Our favourite memory foam pillow just got a major upgrade

Panda makes the top-rated memory foam option in T3's best pillow guide. The original scored a perfect give stars in our Panda Pillow review, and now the brand has come out with an upgraded version: the Panda Hybrid pillow. For this new addition, Panda has created a completely new memory foam. The new Charco-Cell memory foam still contours to your body in order to keep your spine correctly aligned through the night (for more info, head to our guide to the best positions to sleep in), but Panda has also added charcoal into the mix. 

It might sound odd, but charcoal has lots of properties that make it a winner for sleep products; it's naturally antibacterial, moisture-wicking and odour resistant, too. It's not entirely a new idea – OTTY uses a charcoal-infused foam in its OTTY Pure mattress and Pure plus mattresses, for example – but it's the first time we've spotted it used in a pillow.

In the battle of memory foam vs down vs synthetic pillows, one of the major issues with memory foam is that it has a nasty habit of absorbing and trapping your body heat. Panda's solution is to add "Active O2 Micro-pods" into the foam, designed to enhance airflow and create a cooling effect. Judging by the cross-section above, these might just be holes in the foam, but still, if it works, it works, right?

It wouldn't be Panda without some bamboo in there. Another wonder-material, bamboo fabric is hypoallergenic, moisture and odour-wicking, and temperature regulating too, as well as being a super-sustainable resource. The brand uses it to make its sheets and you'll find it in the stuffing of the Panda Cloud Duvet too. Here, you've got a silky smooth quilted bamboo cover, with a mesh border to boost airflow further. It can be removed and washed separately, which is a useful touch. We're in the process of testing this pillow out and will get a full review up as soon as possible. In the meantime, head to the Panda site to find out more.