Eve Memory Foam Pillow review

Eve is best known for creating excellent mattresses, but does it also make some of the best pillows? We find out in our Eve Memory Foam pillow review.

Alongside some excellent mattresses (including the five-star Eve Premium Hybrid mattress) and a cracking Eve mattress topper, Eve makes three different pillows. Two of these (the Eve Microfibre Pillow and the Eve Snuggle Pillow) contain microfibre, but the third and more expensive one, uses contains memory foam.

Does it recreate the magic of today's best memory foam mattresses? Read on for a closer look at the Eve Memory Foam pillow, including how we rate the design and – of course – how comfortable it is to sleep on.

Note: As of October 2022, Eve Sleep has gone into administration, so mattresses and other sleep products from Eve will no longer be available in the near future. However, third party retailers like Amazon may still have Eve mattresses for sale, so it's best to look there for any Eve mattress deals.

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Eve Memory Foam Pillow review: Design

The Eve Memory Foam Pillow is fairly large, at 13 x 50 x 75cm (5 x 20 x 30 inches) and comes with its own 100% polyester cover, which is soft, stretchy, thick and attractively patterned. This is removable and machine-washable. 

The cover is zipped along the top end, to make it easy to remove when needed. Cleverly, the zipper itself is protected by a subtle fold of fabric on one side, and by the yellow bias binding that encircles the cover on the other. That ensures it won't cause irritation, even if part of your face lands on it – which is in itself unlikely, given its positioning. 

Encasing the pillow tightly (but not so much that you have to fight to remove it), the cover is constructed with a high degree of care and attention. Everywhere you look, little details such as the blanket stitching around the bias binding demonstrate an impressive level of finesse.

Peeking inside at the pillow itself, though, it's a slightly different story. On opening the cover, you're presented with a jagged line of glue that's been used to seam the internal cover and looks, to be a frank, a bit messy. More worryingly, our pillow also had a long yellow streak on it... although we're assuming this is dye transfer from the cover. Ultimately, though, you're not going to be looking at the internal pillow, so neither of these things really matter all that much.

What is much more relevant to the level of comfort this pillow will provide is that it's made from visco-elastic memory foam, which is purposely filled with holes to promote airflow and breathability. 

It's also been treated with an antimicrobial shield, and has been certified with the OEKO-TEX Class 1 label for safety, signifying that it's free from harmful chemicals. That said, there was a distinct chemical smell on removing it from its packaging, but this is not unusual for memory foam, and it did disappear within a couple of days.

Eve Memory Foam Pillow review: comfort & washing

The cover felt wonderfully soft and was a pleasure to sink my head into. The foam itself is quite velvety, so the level of sinkage felt somewhere between a normal pillow and a firmer memory foam pillow such as the Panda Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow. It's still more cradling than a down or polyester pillow: you definitely know that this memory foam. But the effect is subtle. I certainly didn't feel as if my head was stuck or trapped in any way: more like gently hugged.

The pillow also felt refreshingly cool, throughout the night. Whether this was due to the cover itself or the holes in the pillow I'm not sure, but for anyone who tends to get overheated during the night, I'd definitely recommend it.

The loft is quite high, at 13cm (5in) but in practice I found this didn't interfere with my spinal alignment. Note, though, that I'm a side sleeper, so front or back sleepers may have a different experience.

Eve Memory Foam Pillow review: The small print

The Eve Memory Foam Pillow sells for an RRP of £59. Eve aims to deliver to your door for free, but some areas may be charged: you'll be warned of this before you go through checkout.

There's a three-year warranty and a no-quibble 14-night trial. So if you don't like your pillow, you just have to email or call Eve within the fortnight, and they'll send you a prepaid return label. Print the label, pop it on the box and take it to any drop-off location.

Your pillow cover can be washed in a standard washing machine at 40°C, as often as you like. Eve does not offer specific instructions for cleaning the pillow itself, though, so check out our article on How to clean a pillow.

Eve Memory Foam Pillow review: verdict

Overall, this is a very well made pillow, that offers a medium level of softness, and stays cool and comfortable thoughout the night. So the million dollar question is, should you buy this pillow? Well, it kind of depends what you're looking for. 

If you've found in the past that softer pillows, such as those made from down or microfibre, are too malleable and don't keep your head in place firmly enough, then you should definitely consider memory foam pillows. They're a great way to bring a feeling of solidity and stability to your sleep, by cradling your head and neck, discouraging restlessness, and keeping you still and calm through the night. 

If you already know that, and are used to a firm memory foam pillow, you may find this one a little too fluffy. Conversely, if you've found memory foam pillows too firm and constricting in the past, then this would be a good compromise to try, as it really does hit the sweet spot between the two extremes. And by the same token, if you're completely new to memory foam pillows, this is a great place to start, as its relative softness means it won't be too abrupt a change from your normal routine.

Eve Memory Foam Pillow review: Alternatives to consider

If you're a fan of memory foam, a great alternative to the Eve Memory Foam pillow is the Panda Memory Foam Bamboo pillow. It's the best memory pillow we've tried and it's comfortable, supportive and easy to clean. It's quite a firm pillow unlike the Eve one, so take this into account if you decide to buy it.

If you like the fluffiness of the Eve but would like to try a different material, we're big fans of the Scooms Hungarian Goose Down Pillow which is made from goose feathers. If you'd prefer something more eco conscious, the Soak&Sleep Supremely Soft as Down pillow is made of down-alternative materials.

To understand the difference between pillow materials, have a look at down vs memory foam vs feathers vs synthetic pillows for more.