Question from L.A.

I just bought but haven’t yet used a pillow from Bed Bath and Beyond that is made from ingeo fiber, which apparently is synthesized from corn. It is supposed to be 100% natural and industrially compostable.

I find cotton bedding gets hard as rock (I have a neck problem), but I can’t tolerate wool or feathers, and am reluctant to use latex due to my numerous allergies.

I checked the ingeofibers.com website; it explains the process in which corn is turned to sugar, then fermented and transformed into a polymer (polylactic acid) that is sustainable and not from petrochemicals.

I’ve had no problems with rayon or modal, even though they’re not completely natural, but I wonder if anyone has researched this product as bedding fiber.

Also, in explaining the fiber, the website says that it’s made from lactic acid, which is made from dextrose by fermentation. I’ve read about lactic acid being too high in people with panic attacks, and I may have panic disorder. Could breathing this substance in a pillow be a problem for me? (It has a 300 thread count cotton cover, which I’m thinking of putting in a 600 thread count pillow protector I bought at the same store.)

Debra’s Answer

Interesting…

This would be much better environmentally because it is made from a renewable resource, however, I would caution anyone with a corn sensitivity to beware. I know that people with corn sensitivites can react to substances made from corn even if it is highly processed.

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