SK Chemicals to expand Skyfel specialty material into bedding products

SK Chemicals will apply its specialty material Skyfel to products made by Sensemom, a company specializing in bedding.

SK Chemicals announced Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Sensemom's flagship brand Demoa on Monday at Sensemom's headquarters in Namdong-gu, Incheon. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Eung-su, head of SK Chemicals' Green Materials Business Division, Kim Seong-gi, head of SK Chemicals' functional materials business unit, and Kang Kyung-mo, chief executive of Sensemom.

Under the agreement, SK Chemicals will apply Skyfel — its thermoplastic polyester elastomer specialty material — to the inner filling of bedding products such as pillows, cushions, seat pads and mattresses, replacing conventional olefin-based materials. Commercial production of Demoa-brand pillows using Skyfel has already begun, with plans to extend its use to seat pads and mattresses.

Skyfel combines the flexibility of rubber with the strength of engineering plastics, maintaining its shape stably even after repeated compression or washing. The material has traditionally been used in automotive parts, industrial goods, and electrical and electronic products, but its application has recently been expanding into everyday consumer goods such as bedding.

Sensemom offers a range of sleep products including floor mattresses, pillows and seat pads, and continues to conduct materials and product-structure research through its Demoa brand. Through this partnership, the company developed a pillow that replaces conventional olefin-based materials such as POE with Skyfel, a thermoplastic polyester elastomer. SK Chemicals provided technical support across the entire production process — including extrusion process optimization and improvements to drying conditions — going beyond simply supplying the material.

"This project is a case where we combined material supply and technical support to achieve the performance our customer required and stabilize production," Kim Eung-su said. "We will continue to expand the range of applications through differentiated specialty materials and customer-tailored technical support."