TechRadar Verdict
The Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow has a removable fill, so you can customize it to create a high, mid, or low loft. The pillow is filled with CertiPUR-US certified shredded gel memory foam and microfiber - and free from ozone depleters, harmful flame retardants, heavy metals, and formaldehyde. The pillow is also designed to provide a cooling experience, which makes it good for hot sleepers.
Pros
- +
Adjustable fill
- +
Soft and supportive
- +
Cooling features
- +
Removable, washable cover
- +
Request extra fill at no cost
Cons
- -
High loft may not be high enough for some
- -
It’s a heavy pillow
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The Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is a versatile choice that lets you remove fill as desired. As a result, you can adjust the height and thickness from high loft to mid loft to low loft, and this makes the pillow versatile enough for side, back and stomach sleepers. Some memory foam pillows have questionable fill; however, the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is made of CertiPUR-US certified shredded gel memory foam and microfiber, and it’s free of ozone depleters, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenylethers) and other flame retardants that may cause cancer and genetic defects in unborn children. The pillow is also free from mercury, lead, and other heavy metals, as well as formaldehyde. This makes it a good choice for those with allergies.
In addition, the pillow is marshmallowy soft and has cooling features from two different sources: the gel memory foam, and the organic cotton and polyester blend pillow case. We tested it for two weeks to see how it fares against the best pillows on the market. To boost your sleep comfort further, take a look at our guide to this year's best mattresses for all budgets.
Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow review in brief
The Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is one of a handful of pillows with adjustable fill. However, this type of pillow is growing in popularity among consumers because it allows them to add or remove fill to get the desired loft. This makes it a compatible pillow for back, stomach, and side sleepers. The adjustable fill pillow is also a good choice for those who sleep with partners, since each person can customize their own pillow.
Type: Gel memory foam
Best suited to: Side, back, and stomach sleepers
Dimensions: Standard 20” x 28”; King 20” x 36”
Trial period: 100 nights
Warranty: None
The pillow’s shredded gel memory foam and microfiber combine for an incredibly soft pillow that maintains its shape and provides support. It conforms to the shape of your head, and then slowly bounces back when your upper body is removed. It’s a relatively heavy pillow, not something you’d be tossing in the air. But this girth also makes it less likely that you’ll accidentally knock the pillow on the floor, either.
Cooling features, which include the shredded gel memory foam and the organic cotton and polyester blend pillow case, make this a good choice for hot sleepers. In addition, the outer cover can be removed and laundered, which makes it easy to care for.
Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow review: price and deals
The standard size Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is available on the Authenticity50 website for $99. The king size pillow is $109. The pillow is not available on third-party websites.
However, you can bundle two standard pillows on the Authenticity50 website for $168 and save 15%. You can also bundle two king pillows for $185, which is also a 15% savings.
The price point puts the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow in a luxury pillow category. If you have a preference for adjustable pillows, one strong competition is the Layla Kapok Pillow, which is one of our best bed pillows of 2023.
A queen size Layla Kapok Pillow retails for $109 for a queen, and it also zips open so you can add or remove fill. In addition, the Layla pillow comes with an extra bag of fill – compared to the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow, which will provide extra fill if you contact the company’s customer service department and request more. Also, instead of gel memory foam, the Kapok pillow is made of natural Kapok fibers (harvested from the seeds of Kapok trees and designed to create a down-like feeling) along with shredded memory foam and a breathable cover.
For a completely customizable pillow, the Pluto Pillow (which is also similar in appearance to the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow) is more expensive at $125, but lets you build the perfect pillow after taking a quiz that asks your age, height, weight, sleeping position(s), mattress firmness, preferred pillow cover surface, and a few other questions. These questions help to ensure you’re getting a pillow that precisely fits your preferences. But the fill is not adjustable.
Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow review: design and materials
- Shredded gel memory foam and microfiber
- Pillow is squishy and marshmallowy
- Cooling cover is machine washable
The Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is made of CertiPUR-US certified foams that are free from ozone depleters, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and other TCEP flame retardants that may cause cancer and genetic defects in unborn children, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals, and also free from formaldehyde. This also makes the pillow a good choice for those who suffer from allergies.
The hand-sewn pillow is marshmallowy soft and squishy – albeit, it’s a heavier pillow than some, so you won’t be tossing it up in the air, and it wouldn’t make for a fun pillow fight, either. On the other hand, pillows can easily get knocked off the bed and onto the floor. However, since the Authenticity50 pillow has some weight to it, this shouldn’t be a problem.
The gel memory foam and microfiber blend provide a cool sleeping experience. The fill is covered by a stretchy inner liner, which makes it easy to add or remove the contents for a plusher or firmer pillow. The inner liner is covered by a case made of organic cotton and polyester. The case (or outer cover) is soft to the touch, and also contributes to the cooling effect, and it can be removed to launder in the washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle and then you can tumble dry the pillow on low.
Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow review: performance
- Adjustable fill is supportive in any position
- Temperature regulation keeps you cool
- Marshmallowy feeling is soft and comfortable
For over two weeks, we slept on a pair of Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillows to see how they fared in performance, testing for setup, comfort, support, and temperature regulation. We also slept on side, back, and stomach positions to see if the performance was consistent. Here’s how we got on...
Setup
5 out of 5 stars
The pair of Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillows arrived in a plain, brown shipping box that was stuffed with brown Kraft paper. The pillows were packaged well, and arrived in perfect condition. The pillows were vacuum sealed – which we appreciate from a health and safety perspective. We put the pillows on the bed and cut the plastic so they could start expanding. As soon as we cut the plastic, the pillows started expanding immediately. We left the room and when we came back 30 minutes later, the pillows had expanded somewhat but were not as plump as we desired.
Authenticity50 provides two options for prepping the pillows after removing the pillows from the plastic. We could either fluff by hand or pop the pillows into the dryer on the fluff setting for 5 to 10 minutes. We chose the latter, and you can see how fluffier the pillows look. At their maximum fill, we thought the pillows would be a little fluffier, but we’re not taking points off.
We did not experience any off gassing from the pillows.
Temperature regulation
4.5 out of 5 stars
Thankfully, the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillows did not trap body heat. Our tester tends to sleep hot, and the pillows remained cool overnight. This coolness was consistent even when she later added a faux fur throw into the mix. We attribute the temperature regulation to the gel memory foam and microfiber blend. While memory foam can be hot, gel memory foam has cooling properties.
In addition, the inner liner is covered by an outer case made of organic cotton and polyester. In addition to being soft to the touch, this material also contributes to the pillow’s cooling effect. While our tester didn’t find the pillow to be actually cool to the touch, like some pillows, it did indeed provide a cool sleeping experience.
Firmness and support
5 out of 5 stars
The level of firmness and support provided by the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow will largely depend on the user’s preference. Our tester likes soft, plush pillows with a medium to high loft, which was ideal when sleeping on her back and side. However, enough fill to create a thin pillow when sleeping on her stomach since this low loft position would keep her neck in alignment with her torso. In each position, adjusting the fill created the right loft for the sleep position.
However, keep in mind that loft preferences can vary. For example, some side sleepers prefer a mid loft, while others prefer a low loft.
The only complaint our tester had: she would have liked more fill to create a higher loft when sleeping on her side or back. (This doesn’t mean that the pillow was faulty – it’s only a reflection of her preference for fluffy pillows.) According to Authenticity50, you can contact the company to get more fill, free of charge.
Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow review: user reviews
The Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow is not sold on Amazon or other 3rd-party retailers. On the Authenticity50 website, there are 510 reviews, and the pillow has a rating of 4.85 out of 5 stars. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and customers noted that the pillows are comfortable. Some called it the best pillow they’d ever tried, with others stating that the pillow supports their neck and head, and it provides a good night’s sleep.
Among the roughly dozen negative reviews, some of the verified buyers thought the pillow was great and had no negative comments (perhaps they misunderstood the 1 to 5 scale). Also, some people said the pillows never arrived, and one person complained about the squishy feeling.
Should you buy the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow?
Whether you’re a side, back, or stomach sleeper, the Authenticity50 Custom Comfort Pillow can adjust to your needs. Stomach and side sleepers may want to leave all of the fill in the pillows for a high loft, or remove some of the fill for a mid-loft option, and even more fill can be removed for back sleepers who want a low loft pillow. Allergy sufferers will appreciate that the pillow is made of CertiPUR-US certified shredded gel memory foam and microfiber, so the pillow is free from harmful chemicals and ingredients. And the temperature regulation provides the extra benefit of keeping sleepers cool.
For the same price, another alternative adjustable fill pillow is the Layla Kapok Pillow, which also zips open – and even comes with an extra bag of fill, which is a great option for those who’d like an even higher loft. Also, instead of gel memory foam, the Kapok pillow is made of natural Kapok fibers (and designed to create the sensation of sleeping on a down pillow), combined with shredded memory foam - and it has a breathable cover.
On the other hand, the Pluto Pillow (which is more expensive) provides a totally customized experience. It includes a quiz that asks your age, height, weight, sleeping position(s), mattress firmness, preferred pillow cover surface, and a few other questions. Your answers help the company to select the best pillow depending on your preferences.
