The HoneyFoam Pillow review: a clever customisable pillow for side sleepers

RRP at time of testing: £99 | Check price at Amazon or The Fine Bedding Company

My verdict

There comes a point in your thirties where you realise your body’s keeping score. I still think I’m fine, but my neck and shoulders have other ideas.

I’m a full-time working mum of two, which means a lot of lugging bags, hunching over a laptop, tidying up after people who apparently can’t see the wash basket, plus being climbed on like playground equipment. So when a pillow says, “You can adjust me to suit you”, it gets my attention.

This one is filled with small honeycomb-shaped memory foam pieces. You can take some out or add more back in to change the height and feel, depending on whether you sleep on your side, back or front. It’s similar in idea to the Simba Hybrid Pillow, but there are a few differences.

Much like Simba, the HoneyFoam's branding stands out

I slept on it every night for two weeks on our superking mattress. I’m mostly on my side, and I do that thing where I stretch one arm under the pillow and across the bed. Sometimes it results in accidentally smacking my husband in the face. I’m not blaming the pillow for that.

Once I’d got the fill level right, it was a comfortable pillow for side sleeping. You can keep enough height to stay supported without waking up feeling like you’ve been perched on something too hard. It also feels less dense than a one-piece memory foam pillow because the filling moves a bit.

It’s not cheap. £99 is still “I hope this is good” money. But it is slightly cheaper than the Simba Hybrid Pillow, and there’s something annoyingly satisfying about it being just under £100.

The packaging is, of course, hexagonal also

A couple of things to know. It’s not a cooling pillow. If you sleep hot and you’re after that cold-to-the-touch feeling, this isn’t the one. And you might need a bit of faff to get the height right. My advice is don’t empty half the pillow in one go. Take out a handful, try it, then adjust again if you need to.

Overall, it’s well made, easy to live with and, once you’ve dialled it in, properly comfortable. If you’re a side sleeper who’s fussy about pillow height, it’s a very good option. Just don’t buy it expecting cooling tech, and don’t expect it to protect your partner from late-night arm flinging.

How I’ve tested

I tested The Adjustable HoneyFoam Pillow for two weeks at home, sleeping on it every night in our superking bed. I’m a side sleeper, which means pillow height matters. Too flat and my shoulder complains. Too high and I wake up feeling like I’ve spent the night trying to look over a garden fence.

I tested it while also having recent experience of the Simba Hybrid Pillow and The Fine Bedding Company’s cooling smart temperature cotton pillow, so I had a useful comparison point rather than judging it in isolation.

I looked at comfort, adjustability, ease of setup, washing, temperature, shape retention and whether it felt like something I’d continue using after the test period.

What’s in the box?

The pillow arrives already filled with the little HoneyFoam pieces inside. This is different from the Simba Hybrid Pillow, which comes with its foam cubes separately so you can fill it yourself.

With the HoneyFoam Pillow, the storage bag arrives flat and empty. Its job is to hold any filling you choose to remove. I preferred this setup. It feels less like a project and more like a pillow you can use straight away, which is always appreciated when your bedtime routine is already less “spa retreat” and more “why is there a dinosaur in my bed?”

The filling itself is not cube-shaped in the traditional sense. True to the name, the pieces are honeycomb-shaped and orange. Very Winnie the Pooh. Happily, without the sticky pawprints.

The pillow comes without its case on so you can adjust the fill before adding the cover

First impressions and set up 

First impressions were good. The pillow looked plump, neat and well finished, with a removable outer casing rather than one of those flimsy covers that makes you worry about the zip before you’ve even used it.

Set up was minimal because the foam was already inside. I just opened it, had a look at the filling, gave it a bit of a plump and tried it.

For me, that’s a point in its favour. Adjustable products can sometimes feel as if they’re giving you homework. This one felt more straightforward.

Is it easy to adjust? 

Yes, very. You unzip the pillow and remove some of the honeycomb pieces if you want a lower profile. The storage bag is useful because it gives you somewhere to put the spare pieces rather than leaving them floating around the bedroom like tiny orange packing peanuts.

It’s not difficult, but it does require a bit of trial and error. I wouldn’t remove loads at once. Take out a handful, try it, then adjust again if needed. Pillow preference is weirdly personal, and what feels right when you’re standing there in your pyjamas can feel completely different at 2.13am when your shoulder has entered the conversation.

Like the packaging, the internal fill of the HoneyFoam pillow are also hexagonal shaped

How does it feel to sleep on?

For side sleeping, I found it comfortable and supportive. It has that memory foam cushioning feel, but because the foam is in small pieces rather than one solid block, it doesn’t feel as dense or unforgiving as some memory foam pillows can.

It supported my head well without feeling too high, and I liked being able to get the fill level right rather than having to just accept whatever height the pillow arrived at. I’ve tried pillows that are either too squishy or too firm, and this sits somewhere in the middle: cushioned, but not marshmallowy.

It’s also worth saying that it didn’t stop me from doing my usual side-sleeper arm stretch across the bed, so my husband remains at some risk. That is not the pillow’s fault.

Is it good quality? 

It feels well made in the ways that matter after 10pm: the zip didn’t snag, the casing didn’t feel flimsy and the pillow didn’t collapse into a lumpy mess after a few nights. At £99, you’d expect that, but we all know price and quality don’t always align. The HoneyFoam pieces also feel more thoughtfully designed than a standard chopped foam filling. The honeycomb shape is there to help airflow and flexibility, and it makes the filling feel less dense than a solid slab of memory foam. 

It doesn't take long for the pillow to expand after opening

Does it regulate temperature? 

This pillow doesn’t claim to be a cooling pillow, and I wouldn’t describe it as one. I sleep cool, so overheating isn’t usually my main issue. My husband sleeps hot, which means our bedroom temperature negotiations are ongoing and not always dignified. 

Compared with a solid memory foam pillow, the HoneyFoam design feels less dense and more breathable, but if you’re specifically looking for a cold-to-the-touch cooling pillow, this isn’t that. The Fine Bedding Company’s cooling smart temperature cotton pillow is a better comparison for that kind of brief.

For me, the HoneyFoam Pillow felt comfortable temperature-wise. It didn’t make me hot, but I wouldn’t buy it purely for cooling.

Does it retain its shape?

Over two weeks, it held its shape well. It didn’t flatten into a sad pancake by morning, and I didn’t feel like I needed to bash it back into life every day. Because the filling is made from separate pieces, it has a bit of movement and mouldability to it, which I liked. It has more give than a traditional memory foam slab, but it didn’t leave me doing that half-asleep pillow-folding routine in the middle of the night. 

All the fill comes already in the pillow - but the little bag makes it easy to remove any to store

Is it easy to clean? 

Yes. The removable casing makes washing simple, and that’s a big plus in a family house. Bedding has to survive real life: sweat, dribble, children climbing into bed, the occasional dog who knows perfectly well he isn’t allowed on the pillows but appears there anyway.

The ability to remove and wash the outer cover makes the pillow feel more practical long term. I’d still use a pillow protector as well, but the washable casing is reassuring.

Is it hypoallergenic? 

The product is described as hypoallergenic, which will be reassuring for some households. As always, if you have specific allergies, it’s worth checking the full materials and care details before buying rather than relying on the label alone. 

It's a well made design and I appreciate the detailed design

Who should buy it and who should avoid it? 

Buy it if:

• You’re a side sleeper who struggles to find the right pillow height

• You like the idea of being able to customise the feel yourself

• You want memory foam support but don’t love the heavy, solid feel of a traditional memory foam pillow

Avoid it if:

• You want a very firm pillow

• You want a bargain pillow

• You want something specifically designed to feel cool

• You dislike any kind of adjustment process

Comparison: Simba vs Honeyfoam

Having tested the Simba Hybrid Pillow recently, this was the comparison I kept coming back to. Both are adjustable and both are trying to solve the same problem: the fact that most pillows are either too flat, too high or mysteriously wrong by night three.

The HoneyFoam won points from me because it arrived ready-filled, so I could use it straight away rather than starting bedtime with a small foam-based admin task. 

Final verdict: is this the pillow for you? 

The Adjustable HoneyFoam Pillow is a clever, comfortable and easy-to-adjust pillow that works especially well if, like me, you sleep on your side and need enough height to feel supported.

It’s expensive, yes. There’s no getting around that. But it feels good quality, the washable cover makes it practical and the adjustability means you’re not stuck with a one-height-fits-all pillow that suits precisely nobody in your house.

Simba or HoneyFoam - which one will you choose?

For me, the biggest win is that it’s simple. It arrives filled, it’s easy to adjust the height and feel and it doesn’t make cleaning complicated. In a busy family home, that counts for a lot.

Would I recommend it? Yes, for side sleepers, fussy sleepers and anyone who has bought too many “perfect” pillows only to shove them into the spare room two nights later. Just don’t expect it to be actively cooling, and don’t expect your partner to be protected from any dramatic side-sleeper arm flinging. Some things are beyond even premium bedding.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.

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