01 · The fill
100% wild harvested kapok
Gathered from the seed pods of wild ceiba trees rather than farmed. Silky to the touch and many times lighter than cotton, it shapes around your head and neck instead of pushing back.
Wild Harvested Kapok Pillow
The way sleep was meant to feel.™
Silky like down, light as air, and set to exactly the height your neck needs. This is what a pillow filled with 100% wild harvested kapok feels like.
Kapok is the fiber inside the seed pods of the ceiba tree. Each strand is hollow, mostly air, and wrapped in a natural waxy coat that sheds moisture, so the fill stays light, dry and breathable through the night. It's naturally hypoallergenic, with no feathers, foam or polyester anywhere inside, just kapok in a GOTS certified organic cotton sateen shell.
Your pillow arrives full. Unzip the short end and take kapok out a handful at a time until your neck sits level, then keep the extra for topping it off later. Handcrafted in the USA, with 60 nights to decide.
- Wild harvested kapok
- Adjustable fill
- Naturally hypoallergenic
- GOTS certified shell
- 60 day sleep trialFree US return label
- Free shipping over $80Contiguous US
- Handcrafted in the USADesigned in Hawaii
A hidden zipper lets the cover slip off for machine washing. The matching cotton sateen cover is sold separately.
Kapok settles with nightly use. Each bag contains 3 lb of loose fill. Add small handfuls until the loft feels right, and save the remainder for later. Most people use a few handfuls at a time.
The fill is 100% wild harvested kapok, gathered from the seed pods of standing ceiba trees in Indonesia. The shell is 300 thread count GOTS certified organic cotton sateen, certified by Oregon Tilth, license GOTS-10229. The washable outer cover, sold separately, is the same GOTS certified fabric. Read what the certification covers.
The optional outer cover, sold separately, zips off for washing. Follow its care label. The included shell holds the kapok fill behind a hidden zipper. The kapok fill itself never goes in the wash. If the inner pillow needs freshening, spot clean it and set it in the sun for an afternoon. Fluff the pillow to redistribute the fill. If you prefer more loft, add a little MAREA Kapok Refill at a time. See the full care guide.
Pillows have a 60 day sleep trial with a free US return label and a full refund of the pillow price. Covers have separate unused-condition requirements and refill is final sale. Read the return terms.
Wild Harvested Kapok Pillow
Sale price$129.00 USD
60 Day Sleep Trial
Free Shipping: Contiguous US $80+
Free US Returns
Refill Available Separately
What's inside
Two materials. Nothing else.
Most pillows are built from a long list of materials. Ours is built from two, and you can open the zipper and see both for yourself.
02 · The shell
GOTS certified organic cotton sateen
A smooth 300 thread count weave that feels cool and soft against your face, closed with a hidden zipper so you can take fill out or add refill kapok later. Certified by Oregon Tilth, license GOTS-10229.
Not inside
- Memory foam
- Latex
- Polyester fiber
- Down
- Feathers
- Size
- Standard 20 × 26 · Queen 20 × 30 · King 20 × 36 in
- Care
- Keep the fill dry. Wash the zip off cover, sold separately.
- Made
- Cut, sewn and filled by hand in the USA
Certification
GOTS certified organic cotton sateen shell
- License
- GOTS-10229
- Issuer
- Oregon Tilth
- Applies to
- The pillow shell and the zip off cover. The kapok fill is wild harvested.
The problem
Most of us are sleeping on the wrong pillow and calling it normal.
You spend about a third of your life with your head on a pillow. Most people never think about what's inside it until they wake up stiff, flip it to the cool side for the fifth time, or notice it has gone flat again.
30.5%
of US adults sleep less than 7 hours a night.
18.1%
have trouble staying asleep most days or every day.
1 to 2 yrs
is how often experts say to replace a typical pillow. Polyester, as often as every 6 months.
A pillow can't fix everything on that list. But most pillows are built to go flat, hold heat, and end up in the trash. We built one you can set to your own body and keep for years.
Sources: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief 559 (2024). Sleep Foundation, How Often Should You Replace Your Pillows?
Set your height
One pillow. Set to how you sleep.
The goal is the same for every sleeper: your neck in a straight line with your spine. Your pillow ships full, which is the tallest it gets. Pick how you sleep to see where the fill should land.
Side sleepers
Keep it full
Your shoulder sets the gap between your ear and the mattress, and the pillow fills it so your head does not drop. Broad shoulders often want every bit of fill, or a little refill on top.
- 1Sleep one night on it full before you change anything.
- 2Take kapok out a handful at a time, one night at a time.
- 3Keep what you remove in a bag. Use it to top it off later.
Doing it cleanly. Work over the bed, pull fill out in whole clumps, and hold the fabric away from the zipper as you close it. How to find your loft
Why kapok
Naturally hypoallergenic. Naturally dry. Naturally breathable.
Your pillow is where dust mites and allergens collect, a few inches from your face for eight hours a night. Kapok handles that the way the plant made it: a hollow fiber wrapped in a natural waxy coat that sheds moisture instead of soaking it up.
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Naturally hypoallergenic
Pure plant fiber. No feathers, no down and no dander, the usual allergens inside a traditional pillow.
-
Sheds moisture
Every kapok fiber carries a natural waxy coating that repels water, so humidity doesn't soak into the fill and sit there.
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Less welcoming to dust mites and mold
Dust mites and mold both depend on damp. A fill that stays dry gives them far less to work with, and the zip off cover washes away the rest.
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Breathes all night
Kapok is about 80 percent air by volume, so warmth moves through the fill instead of building up under your head.
-
No foam smell
No memory foam, latex or polyester fill, so there's no new foam smell to air out. Fluff it when it arrives and it's ready.
-
Vegan, start to finish
Kapok from the seed pods of the ceiba tree and GOTS certified organic cotton sateen around it. Nothing from an animal anywhere in the pillow.
Allergies vary from person to person, and a pillow isn't a medical treatment. Kapok, allergies and dust mites
Compare
Kapok vs memory foam vs down
Compared by fill, the part you actually sleep on.
| Feature | MAREA kapok | Memory foam | Down and feather |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fill | 100% wild harvested kapok | Solid or shredded foam | Down, feathers or a blend |
| Plant based | Yes | No, foam is made from petroleum | No, it comes from birds |
| Feathers or dander | NonePure plant fiber | None | Yes, animal fill |
| Moisture | Natural waxy coating sheds it | Dense foam can hold heat close | Down and feathers absorb it |
| Set your own height | YesThrough a hidden zipper | Only on shredded, zippered models | Check for an access zipper |
| Top it off later | YesWith a 3 lb refill bag | Varies by brand | Varies by brand |
| Washable layer | Zip off cotton cover, sold separately | Varies by model | Varies by model |
| Certification | GOTS certified organic cotton sateen shellLicense GOTS-10229, Oregon Tilth | Varies by brand | Varies by brand |
| Sleep trial | 60 nightsFree US return label | Varies by brand | Varies by brand |
I spent five years sleeping in other people's beds, all over the world. The pillow decided whether I slept. I couldn't buy the one I wanted, so I made it.
Anthony, founder of MAREA Sleep
Complete it
Goes with your pillow
Add a cover or refill to a pillow order and 15% comes off it at checkout. No code needed.
Wild Harvested Kapok Body Pillow
$209
20 × 54 inches of the same kapok, for between your knees or in your arms.
Organic Cotton Sateen Pillow Cover
From $49
The washable layer. Organic cotton sateen, zips off for the machine.
Wild Harvested Kapok Refill, 3 lb Bag
$45
3 lb of loose kapok for raising or restoring your loft.
Questions
Before you decide
Something not covered here? Ask me directly. Or read the full FAQ.
Kapok guides
What is a kapok pillow?
A kapok pillow is filled with wild harvested kapok fiber, a silky plant fiber gathered from the seed pods of the kapok tree. Kapok fibers are hollow and mostly air (about 77 percent porosity by one published measurement), so the fill has a soft, lofty feel and is plant based. MAREA sews this fill into a GOTS certified organic cotton sateen shell with a hidden zipper; a matching removable, machine washable cover is sold separately. Not every pillow sold as kapok is all kapok; here is how pure fill compares with the blends, and here is what kapok actually is.
What does wild harvested mean?
Our kapok is gathered from the seed pods of standing ceiba trees in Indonesia rather than grown as a farmed crop. The trees keep standing and produce again season after season. What wild harvested means.
Is the shell GOTS certified?
Yes. The shell around every MAREA pillow is 300 thread count GOTS certified organic cotton sateen, the same fabric as our zip off cover. Certified by Oregon Tilth, license GOTS-10229. GOTS covers the organic fiber, how the fabric is processed and which chemicals are allowed at each step. The kapok inside is wild harvested. What GOTS covers.
Is the MAREA kapok pillow adjustable?
Yes. Every MAREA pillow ships generously filled and has a hidden zipper, so you can remove or add kapok to dial in your exact loft and firmness. Not sure how high your pillow should be? Our loft guide walks through it by sleep position, with a ninety second test.
How do I adjust the loft without making a mess?
Kapok is light enough to float, so a little technique helps. Work over your bed, pull the fill out in whole clumps rather than loose pinches, and hold the fabric taut away from the zipper as you close it so the teeth catch cloth instead of fiber. Keep what you removed in a sealed bag and add it back any night you want more height. About two minutes, start to finish.
What sizes does the MAREA kapok pillow come in?
Four sizes: Standard at 20 x 26 inches, Queen at 20 x 30 inches, King at 20 x 36 inches, and the Body Pillow at 20 x 54 inches.
Which pillow size should I choose?
Size sets the width, not the height. Most sleepers on a queen bed choose the Queen, and a king bed looks best with two Kings. Side sleepers who hug a pillow or want hip and shoulder alignment should consider the Body Pillow. Height comes from the fill, which you adjust. Side sleepers can also read why side sleeping needs a different loft.
I am a larger side sleeper. Will the pillow stay high enough?
Choose size by the length you prefer and your pillowcase fit. King is the longest size. Adjust the fill for your shoulder width and mattress, and if you want more height, add small handfuls of kapok from a refill bag until it fits you. See our loft guide.
How do I wash a kapok pillow?
Never machine wash kapok fill. The removable, machine washable organic cotton sateen cover, sold separately, takes the washing; the fill stays dry. The full routine, including how to refresh the fill in the sun, is in How to Wash a Kapok Pillow. See also our care guide.
Is kapok good for hot sleepers?
Kapok is a light plant fiber fill, hollow and mostly air (about 77 percent porosity by one published measurement), and the Sleep Foundation describes memory foam as notorious for trapping heat. Why kapok sleeps cool.
Is kapok good for allergies and dust mites?
Kapok is a plant fiber, so there are no feathers, down or dander in the fill. Each fiber has a natural waxy coating that sheds moisture, and dust mites and mold both depend on damp, so a dry fill gives them less to work with. Wash the zip off cover regularly for the rest of the routine. More on kapok and allergies.
Is the MAREA pillow vegan and feather free?
Vegan, yes: the fill is 100% kapok plant fiber and the shell is GOTS certified organic cotton sateen, with no feathers, down or foam. The zip on cover is machine washable, so the layer closest to you stays fresh. More on kapok and allergies.
Will it go flat?
Like any loose fill, kapok settles with use. Fluff it often, and when you want more height, add back the fill you saved or top it off with refill kapok.
How long does a kapok pillow last?
A long time, because you can top it off. Kapok settles with nightly use; fluff it to redistribute the fiber, and add refill kapok whenever you want more loft instead of replacing the pillow.
Where are MAREA pillows made?
Every MAREA pillow is designed in Hawaii and handcrafted in the USA from wild harvested kapok fiber and GOTS certified organic cotton sateen.
How does the 60 day sleep trial work?
Sleep on it for up to 60 nights from delivery. If it isn't right for you, or you'd like a different size, contact us. We'll send a free US return label and refund the full price of your pillow. Read the return terms.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping to the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC is free on orders of $80 or more. Orders below $80 ship for $8. Alaska, Hawaii and US territories are charged the carrier rate shown at checkout.
Can I save by buying a pillow and cover together?
Yes. Add the matching organic sateen cover or a kapok refill to your pillow order and 15% comes off it automatically at checkout. Buying two or more pillows takes 15% off the pillows as well. No code needed.
