What's Up With Down Pillows?

Down pillows are often seen as the peak of luxury and quality, providing plush comfort like sleeping on a cloud. Why doesn't Pluto use down or down alternatives?

What's up with Down?

Down refers to the layer of soft, very fine feathers below the tougher, exterior feathers of birds. Down's primary function is to help insulate birds from heat loss and to help keep water birds afloat! Because down is such a great insulator, mother birds also use it to keep their eggs warm while incubating.

Ok, so what do humans use down for?

Down is a very versatile type of material used in all sorts of things—clothing, fishing lures, and of course pillows. The unique insulating properties of down make it an option for winter coats as a lightweight, but very warm

Down sounds amazing! Why doesn't Pluto use this amazing material?

First and foremost, we strive to be as hypoallergenic as possible, and many customers have shared with us that they are allergic to down or latex, so we never use these materials when crafting our pillows.

Additionally, there are already a number of amazing brands making high quality, comfortable down/down alternative pillows (Boll & Branch and Parachute have both gotten great reviews!), and we only want to launch something that we feel confident that we could do better than anyone else.

Most importantly, we have also found that these materials tend to deflate rather quickly (sometimes throughout the night!). Our pillows are meant to hold their shape over time for consistent support night after night.

Ok, ok, so Pluto isn't down with Down—how do you craft pillows that are thick, plush, soft, yet still supportive?

Our hybrid design of a solid foam core encased by a plush outer cover allows us to create a variety of different “feels”. For those who like the thick, soft feel of down, we tend to craft pillows with a very high proportion of plush fill with a slimmer, softer core to provide support and prevent the pillow from going flat! Though we aren’t able to recreate the exact feel of down, we always encourage everyone to give us a try—if your Pluto Pillow isn’t perfect, you can return it for a full refund under our 125-night risk-free trial. Get in touch with us if you have any other questions!