Hi ThePrincessAndTheGrainOfSand,
You’re most welcome.
Latex foam has a smell that some people describe as “semi-sweet” or vanilla-ish. This is normal and tends to dissipate in a few weeks. It’s important to note that not all odors are VOCs, and not all VOCs have odors (see here). If you are very sensitive to odors, as some people are with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), an odor, even one that isn’t harmful, can be unpleasant. I don’t know if the odor of the latex is bothering you in this manner, or if you are more concerned that because your product has an odor that you’re concerned with it with being “dangerous”.
Whether the product was labelled “natural” or “organic” wouldn’t be a safety certification, but the Okeo-Tex certification is an actual safety certification. You can see a bit more about what Oeko-Tex tests for here and here. Without getting “too far into the weeds”, this standard tests for harmful substance and VOCs, and most likely any latex you’ve encountered would meet the more stringent requirements of Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Product Class I, safe for babies and toddlers up to three years old. Most people would consider this to be a “safe” material having passed such a standard.
As I stated in my previous reply, there are small amounts of chemicals in any latex produced, and this would apply for synthetic, blended, natural or GOLS certified latex. The GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certification for a piece of latex foam is not a safety certification, but instead a simple way to think of GOLS is that it certifies the entire production chain that uses USDA certified organic raw materials to the manufacturing of the final certified product including any additional chemical inputs and fair trade and labor practices and the environmental impact of the manufacturing processes. The only reliable way to assess the “safety” of different materials in more general terms is based on lab tests and the certifications they have for harmful substances and VOCs so that you have some assurance than the VOCs are below the testing limits for the certification (see post #2 here for more information about some of the more reliable “safety” certifications). If the materials in a mattress or the mattress itself has a reliable “safety” certification then for most people they would certainly be “safe enough”, regardless of the type of material or the name of the manufacturer on the label.
As far as “wasting money”, for many people the value of having a piece of latex that has gone through GOLS certification is an important part of their personal preference, even though there is an extra cost that goes along with obtaining and meeting such a certification.
This is a bit of a different matter, as fire retardant (FR) “chemicals” have never been mandatory. What is required is that a mattress pass the 16 CFR 1632 and 1633 fire regulations with or without the use of fire retardant chemicals (the method of passing the regulations isn’t specified in the regulations). The most common method used to pass the regulations is the use of inherent fire barrier fabrics that are either quilted into the cover or are wrapped around the inner materials of the mattress like a sock. Other mattresses, especially those with a more “natural” emphasis, choose to use wool to pass FR regulations. There is more information about fire retardant methods that are commonly used in the industry in post #2 here and in post #4 here.
It seems that you have purchased a mattress using high quality materials that have passed some rigid safety certifications, so I personally wouldn’t have a concern about the small amount of chemicals used in the production of your mattress.
Phoenix