Parachute Home Down Pillows offer a combination of affordability, high fill power, smart design, and decent eco certifications. That said, there are some downsides to these down pillows. Here’s our review of Parachute Home Down Pillows.
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Parachute Down Pillow
Highlights: Down pillows with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Stuffed with RDS down in three choices of loft and two sizes, plus side-sleeper option. Includes a 3-year warranty, but with a conventional cotton cover.
- Parachute Home only uses RDS down
- Pillow is Oeko-Tex certified
- Two size and three density/loft options
- Side-sleeper option with gusset
- Machine washable
- Made in Ohio, U.S.
- European down
- 3-year warranty
- Carbon neutral shipping and returns
- 60-day return window
- Cover is conventional cotton, not organic
- Not vegan (virgin down)
- Plastic packaging (80% recycled content)
At a glance:
- Sizes available: Standard, King
- Cover: Cotton sateen (not organic)
- Fill: RDS down and feathers
- Price Range: $129-$209
- Key certifications: RDS, Oeko-Tex 100
Parachute Home offers its signature down pillow in three lofts and two sizes to suit every sleep style. There’s also a side-sleeper down pillow available that has a tall gusset to properly support spinal alignment. Compared to many other down pillows with less robust certifications, these pillows are good quality and very affordable.
What we like about Parachute Home Down Pillows
Parachute Home only uses down with RDS certification (Responsible Down Standard) and the pillows are Oeko-Tex 100 certified. That means there are no synthetic materials or hazardous chemicals in the pillows.
Parachute Home also uses a fairly high fill power for its pillows. The 750 fill power European down is fluffy and insulating but very lightweight (compared to a pillow with lower fill power).
These down pillows are available in three densities or lofts:
- Soft – best for stomach-sleepers or anyone wanting a low-loft, squishable pillow
- Medium – best for back-sleepers who want more support but lots of softness
- Firm – best for side-sleepers, folks with broad shoulders, or if your mattress is very firm.
There’s also a side-sleeper pillow design that has a three inch gusset to help maintain the height of the pillow. This is best suited to anyone who sleeps on their side and wants firmer support from a down pillow.
All of the pillows comprise 85% down and 15% down and feather fibers, regardless of loft or size. They all have a reinforced double-stitched piping seam to help the pillows maintain their shape.
Unlike many down pillows, Parachute Home’s Down Pillows are Oeko-Tex certified, which means they don’t contain hazardous chemicals (above certain limits). These include things like formaldehyde, which is often used to sterilize down and feathers.
These pillows are machine washable and Parachute Home recommends washing them every six months on a cool, delicate cycle with a small amount of mild detergent. You can dry them or fluff them in the dryer on low with dryer balls or fresh tennis balls.
Downsides to Parachute Home Down Pillows
Parachute Home’s Down Pillows are made with virgin down (the company does have a recycled down pillow, though). This down is RDS certified, which is nice, but it does still mean that this product is not vegan or cruelty-free.
Parachute Home doesn’t detail how it processes the down or feathers, either. However, the Oeko-Tex offers some assurance that the chemicals used aren’t too egregious.
In addition, Parachute Home uses conventional cotton for its sateen pillow covers. Conventional cotton is an environmental nightmare, requiring massive amounts of water, land, pesticides, and artificial fertilizers and other chemicals.
Parachute Home maintains that it is better to use long-staple Egyptian cotton rather than relying on a not-so-stringent organic label. However, there are suppliers offering organic long-staple Egyptian cotton, so Parachute Home could tick both boxes if it cared to.
Sustainability at Parachute Home
Parachute Home makes its pillows in Cincinnati, Ohio, and offers carbon neutral shipping and returns. The company tries to use somewhat sustainable packaging, with its plastic mailers comprising 80% recycled content. The mailers are recyclable too, if you can find soft plastic recycling where you live.
The company is also exploring more sustainable packaging options.
Parachute Home’s cotton pillow covers are manufactured in Portugal by artisans using long-staple Egyptian cotton. This type of cotton is:
- Grown along the Nile River Valley in Egypt
- Handpicked (in contrast to saw or roller ginning) to preserve the fiber strength and length
- Naturally stronger and softer than other forms of cotton.
Overall, this kind of cotton can prove more durable than most conventional cotton, which would add to its eco-friendliness.
Final thoughts on Parachute Home Down Pillows
Parachute Home offers affordable RDS-certified down pillows that meet basic Oeko-Tex Standard 100, making them a better option than most other down pillows.
That said, I would love to see these pillows in a GOTS organic cotton cover and to see them certified to Made in Green by Oeko-Tex or other standard that includes elements of social fairness and eco-friendliness.
All in all, if you’re adamant that you need a down pillow, Parachute Home is one of the better choices. For an equally soft, truly eco-friendly pillow, however, consider Savvy Rest’s Kapok Pillow instead (see our review).
Parachute Down Pillow
Highlights: Down pillows with Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Stuffed with RDS down in three choices of loft and size, plus side-sleeper option. Includes a 3-year warranty, but with a conventional cotton cover.