Consumers today are shifting from being the traditionally passive recipients of merchandise to being a part of the process. Personalize a bottle of Coke, if you like. Build a bear, design your own Oreo cookies, co-create your Nikes or construct a car and have something that is unique to you. So, what makes more sense than having a pillow customized to your body type, sleep habits and preferences? A pillow has a significant impact on your quality of sleep and, therefore, on your overall health—mental, emotional and physical. Your pillow needs to support your neck, shoulders, hips and spine to prevent waking up in the morning in pain.
The Pluto Pillow is a hybrid design, constructed with a foam inner core and an outer plush cover, both custom-made to your individual profile to provide the comfort and support you need. Founders Susana Saeliu and Kevin Li worked with material research firms and sleep scientists to develop the patent-pending process that results in the perfect pillow for each individual.
Pluto Pillow Co-founders
Susana grew up in an entrepreneurial family. After graduating from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, she founded Kora Brand, a bamboo bath tissue company, which she sold in three years, and Tradex Marketplace, a reverse logistics company that processes customer returns. In that endeavor, she learned about the production of pillows from the top manufacturers. When she started experiencing severe neck pain in the mornings and needed to buy a new pillow, she wandered up and down the aisles lined with every kind of pillow imaginable, but without a way to know which one was best for her. She thought of her friend, Kevin, who had a guest room overflowing with his rejected pillows—too soft, too firm, too “fat,” too flat, etc.
Kevin grew up with an entrepreneur father. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in computational and data science. After college, he worked for an electronics distribution company. His responsibilities included operations, purchasing, accounting, payroll and information technology. In other words, he gained valuable insight into business management. He went on to be one of the biggest flash drive sellers on Amazon, then established his own Amazon store, selling imported products. When Susana approached him with her pillow problem, he saw the opportunity to build something unique, the perfect pillow, using technology and data.
Pluto Pillow Materials
The Pluto Pillow inner core is made from a high-performance foam, and the outer plush cover is filled with tiny polyester microfibers. All pillows provide support and cushioning with high-grade, hypoallergenic, temperature-regulating materials. All adjust rapidly to individual comfort needs.
- The foams differ in height and density. All are CertiPUR-US certified: without ozone depleters; PBDEs, TDCPP, or TCEP flame retardants; mercury, lead or other heavy metals; formaldehyde; and phthalates as regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They also have low volatile organic compound emissions for indoor air quality.
- The covers adds a soft fluff to the pillow with silky polyester microfibers that vary in thickness, length, and quantity to provide custom cushioning. High-percentage polyethylene surfaces help keep hot sleepers cool. Depending on your answers on the questionnaire, your cover may be smooth, soft, or quilted or be high thread count cotton.
Customizing Your Pluto Pillow
There are five parts of the Pluto Pillow that factor into the customization:
- Inner core foam height
- Inner core foam density
- Outer cover fiber amount
- Outer cover fiber thickness
- Cover surface (smooth or quilted, cooling or non-cooling)
Fill out a questionnaire, which includes:
- General information, e.g., height and weight
- Your usual sleeping position
- An optional field to enter whatever information you feel is vital to the process
- Your preference for a plushy pillow or a supportive one
- Choose super soft to hard as a rock from a sliding scale
- Choose the kind of foam or fill
- Enter the height of your pillow from 0-3 inches to 5+ inches
The data is run through the Pluto Pillow algorithm that determines the best version of the pillow for you from the 25 available. Then the finished product goes through an inspection by humans to make sure it fits all of your criteria. Soon, the pillow is on your doorstep, and you get a 100-night risk-free trial. Even though many of their customers love the Pluto Pillow from day one, sleep products often need a “breaking in” period.
Pluto Pillow Recognitions
- House Beautiful Magazine: The 2020 Live Better Award
- Cosmopolitan: Comfiest All-Around Pillow
- Architectural Digest: 5 Products to Help You Sleep When You’re Anxious
- Oprah Daily: Best Gifts for a New Dad or Dad-To-Be
- Essence.com: Thoughtful Gifts This Holiday
Pluto Pillow Encourages Recycling Old Pillows
- If the pillow is in good enough condition, donate it to a homeless shelter.
- If it’s in iffy condition, donate it to an animal shelter. Abandoned or stray dogs and cats appreciate having something soft to comfort them.
- Recover the pillow and use it as a knee pad for cleaning indoors or gardening outdoors.
- If it’s too far gone for humans or animals and has down or polyester filling, use it as packing material for fragile items.
- Feathers are naturally rich in nitrogen. Use feather filling as composting material and fertilizer for your house plants.
