Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: Moisture-wicking, spongy and comfortable

You might not realise it but your pillow is one of the most important parts of your sleep set-up. As it sits under your head and neck, your pillow is vital for support, aligning your spine and preventing muscle strain, so having a good, comfortable option could be the make or break on whether you sleep well or not.

I’ve tested many pillows during my time as Home Editor for T3, and have definitely found pillows that work well for my sleep style and others which really don’t. I, like many people, don’t especially enjoy waking up with neck pain so I’ve become very picky about which pillow I sleep with.

Recently, I tested the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow which I was initially quite reluctant about. As it’s made completely out of memory foam, I worried that it would be too soft and sinking, but after spending a few weeks sleeping on it, the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow most definitely proved me wrong – here’s how.

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Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: price and availability

The Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow comes in one size and is priced at £82. It’s available to buy at Emma and select retailers like Wayfair and Land of Beds. There’s also an Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow bundle available which offers two pillows for £164.

As of writing, the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow is 20% off, so you can get it for just £65.60. For more offers all year round, check out these Emma sales, deals and discount codes.

It’s also worth noting here that Emma often changes the names of its products. The Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow was previously called the Premium Foam Pillow, so you might see this name from other retail sites from time to time.

Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: unboxing

The Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow arrived vacuumed-packed and tightly rolled up in a cylindrical tube. While that might sound strange, this is how bed in a box mattresses are delivered as the smaller, space-saving packaging is much easier to deliver than a full-sized mattress.

Due to this tightly packed delivery system, the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow arrived a little deflated so I had to wait several hours for it to inflate – again, this is very common with some sleep accessories. It didn’t take too long for the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow to get back to its normal size, but when it did, it still had a very strong off-gassing smell.

The chemical smell took a while to dissipate, even after putting a pillowcase on it. I could still smell the packaging after a few sleeps, and while it was powerful and a little off putting, it didn’t massively impact my sleep. However, if you have a sensitive sense of smell, you might want to leave the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow for a few days before you start sleeping on it.

Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: design and features

The Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow is a memory foam pillow that features three layers of different foam. The top layer is the Thermosync Cooling foam which works to maintain and regulate your body’s temperature throughout the night, so you’re not too hot or cold.

The next layer down is the HRX foam which is designed to support your head and neck, while relieving any pressure around these areas. Finally, the third layer is the softest, and offers a comfortable, breathable surface.

Covering this foam construction is an Ultra-Dry Plus cover which is made from a knitted material that can be removed and washed – see how to clean a pillow for more details. The cover also has great air circulation to keep you cool and minimise sweat.

Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: performance

Once the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow had fully inflated, I got to sleeping on it right away. The first couple of nights I felt a slight ache after swapping over as I was previously sleeping on quite a soft pillow but this initial ache went away after a couple of sleeps.

Emma states that the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow offers medium to firm support, although I found it to be on the soft to medium end of the spectrum. While it was softer than I was expecting, the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow was extremely comfortable and supported for my head and neck.

I was initially hesitant about the all-foam construction of the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow feeling a bit suffocating but I needn’t have been. The pillow had a nice bounce and spongy feel. While it did have a slightly sinking memory foam feel, I found the pillow to spring back very quickly and it didn’t feel too hot at all.

Speaking of heat, I run hot when I sleep and the weather was warm while I was testing the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow. Before testing, I was waking up with an extremely sweaty neck and back of head but I didn’t experience that at all with this pillow. I found the cover and layers to be great at wicking away moisture from my body, particularly around my neck and I felt cooler in general.

Another positive of the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow was its edge control. Even when I slept too close to the edges, the pillow didn’t feel like it dipped down too much, and kept very stable. I toss and turn a bit when I sleep, and the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow stayed perfectly in place.

Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: verdict

If you’re a hot sleeper like me, you’ll love the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow. It has a bouncy, springy feel and despite being made from memory foam which can be quite a heat-trapping material, Emma has engineered it to be breathable, cooling and moisture-wicking.

I didn’t experience any aches or pains during my time sleeping with the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow. My back and shoulders also felt more comfortable and less stiff after waking up with it, too, so it’s become a permanent part of my sleep set-up.

The only negative I had was the strong off-gassing smell which took a couple of days to go away. Once it was gone though, the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow exceeded my expectations.

Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow review: alternatives to consider

The Panda Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow is another memory foam pillow which also has great cooling properties. Amongst the foam, it uses bamboo in its design which is moisture-wicking and naturally hypoallergenic so it’s great for people with allergies. It’s also eco-friendly and sustainable.

The REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow is probably softer than the Emma Adapt Cooling Pillow but its cooling gel gives it a proper cooling feel that can keep you comfortable during hot nights.

For a pillow that can be comfortable for all seasons, the Simba Hybrid Pillow with Stratos is made from small cubes of open-cell foam that has a standard side and cooling side, so you can switch between the two to suit all temperatures.