Innocor Comfort by Serta Gel Memory Foam Side Sleeper Pillow

• Review
• Specs
• Comments

The sleep industry has a growing number of brands introducing to the market their version of comfort. Having a good selection of choices to pick from is always a good thing, especially since there really is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all sleep aid- but sometimes, it can get a bit overwhelming to try and wade through all to find what might work for you.

Serta is a long-standing, trustworthy name, and it is constantly applying new, innovative ideas and materials to their sleep products. Their Innocor Comfort line boasts a gel memory foam side sleeper pillow that sparked our interest, and The Sleep Judge review team decided to purchase one to determine if all the claims were worth taking a closer look at. Our personal review can be found below!

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Serta Innocor Comfort Pillow Specs

Filling- Gel infused memory foam

Loft- 2-inch gusset

Comfort Positions- Side and Back

Warranty- 5 years

Innocor Comfort by Serta

Innocor Comfort is subsidiary of Sleep Innovations, owned by Serta. There is often a lot of confusion by consumers when they order products owned by a brand company but sold under a different name. Although my pillow came with a very clear label marking Innocor Comfort as a Serta brand, there may be some differences in branding labels.

Serta introduced its first mattress in 1931, and it has been a household name ever since. Their innovative use of technology and ever-changing construction and designs to fit the needs of their customers is part of the reason they continue to be a successful company. Through the years, they have absorbed smaller, successful businesses, such as Sleep Innovations- a dependable, technology-driven company that has introduced new material comforts to their product line.

Breakdown of the Serta Gel Memory Foam Side Sleeper Pillow

Made for back and side sleepers, this soft, gel infused memory foam has a 2-inch gusset to provide shaping and contour for your head and neck. It is created to provide a cooler night’s sleep, provide an excellent response, and help your body maintain cervical alignment through the night. The pillow is never supposed to go flat, and it should maintain its shape for life and also ensure optimal comfort.

Unpacking

The pillow came in a sealed plastic bag within an unmarked brown box. Upon opening, there was a very faint off-gassing that began to quickly dissipate. By the next day, it was completely gone. The pillow itself is slightly boxy and has a slight heft to it, but it was easy to grasp as the foam is very responsive. I also noticed right away how cool it felt due to the gel infused memory foam.

I’m not a huge fan of gusseted pillows, especially memory foam ones as they are usually a bit too thick for me. But the foam of this pillow is very ‘squishy’ and soft and provides a great firm underlying feel to it. It reminded me of a few other pillows I had recently reviewed that provided a similar soft foam feel, so I was curious to discover how it slept.

Features and Benefits

Overall, this pillow has some great claims and excellent ratings from consumers. Serta products, no matter which name they are associated with, have a tendency to be a very popular, well-liked brand. Outlined below is a list of the features this particular pillow boasts, our take on them, and what we thought after trying it out.

Size

The Innocor Comfort by Serta Gel Memory Foam Sleeper is only 17 x 23 inches in size, which is well below the industry standard size of 20 x 26 inches. The difference was slightly noticeable, but it still fits well within a pillowcase without there being too much extra material- plus when in use, it didn’t seem small at all.

Pillow size can be influential on overall comfort, however, and depending on a person’s size, it may not be the best fit. Technically, when sleeping in a proper position, there should be very little movement through the night, so a large pillow generally isn’t needed. But shoulder width, height, and weight are all factors to consider surrounding whether or not the pillow is the right size to accommodate your sleep position.

2 Inch Gusset

Even though they may accommodate other sleep positions, gusseted pillows are made specifically with side sleepers in mind. The reinforced sides allow for better neck support and provide the proper height needed to keep the head level between the shoulders. This also allows for soft tissue relaxation through the neck and shoulders to relieve tension through the back.

This gusset, combined with the softer memory foam, does support the head and neck well, but it is fairly thin overall due to the responsiveness of the foam. Whereas it fit me pretty good initially, I could see where it might not work very well for people with a wider shoulder span than myself when used by a side sleeper.

Cooling Gel Infused Memory Foam

Gel has the ability to draw heat from the body through the physics of conduction. This creates a cooling sensation, and when it is infused with memory foam, it can be felt when you place your skin upon its surface. Memory foam has a tendency to hold heat due to the tightly packed cellular structure, but this pillow is fairly light and airy, and with the gel technology, it is extremely cool to the touch and very comfortable to sleep upon.

Memory foam is one of those products that has a unique ‘sink-like’ feel that was created to cradle and hold your head in accordance to your unique body weight and shape. Usually, it is very dense in nature, but through the years, it has begun to take on a bit of a different quality to fit a wider range of consumer preferences. This pillow which is much softer than most traditional memory foams seems to breathe well and still provides an excellent contouring support with a firm underlayment.

Some of the descriptions provided about this pillow also listed in a ‘Cool Vent’ design for optimal airflow through the pillow. These are patterned holes through the foam to provide added breathability. I did not see this in the pillow I received, and honestly, I am unsure if it would have improved upon the decent airflow I felt it already had. The foam seems almost too ‘squishy’ to properly support and interrupt the basic pillow construction in such a manner.

Micro-Vented Polyester Covers

The pillow actually has two poly covers- a thin sheet-like cover that provides a protective barrier over the foam and the outer microvented piped edge that also supports the gusseted sides. The inner cover is a fairly simple and is folded over the pillow in an envelope style, and it is very thin with single stitched edges.

The outer cover is of much higher quality and has a microovented material with double stitched, supportive piped edges. This was smooth, soft, and supported the overall pillow airflow due to the thousands of tiny holes to allow for uninterrupted passage of air. The reinforced zipper runs along the length of the bottom of one side of the width of the pillow. It doesn’t quite wrap along the edges which forces you to compress the pillow to get it off, but it isn’t too difficult to get on and off.

Comfort Claims

As mentioned, the pillow is made specifically for side sleepers as it provides the proper height and support for head and neck cervical alignment if it fits you properly. Because of how responsive it is, it also makes a great back sleeping choice since it compresses extremely well.

I can see how it could work well for a stomach sleeper as well if they were of a larger body type with broad shoulders. I was impressed with how well the pillow could compress, and honestly, I tried to make it work for me (see results below). So despite being designed specifically for side sleepers, it definitely is a pillow that can be used for any sleep position depending on personal preferences surrounding comfort. And that is a great quality to look for in any pillow.

Care: Spot Clean Only

Memory foam is not a material you can wash as water can begin to break down the structure of the foam. It also is extremely difficult to get completely dried out if it becomes saturated. This can leave it susceptible to mold and bacteria. It is fine to spot clean as long as you make sure to dry it out well. Plus, it is okay to leave it out in the sun to air out and allow the UV rays of the sun to kill off any dust mites and help refresh it. Both the covers are machine washable and dryable, and it does provide a very good barrier against dirt and spills. As explained, these are easily removed to be cleaned and dried, as well as when you place it back on.

5 Year Warranty

The 5-year warranty that protects against material and construction defects is a great deal; especially since it covers an unacceptable level of foam compression. Many pillows only last 18 months to 3 years, and the company is confident their workmanship is good enough to last you at least 5 years, or they will work with you to find an acceptable solution.

Consumer Reviews

This pillow has a pretty consistent list of high ratings with people praising how soft the memory foam is without sacrificing support. They especially like how well it supports anyone with neck and shoulder pain, as well as how it eliminates pressure points. The sturdiness of the pillow, combined with the cool surface, creates a comfortable night’s sleep. Plus, many side, back, and stomach sleepers all had something positive to say- supporting my initial belief that it is a good choice for any position depending on your needs.

The biggest lists of complaints stem from the confusion surrounding the brand name. As explained, Innocor Comfort is a subsidiary of Sleep Innovations, which is owned by Serta. Many people complained they were not receiving the correct product, which would have been resolved with a quick internet search. Hopefully, we’ve been able to clear up that confusion here.

Any issues specific to the pillow itself had to do with the thickness – which in many times was too much- or that is was too soft – and compressed more than expected when a more firm support was needed. As with any pillow – no size fits all, and unfortunately, when combined with personal preferences, it can be difficult to find the perfect pillow. It’s always important to give your pillows a good trial run to get used to it before deciding it isn’t a good choice for you.

Second Opinion

I’m of a shorter stature and average size overall, so I wanted to get the opinion of somebody with a very different body type than me. I shared the pillow with an average sized, broad-shouldered male who is a side sleeper to get his opinion:

“I really love how cool the pillow is because I kind-of sleep hot. This pillow felt really cool and soft, so I figured it would be really comfortable. I did try it out on my back as asked and found it to be very, very comfortable. I especially liked how I could get my shoulders along the edge of the pillow.

It was also really comfortable on my side. I kind of tucked it up against my shoulder before laying my head down, and I could feel how cool it felt against my face right away. This was actually my favorite way to sleep with it. It was a little soft to lay upon and had a fast sink, but I still liked it and it was also cool against my neck.”

My Sleep Trial Experiences with the I Love My Pillow Classic Traditional Pillow

Since I’m an average sized woman who typically sleeps on my stomach, side, or in some sort of hybrid version with a body pillow, I figured I could really like this pillow as it reminded me so much of some other recently reviewed pillows that also incorporated the highly responsive, soft memory foam. And overall, I did like the pillow for various reasons, even though it may not be the best choice for my particular body type- the details of why are found below:

Back

I nap on my back on occasion and really like a soft memory foam sink for this. Although, this pillow was crazy responsive and comfortable, as the picture shows, I’m held on a bit too much of a high angle. Usually, this type of posture will begin to create some compression pain in my neck and upper shoulders.

I actually never did have any stress in my neck or upper back when using this pillow, but I feel that it was simply too tall for me to take full advantage of. This is most likely due to my weight, height, and shoulder width, thus I couldn’t take full advantage of the compression for the healthiest posture.

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Side

This felt awesome, and I could easily fall asleep using this pillow while on my side. However, I always awoke uncomfortably. At first, I thought it was just because I was getting used to a new pillow, but after a week of this, I decided it was just too high for me overall. A two-inch gusset may not seem like a lot, but if you have more narrow shoulders, a half inch can make a huge difference- and for me, it would have meant the difference between a pillow I was wholly on board with and one that I had to personally pass on.

Despite that discovery, I really did appreciate how soft and cool it was. It provided awesome pressure point reduction, and the surface is an excellent choice for you- plush, comfort seekers. I also really liked how I could tuck my arm up under the pillow, and the foam would settle nicely over it without creating any pressure that I could feel through the pillow.

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Stomach

If the pillow is a poor side sleeping choice due to it being too high, using it as a stomach sleeper is a hard no. As you can see in the picture, my whole head and neck are tilted down through my shoulder, and even getting comfortable to take the picture was difficult. Usually, a thicker pillow will work for me if I use it with a body pillow to lay partially upon, but this pillow is simply not built for that. I would like to request that they make a thinner choice with no gusset as I really do like the overall feel it provides!

Trial Conclusions

Even though I’m pretty positive, the pillow design is not the best for my body height and shape. I really, really wanted to love it. I would absolutely recommend this pillow to a larger woman than myself, or as my second trial detailed, an average sized man. The gusset lends itself to a bit of a broader shoulder than what I have and perhaps more weight to add to the compression of the pillow.

The pillow is very responsive, provides support where needed, and has excellent bounceback. It is also very cool to the touch and kept a consistently comfortable temperature through the night. The quality is spot on and seems very well made, plus despite being passed around and had pillowcases changed out more than once, it never did get dirty or grimy- even though it is a bright white casing.

Overall Sleeping Rating: 4.5

Unfortunately, this pillow seems to be the best fit for a more specific body type rather than lending itself to a larger range of body and sleep types. The claims it makes are spot on if you are looking at the pillow as a whole for quality and possible comfort, but be aware that it seems to best fit an average sized male, or even taller, more broad-shouldered woman.

Even though the foam is not washable, the two separate covers provide adequate protection, plus it has excellent airflow and a true gel cooling effect. The foam lends a true instant response soft feel with great underlying support. Overall, the pillow is of excellent quality and comes recommended- just be sure to read through personal accounts such as this before committing to make sure it is a good fit for you. However, it usually is priced pretty reasonably and would not be considered a waste if it didn’t work out.

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Conclusion

I hope this has been a detailed enough report to provide you with some good feedback surrounding the comfort and quality of the Innocor Comfort by Serta Gel Memory Foam Pillow. It may not be the best match for every sleeper, but it is a good pillow that comes recommended if you think it might work for you. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below so we can get them answered for you!