand behind some of the best mattresses in the UK (read about them in our Emma mattress review, Emma Luxe Cooling mattress review and Emma NextGen Premium mattress review), so we were excited to see how its sleep accessories perform (see our Emma Premium topper review for one impressive option). Read on for our full Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review in brief
The Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow feels like resting your head on a cloud. It is soft to the touch, and the microfibre filling is softly springy yet supportive. It's a good down-alternative pillow to consider if the household sufferers from allergies, or if you would like to try something different.
We haven't seen a design quite like it before. Inside the Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow you'll find two inserts that can be added or removed to adjust the height and the firmness. Do bear in mind, however, that this is a soft pillow. We found that by just removing the thicker of the two inserts, the height of the pillow was reduced by 10cm – that's half of the overall height of the pillow when both inserts are in place.
This means that the pillow may be too soft for those who require more head support for during the night. We did find, however, that if you're to use two of the same pillows – or another pillow with a similar filling to the Emma – it is a lot more comfortable if you prefer to sleep on your side.
Type: microfibre pillow
Best suited to: back and front sleepers
Dimensions: 50x70cm
Trial period: 30-night trial
Warranty: 2-year guarantee
With each movement during the night the pillow appeared to plump itself back up. Even when we went to make the bed in the morning the pillow needed very little fluffing-up, if any at all. The heat from our heads was evenly dispersed, too, since air was able to freely move around throughout the microfibres, minimising the amount of heat that gets trapped.
The Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow is also one of the few pillows that can survive a machine wash, with no clumping. The cover does attract hair and fluff, however, so we advise to try brush that off as soon as it pops out of the machine.
There's no denying that this pillow is a bit of an investment. At RRP, it's £115, although if you're lucky you might be able to find an Emma sale or deal to take to the price down. Don't forget: it comes with a 30-night trial so if you're not sure if it's going to be the pillow for you, then it would be worth taking a punt because you can try it out before you commit.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review: price and deals
- High-end option at full price
- Regular sales take the price down
- Only currently available in the UK
In the UK, Emma has two pillows in its range. At time of writing it's not available in the US, and we wouldn't be surprised if it was added to the US lineup – the Original Pillow, also known as the Emma foam pillow, is available in both territories.
When it is not on sale, the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is competitively priced with the likes of the Simba Hybrid Pillow (£109), which is another height-adjustable pillow. But, when it is on sale, the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow dramatically undercuts its competitors and makes it a very appealing option indeed.
The pillow is only available to be bought direct through the Emma website which regularly runs discounts throughout the year. At the time of writing, for example, the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is now £57.50 with a 50% saving, down from £115 which is one of the best offers we have seen (so far) this year on it.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review: materials and care
- 100% polyester cover / 100% polyester filling
- Machine washable at 60 degrees
The clue is in the name as regards to the materials used in this pillow. The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow does, indeed, use microfibre materials in the filling and cover. Inside the pillow is Emma's AeroSoft filling which, as Emma says, is fluffy and breathable. This filling is siliconized micro elastic fibre, so 100% polyester, which doesn't feel wiry or clumpy and is evenly spread out amongst the layers of the pillow.
The pillowcase is made from a thick, quick-drying polyester material which feels soft and silky. The covers to the inserts have also been made from a polyester material, which aren't as thick as the actual cover (and don't need to be), but still feel rather luxurious and soft to the touch.
One big plus point is that this entire pillow is machine washable at 60C – which is hot enough to effectively kill off dust mites. There's no filling to remove or cover to strip off, just pop the whole thing into the washing machine. You may benefit from removing the layers of the pillow to get the whole pillow into the drum, with room to move about and get properly clean.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review: design
- 2-in-1 pillow design
- Add or remove inserts to achieve desired height
- External zip for easy access to the inserts
We put the Emma Premium Microfibre down as a 2-in-1 pillow because the two inserts can be alternated to make a pillow with a completely different look and feel.
The cover is thicker than the two inserts, has a zip running along three out of the four sides, and some nice dark blue piping around the edges that finishes it all off nicely. The padding is in the two larger sides of the pillow – rather than the thinner panels – which is really dreamy to rest your head on (more on this shortly). Those thinner panels do make the pillow look a bit boxy, but they are a necessity whilst using the inserts so you get a good bounce.
When the padded cover is zipped open, you'll find the thicker and thinner inserts nestled inside. The two have the same microfibre filling, with the thicker delivering support for the neck and shoulders, while the thinner delivers that cloud-like cushioning.
There's no mistaking that this is an Emma pillow – you'll see that a branded label on the cover and on each insert. It's coloured in the same dark blue as the piping around the edges of the pillow so it's all very on-brand, and looks crisp against the white pillow material.
The pillow is a standard size, 50 x 70cm, which means it'll fit perfectly into any standard-sized pillowcases. It has happened a few times that we've reviewed pillows and, alas, they don't fit our pillowcases, so we were quietly relieved when the Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow slipped in to a pillowcase we already have.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow review: performance
- Arrives rolled in a box
- Soft and breathable
- Adjustable height with two inserts
We slept on the Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow for about three weeks, using it every night as our main pillow. We tested it on key areas of performance including support, comfort and temperature regulation. It was alternated between two individuals who have a different body type, and who are both predominantly side sleepers. Here's how we got on...
Setup
4 out of 5 stars
The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow arrives rolled in plastic, tightly packed into a cardboard box. This, on one hand, is great for lifting through a narrow front door and hallway but, on the other hand, means that the pillow isn't ready to start using straight away. Upon opening the box and lifting out the plastic-wrapped pillow, it was clear that it'd been vacuum-packed – there was no way that pillow was ever getting back into the box, if you needed / wanted to.
The pillow very quickly inflated within a timeframe of around 10-15 minutes. There was no lingering wrapped-in-plastic smell. And there were no creases to the cover or the microfibre filling to affect the performance in any way.
Temperature regulation
5 out of 5 stars
When we tested the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow it was in the dark, cold days of December. Having a pillow that kept our temperature down didn't seem super important, and we were also initially dubious at how well the pillow could actually regulate temperature, with that polyester cover and synthetic filling.
After a few nights of testing and thinking about actually what it meant to have a temperature regulating pillow, our minds changed. We're not especially hot sleepers, but what we found is that although the rest of us was warm, our heads maintained a comfortable temperature with no over-heating (which is something that we can sometimes experience memory foam pillows).
Although the cover says it this pillow is 100% polyester, on the label it is more specifically known as micro-elastic material. This is thin and oh-so very soft. Emma refers to it as an 'UltraDry' cover, which means it's quick drying and will also wick away any moisture, leaving you to have a comfortable, refreshing night.
Each of the inserts – and the padded cover – is stuffed with a microfibre polyester known as AeroSoft. This is a lovely fluffy and breathable material that minimises the amount of air that gets trapped inside the pillow, helping to keep you cool at night. We found that the pillow doesn't retain heat all that much, either, which made it really pleasant to return to if we had to get out of bed at some point during the night.
Firmness and support
4 out of 5 stars
The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is soft yet supportive. We appreciate that it may be too soft for some, but if you dream of resting your head on a cloud then this is the pillow for you.
The cover and two inserts have been stuffed with filling to provide as much support as possible. If there's too much support, then you can remove one of the two inserts to adjust the feel so it's more to your liking. Although the idea of a height-adjustable pillow isn't a world-first, this is certainly one of the most straightforward designs. The Simba Hybrid pillow, for example, is filled with nano-cubes (little chunks of foam) which can be removed to adjust the height, which can get a bit messy.
On test we found that the height of the pillow reduces by up to 5cm when pressure is applied to it. This takes it from a height of 20cm down to 15cm when both inserts are in place. By removing the thinner of the inserts the height was dropped to 15cm, and by removing the thicker of the inserts the height was down to just 10cm.
It would be good to have the option to add another layer to boost the height a little for side sleepers. We felt that the loft was a little low for comfort (and correct spinal alignment) in this position. We're used to having two pillows underneath our heads for support and we did need that second pillow with the Emma Premium Microfibre.
Each time we moved our heads during the night the pillow would plump itself back up to cradle the head. This was also really useful in the morning because we didn't have to shake or fluff-up the pillow for it to regain its shape very often at all when making the beds.
Emma Premium Microfibre pillow: user reviews
The Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is only sold through the Emma Sleep website in the UK, with reviewers posting their reviews on Trustpilot.
It's pretty tricky to filter through all the reviews since the score you see on the product page is not for the pillow, it's for the entire contents on the website as well as the brand itself. We have, however, found one pillow review which sounds like they are missing their pillow when they don't have it, so it must be really good.
The overall Trustpilot score for Emma is 4.2 out of 5 stars with 75% of reviews being rewarded 5 stars. Although the microfibre pillow isn't yet available in the US, you can can still bag the Emma Foam pillow for $79, down from $99, in the sale.
Should you buy the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow?
For us, the Emma Premium Microfibre pillow is a touch of luxury. Something we would expect in a boutique hotel. It isn't a pillow we would usually go for because it is soft, but the fact that you can adjust the height – and that it's so wonderfully comfortable – went some way to convincing us. We loved how it plumps itself up, even whilst you're still resting your head on it. And its ability to keep a cool head during the night makes it a very comfortable sleep indeed.
We do need to use a secondary pillow for sleeping on our sides, however, so we advice for the ultimate cloud-like experience to buy two of them. After all, they are regularly on sale so you could end up with two for the price of one anyway. Alternately, the 30-day trial could come in handy so you can try it out for yourself.
