These pillows are of a super soft and/or silky smooth to touch. This purple one in particular is stretchy as well. This is the best airplane pillow because it also has a pocket to store all of those international documents you need to fill or for certain countries.  And will be at the ready when you get to the desk.  No more searching where you placed it. And this pillow comes with a zipper. So you can have the option to leave the stuffing in and go to sleep or remove the stuffing for additional storage. Shh, don't tell the airlines.