Does anyone have information regarding the quality of Sleep Science memory foam. I am considering buying a Sleep Science memory foam mattress through Costco. In reading many of the posts on this website, I noted a recommendation that we consider purchasing only foam mattresses that contain memory foam certified by Certi-Pur. I reviewed Sleep Science’s website (actually it is listed under South Bay International), and it noted that the foam was manufactured in a company-owned factory located in China, so that the company could ensure the quality of the foam. The company’s website also said the foam was “100% pure” and they used an independent third party to test the foam. But, there were no details on the test results. This company was not listed on Certi-Pur’s website. We would appreciate any information on the quality of the Sleep Science memory foam. Thanks.
Hi DaveD,
Sleep Science is a company I wanted to like. The density of the memory foam and the quality of most of their materials seemed good (at least in some of their mattresses but not all of them because some use lower quality/density memory foam) and the only real issue I had was not knowing whether their foams were certified for harmful substances and VOS’s … so some time ago I phoned them to find out and talked to someone in production. They were particularly unhelpful and on the edge of rude. Their answer to my questions were along the lines of “we use the same chemicals as everyone else from Dow, Shell, and BASF and they are tested in China”. When I asked about who tested them or whether the testing results were available or why they weren’t being tested by CertiPur or Oeko-Tex … he ended up saying he would call me back and was busy (he didn’t even have my number) and hung up. Clearly they aren’t interested in being transparent about their foams other than the fact that they are pouring them. I wasn’t at all impressed.
So in the end … they may look good “on paper” but they are an unknown and untested foam from my perspective since what is being tested for and who is doing the testing is completely unknown. There are several Chinese foam pourers who are CertiPur certified (Sinomax and Zinus and Health Care Foam are examples) so they could easily certify their foams as well.
There is also more about mattresses that use foams that are sourced in China in post #6 here and post #2 here.
The good news is that they are available from an store with a great return policy so testing the mattress and seeing how it affects you and how suitable it is for your needs is a no risk proposition at least financially. This may be worth considering if there are no better alternatives or independent manufacturers near you where you could get similar value with more transparency and actually test the mattress before buying it but overall I would tend to avoid them until they have certified their foam.
Phoenix
Phoenix, Thanks for the quick response. After I submitted my question to this forum, I called the company to find out more about the testing. I got the same response as you - we use the same chemicals as everyone else, etc. However, I was told that they had a laboratory that was performing the tests for certification purposes and they expected the results within a few weeks. If they show up on the Certi-Pur website we will know whether they are in compliance with Certi-Pur’s requirements. DaveD
Hi DaveD,
That would be good news and while CertiPur certification limits aren’t quite as stringent as Oeko-Tex certification limits … it is certainly a step in the right direction. My immediate (and the safest) assumption when a foam isn’t certified is that it wouldn’t pass.
I personally have had experience with some of the “side effects” of some memory foam. Many of these symptoms I believe come from formaldehyde which typically fits the “memory foam” symptoms experienced by some people including nose and throat irritation, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, sleep and dream disturbances, weakness, joint pain, glandular swelling, fatigue, lethargy, and heart palpitations. Formaldehyde is an incredibly widely used chemical (something like 10 billion lbs. are produced in the US per year) which some people become more tolerant of over time while some people become more sensitive to over time which probably explains why some people experience symptoms but so many don’t. I also believe that the current testing limits are higher than the threshhold for some sensitized people.
In any case … testing for formaldehyde and other known “problem” chemicals and VOC’s is important for mattresses IMO because we are in such close proximity to the materials used for about 8 hours a day.
Phoenix