last updated: Jan 25, 2017What's most important to you? We decided to compare latex and memory foam mattresses and let you decide for yourself.After all, who better to help you figure this one out? We Essentia, do make some of the best latex mattresses in the world.A) Memory foam mattresses are known for their pressure relief and comfort...but are made with some pretty harsh chemicals.B) Latex mattresses are known for being durable, natural and healthy but aren't known for comfort. LatexMemory FoamNatural Memory Foam Made using certified organic & natural components, no metals. Reduced VOC exposure, not exposed to harmful chemicals. Heat dissipates through the mattress and away from the body. Eliminates negative space, ideal for proper spinal alignment. Eliminates numbness and soreness. Evenly distributed body weight allows for increased blood circuNatural, latex based memory foam is NEW and has been featured on Dr.OZ, Tiny House Nation, O Network, Rachael Ray and many more.
Because people demanded a more comfortable latex mattress, we Essentia spent 3 years developing a unique and patented latex mattress.You can learn more about how our mattresses are made.Latex mattresses used to be sold at Sears! They've been around since the 50's and are some of the healthiest and most eco-friendly mattresses available.However, their comfort, leaves much to be desired since the more natural they are the firmer they tend to be.Memory foam mattresses outperform latex mattresses in all tests which measure comfort, like proper blood circulation. Pressure point relief is a clear sign of comfort. A memory foam mattress offers your body the best sleep surface on the market, with better blood circulation and contouring support being big pluses.BUT, most memory foam is made using harsh chemicals. Petroleum based memory foams are made using known carcinogens and have been linked to itchy eyes, respiratory issues, headaches etc.Making the healthy choice (natural latex) or comfortable choice (memory foam) is a dilemma for consumers.
Keep in mind you could always get the benefits of both with our natural memory foam. <-- It feels AMAZING.Latex foam is a type of foam designed to outlast traditional spring mattresses. It can be made using natural or synthetic (manmade) ingredients.There are 3 different types of Latex foam: Natural latex foam is processed Hevea milk (rubber tree sap). It's rare to find natural latex in brand name mattresses since it's expensive and durable, lasting 15+ years. Big box companies will usually only include 1 - 2 inches of natural latex on top so they can promote the mattress as “natural”. In reality, the bed is made up of more synthetic materials than anything else. Be suspicious when companies don't mention the percentage of natural content in their latex.Keep in mind that it's just not feasible for any mattress under $1500 to be made entirely of natural latex due to the costs.Sap from the Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is collected and processed into latex; the finished product is used in mattresses and pillows.1) Talalay ProcessThe Talalay process of making latex results in a softer feeling foam.
Synthetics and air are always added to achieve this. 100% Natural Talalay does not exist and most Talalay on today’s market is heavily blended, if not 100% synthetic.2) Dunlop ProcessThe Dunlop process of making latex creates a firmer feeling foam.Both Dunlop and Talalay latex can be made 100% synthetic.People often say that Talalay is the superior latex. This is false and here's why.Dunlop latex foam was put to market in the 1950's. The goal was not to create natural foam, it was to create a longer-lasting, consistent feeling product than other foams on the market.Talalay latex foam was then invented. It felt better than Dunlop foam since it was softer, more durable and had a more consistent feel. To do this, 50%+ of the natural ingredients were replaced with synthetics. Remember "natural" was of no concern back then, it was all about the properties of the foam.As technology improved, Dunlop latex evolved and caught up in terms of performance, durability and consistency.Today, Talalay is still the softer latex foam but it remains highly synthetic.
That's why you can't and will never find GOLS certified Talalay latex because it exceeds the quantity of synthetic ingredients tolerated by the GOLS or Global Organic Latex Standard certification.A latex mattress roughly provides comfort equivalent to that of a spring mattress, but with extended durability (10-30 years).The main difference between the 2 types of mattresses is component quality. Companies manufacturing natural latex mattresses tend to opt for environmentally friendly materials; natural and organic wools and cottons. Traditional spring mattress manufacturers tend to use synthetic foams and chemically treated synthetic fabrics etc.For more information, please visit our Learning Center.We receive free products to review and participate in affiliate programs, where we are compensated for items purchased through links from our site (at no cost to the buyer). See our for our list of comped products and affiliate programs. ContentsBest 100% Natural Latex MattressTop 3 Latex HybridsBest Latex Hybrid Mattresses ComparedGhostBedCasperHelixTop 3 All Latex MattressBest All Latex Mattresses ComparedBrooklyn BeddingPlushBeds Botanical BlissSpindleWhat to look for in a latex mattressNatural vs Synthetic/BlendDunlop vs TalalayLatex mattress warrantyLatex Density/ILDFinal Recommendation
Latex is a great sleeping surface because it offers a lot of the benefits of without some of the drawbacks. You can get great comfort and support, but latex generally and has , which some people really appreciate. Though latex mattresses are generally less popular in terms of number of bed sold, people are starting to realize the benefits of latex with a lot of new bed-in-a-box models making their mattresses at least part latex (think Casper or GhostBed). As time progresses, I fully expect latex to become more and more popular. The other potential benefit of latex is that it can be all-natural. Most companies opt to make their latex mattresses at least part synthetic due to cost, but there are some – which can never be the case for memory foam. As people start to move towards more natural products, I think latex will become more popular. I’ve slept on a lot of latex mattresses at this point (with more on the way), so I’ll highlight a few of my favorites by category: all latex, latex hybrids, and all-natural latex options.
Unfortunately a “natural” mattress doesn’t necessarily mean 100% natural in this industry. Sometimes companies will use 10% natural latex and 90% synthetic latex and still call it a natural mattress. The reason is that natural materials are significantly more expensive, and at the end of the day people frequently choose their wallet over fear of chemicals or desire for an eco-friendly product. That being said, my absolute #1 in the all-natural category is PlushBeds. They make a very comfortable mattress (classic latex feel), and because of their manufacturing process they are able to bring the cost down significantly. They have a number of options, but my favorite is the 10″ Botanical Bliss. Other mattress brands of note in this category are SavvyRest and Habitat Furnishings, though they end up being significantly more expensive. The latex hybrids are right now the most popular type of mattress (of any kind), aiming to offer the (namely pressure-relieving yet responsive at the same time).
Hybrid simply means there are other types of foam, most often memory foam, in the mattress. My favorite three are: These are overall high quality mattresses, rating well in my general mattress reviews page. These three happen to be similarly priced as well, making it easy for you to choose the mattress just based on the brand and slightly different feels. GhostBed is a relatively new brand, but is made by long time mattress veterans Nature’s Sleep. As I said this latex-over-memory-foam construction is very popular right now, but GhostBed used their mattress experience to do it better than most. Compared to similar models, GhostBed rates #1 for two reasons: durability and price. The mattress foam specs are better than nearly all of the similarly constructed competitors, which gives me confidence that the mattress will retain its feel for much longer (note: most of these brands are relatively new, so this is my assessment based on the specs, not personal experience).
The price is also incredibly competitive, and only possible because it is manufactured by a company that is already doing such large scale mattress manufacturing. The company clearly leveraged their industry connections to get a very competitively priced product to market (use a coupon for even more savings). Learn more in my full GhostBed review. Casper is certainly one of the most well-known mattresses today, with their launch really bringing attention to the online-mattress category. Buy Casper on Amazon Here Casper claims that it has the “one perfect mattress,” which I don’t believe to be true (there is no mattress that suits everyone). However if you have average sleep preferences, particularly in terms of firmness, I think that Casper is a really good option. If you’re interested in Casper, look at my Casper review or Casper coupon pages for more information. Helix is a latex hybrid, though the construction of the mattress changes based on your personalized preferences.
The company actually makes you take a quiz and then changes the mattress construction based on your responses. I’m a pretty average person when it comes to sleeping preferences, but I thought that Helix did a great job of using the quiz information to suit my preferences. The comfort is definitely there, and they use quality materials as well (no matter the construction details of your custom mattress). You can read more about the customization options and company in my Helix Sleep review and Helix coupon page. Though the hybrids are popular, some people will prefer an all-latex mattress (by all-latex we mean all comfort layers, though some of these options will still use core foam as the base layer). These tend to have a lot of bounce (for a foam mattress) and can potentially be all-natural/organic as well. My top 3 latex mattresses are: The Brooklyn Bedding (also named #bestmattressever) is very similar to the Love Bed in feel, and actually is made in the same factory.
The mattress has a lot of spring to it as well, making it very easy to move around or get out of the bed. A big perk with the Brooklyn Bedding mattress as well is that it comes from a very well-known mattress manufacturer, so I actually trust in the quality and durability of this mattress as much as any I have reviewed. To learn more about this mattress visit my Brooklyn Bedding review and Brooklyn Bedding coupon pages. The PlushBeds Botanical Bliss is one of my top overall picks. The mattress is one of the few all-natural mattress (yes, 100% organic) mattresses available on the market. On top of that, I think it’s very comfortable and offers great support. The mattress is definitely not cheap, and is by far the most expensive on this best latex mattress page, but compared to other 100% natural latex mattresses, this is actually priced incredibly low. The company is fully vertically integrated (they even import their own latex from Sri Lanka), so they pass on a lot of value to the consumer.
Learn more about this company in my PlushBeds review. Spindle is a really unique mattress, providing natural latex at an incredibly affordable price. You do need to assemble the mattress yourself, but once assembled, I daresay you have one of the best mattress values on the market. An advantage to the mattress is that the layers can be re-organized as well to give you different firmness options. This mattress company is less-known, but after learning more about their manufacturing and methodology, they are one I really like to recommend because they are really the only natural latex mattress available at an affordable price point. Learn more about this mattress in my Spindle Mattress Review. When you look at a latex mattress, you will be exposed to an entirely new terminology compared to other types of mattresses. Key decisions will be natural vs synthetic/blend, Dunlop vs Talalay processing, unique warranty considerations, and density/ILD. The latex in a mattress can be all natural latex, synthetic latex, or a blend of natural and synthetic.
Natural latex (from rubber trees) and synthetic latex (made through chemical process) actually feel quite similar, though in general natural latex mattresses are preferred. Generally the decision here comes down to price. People prefer the feel and eco-friendliness of natural latex, but even the most reasonably priced all-natural mattresses (think PlushBeds) start at around $2000. If you can afford it, go natural, but otherwise synthetic/blend will offer a pretty similar sleeping experience. Dunlop and Talalay are two different types of latex processing. In general the two types of processing result in different feels, with Dunlop leading to a firmer feel and Talalay leading to a softer feel. I don’t think that one type of processing is better than another, although it is true that talalay produces a more consistent latex. I recommend that you think about the feel of the mattress, rather than the processing method, to make your final decision. Related: see common latex mattress complaints