TEMPUR Original SmartCool Pillow reviewed

The TEMPUR Original SmartCool is a contoured memory foam pillow with a high and a low neck roll, made for people who sleep on their back or side and want their head held in one place. It is TEMPUR’s best-known ergonomic pillow, sold in three heights on the same 61 x 31cm footprint, and every size costs £165 on TEMPUR’s UK shop.

Which height to choose

All three versions share the same medium firm feel. Only the height of the two rolls changes, and that is the decision that matters most. A broad-shouldered side sleeper needs the taller rolls to fill the gap between mattress and ear, while a slim back sleeper is usually better served by the Medium. TEMPUR allows a tolerance of plus or minus 2cm on every measurement.

Because the two rolls differ by 3cm, you can turn the pillow round and try the other edge under your neck before deciding whether the size is right.

Build, cover and care

The core is one moulded piece of TEMPUR Material, the company’s visco-elastic foam, which softens where your head warms it and stays firmer where it does not. The SmartCool cover is a knit of 61% polyester, 38% polyethylene and 1% elastane, and the polyethylene is what makes it feel cool when you first lie down. The cover unzips and goes in the machine at up to 40°C. The foam itself must never be washed, and TEMPUR says doing so voids the guarantee. According to the product page, the pillow is made at TEMPUR’s own production centre in Denmark.

Neck pain and pillow height

The NHS advice on neck pain is to use a low, firm pillow and keep your head at the same height as the rest of your body when you sleep. The Original follows that logic more closely than a fibre pillow can, because the foam does not flatten through the night. “Low” is relative, though. If you sleep on your back on a soft mattress, the Medium is the size closest to that advice. We rate the feel medium firm, 6 out of 10.

Trial, guarantee and what to watch

TEMPUR includes a 3-year guarantee and a 30-night pillow trial on its standard pillows. The terms ask you to keep the pillow for at least 14 nights and hold on to the packaging, allow one trial per household, and cover the return with a freepost label. That matters here, since the shape takes a week or two to get used to and some people never settle on it. Front sleepers should look elsewhere, as the contour pushes the head up and back. On TEMPUR’s UK site the pillow had 4.5 out of 5 from 99 reviews on 8 October 2026.