Well, Myessentia lists them. Yet theyâre being blasted on here. lol
Hi incognito,
Iâm not sure if you have read the posts I linked about Essentia because if you had you would would realize that what they are saying and their descriptions arenât as accurate as you seem to believe they are.
Anyone can make claims on a website.
Phoenix
I also want to add that these sites that are marketing ânaturalâ, or âorganicâ mattress are targeting a specific market.
And those who are searching for ânaturalâ or âorganicâ alternative would like to know as much as they can.
Nevertheless, I found what I believe is a good alternative. And will post updates when I finally sleep on them.
Hi incognito,
Essentia is neither natural or organic and in essence they are marketing to those who are predisposed to believe certain claims or wording and donât have the time, patience, or knowledge to do more detailed or specific research or âfact checkingâ.
We could go around and around all day saying the same things in different ways but in the end you are always free to believe whatever you may believe or choose a mattress and materials that are the best match for all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you regardless of whether anyone else would have the same criteria or âinterpretâ what they are reading the same way as you are.
Phoenix
Sorry, referring to post #48. Any and all mattress seller marketing their products as ânatural, organicâ or âhealthyâ should list everything.
Because the people they are targeting want to know it. Thatâs the reason why theyâre shopping for natural, organic, healthy.
If not, then yes, they deserved to be labeled as a false advertiser, misleading, etc etc.
For example, here is a chat log with plusbeds. No Chemicals used to make their latex. Is this true?
Hi incognito,
You can see the criteria for organic certifications in post #2 here and in the case of latex an organic certification only requires that 95% of the materials in the latex product are organic. Latex manufacturers donât disclose all the specifics of their compounding formula either to the mattress manufacturers that use their products or to consumers for competitive reasons so for for those that want to know the type of specific information that you consider to be important then these criteria would exclude latex as a purchase option which of course may be some peopleâs choice.
There is currently no specific definition of ânaturalâ means or how it can be used in marketing although the NOP has some draft guidelines here that they are working on.
Mattresses can be fairly categorized as either âsafeâ or âunsafeâ depending on the materials or the criteria you are using to define âsafeâ and some mattresses can promote deeper sleep if they are suitable for the needs and preferences of a particular person but itâs sleeping that is âhealthyâ (just like certain dietary or exercise habits) and not the mattress itself.
Phoenix
Hi all sorry for my english âŚ
Thank you for creating such a site of quality !!
For over a year Iâm looking for the best king size mattress with a $ 3000- $ 5000 budjet
I have a Tempur Original Bed for over 15 years with no sagging !! 
I always praise this mattress, the only inconveniant are a hot summer and can thereby a very very slight lack of support to the pelvis when the temperature is warmer.
I have been trying to Essentia mattresses, we will have paaser more than 3 hours, comfort is very good, firewall against I noticed that 3 of their demo was presenting the sagging on their side and I had tendency to roll out of bed the hen I slept me on the edge of the mattress âŚ
Recently I returned to the site of essentia and I think that new details were added about their recipe and they always say their mattresses contain any petroleum-âŚ
"A natural and healthy alternative to man-made oils or petroleum, we use certified organic essential oils. Grapefruit seed, cone flower essence and jasmine essence all help us achieve proper consistency in our natural memory foam while providing soothing and rejuvenating properties to the body and spirit.
Natural Plant Extracts: As a substitution to harsh toxic chemicals used in conventional memory foam, plant extracts such as hydrolyzed corn help us achieve the proper consistency for our natural memory foamâŚ"
What you think of that?
Thank you!
Marc
Quebec City, Canada
Hi Polyphasicsleep,
I know itâs not related to your questions but I noticed your username and there is a great website here about polyphasic and free running sleep that may be of interest to you (although you may already be aware of it).
As far as your mattress search ⌠the first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice ⌠and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure youâve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress that is the best âmatchâ for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesnât turn out as well as you hoped for that are involved in each of them and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the âvalueâ of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.
You can read some of my thoughts about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them in this thread and this thread and posts #3 and #4 here). Needless to say I would be very cautious here and make sure you make some very careful value comparisons with other mattresses that are available to you.
The better options or possibilities Iâm aware of in the Quebec City area (subject to the quality/value guidelines I linked) are listed in post #276 here.
Phoenix
Personal opinions aside, I am confused why they say there is a benefit to body AND spirit?
For a company that desperately tries to appeal to people based on science which they tend to stretch the truth on; this seems like a really big claim and departure.
[quote=â[email protected]â post=52334]Personal opinions aside, I am confused why they say there is a benefit to body AND spirit?
For a company that desperately tries to appeal to people based on science which they tend to stretch the truth on; this seems like a really big claim and departure.
[/quote]
If youâre like me, a good sleep is good for the body and spirit. Sleeping on toxic crap that gives off fumes that makes your brain foggy, or on a mattress that gives you backache or pain⌠Not good for the body or spirit.
A bed that doesnât give you any type of allergic reactions or any type of side effects is good for the mind, body and spirit.
Hi incognito,
On this page ⌠Essentia says that their natural memory foam contains the following âingredientsâ âŚ
Diphenyl diisocyanate:
Their description says this is âŚ
You can read the Wikipedia description here. This is one of the two main petrochemicals used primarily in the manufacturing of polyurethane foams (not latex) and in particular MDI memory foams. Itâs obviously not a natural ingredient.
Phenol-melamine resins:
Their description says this is âŚ
You can read the Wikipedia description here. As you can see this also isnât a natural ingredient by any stretch of imagination.
Waxes styrene-butadiene copolymer:
Their description says this is âŚ
You can read the Wikipedia description here. Styrene Butadiene is basically synthetic latex and also isnât a natural ingredient.
So much for ânaturalâ memory foam with no synthetic chemicals in the formulation.
I wonder how your âmind, body, and spiritâ feels about these particular synthetic chemicals or how they can possibly justify the claim on the front page of their site which says âŚ
⌠when these âingredientsâ arenât either natural or organic
Phoenix
I recently started mattress shopping and came across Essentia. They have a new store here in my area and I was quite impressed with the feel and everything I saw.
Before taking the jump on a relatively new brand we decided to do our research.
Iâm confused by your comment because Essentia uses the same ingredients as Talalay Global does to make their 100% natural latex. I found this link on the Essentia page you mentioned above.
Talalay Globalâs site says: â100% Natural Latex has 6 non-toxic chemicals (acrylate resins, diphenyl diisocyanate, Phenol-melamine resins, Phenol-urea, Polyvinyl acetate and waxes styrene- butadiene copolymer) and 3 natural materials (fats, hevea brasiliensis milk, and water.)â
So whatâs the deal?
[quote=âEstoyConfundidoâ post=52353]
Talalay Globalâs site says: "100% Natural Latex [/quote]
TG/LI will sometimes use the term Natural Latex to refer to their blended (NR/SBR) talalay. A misnomer. Not to be confused with 100% NR latex.
Hi EstoyConfundido,
My comments were not about the quality or even the safety of their materials but about the claims they are making about it (see post #18 here). Regardless of who uses these chemicals in their latex formulation they are not natural chemicals.
You can see some similar concerns that were expressed by the FTC here and you can also see some lab test results of their ânatural latex memory foamâ pillow in the attachments to this post.
Phoenix
https://https://uploads.mattressunderground.com/outside/66/Essentiamaterialtest.pdf
https://https://uploads.mattressunderground.com/outside/66/EssentiaLabReport2.pdf
I read through the FTC stuff. Essentia canât claim anything without proof which is kinda obvious. Clearly they had to have changed something which was acceptable for the FTC. Honestly, based on the test results Essentia has provided I am comfortable with âparts per millionâ as I can at least put a unit of measurement to it which is more than I can do with any other mattress on the market.
As far as the attachments you link to, where did they come from? There is no mention of Essentia on there or the lab doing the testing. Whoâs to say that is even their products being tested? These could have easily been written up in Word by anyone.
Sharing something like that with no definitive proof is very strange to me. Arenât you now doing exactly what you claim Essentia has been doing?
Hi EstoyConfundido,
If you are comfortable with this type of logic (nobody has said anything so it must be fine) then of course that would be your own choice.
They were sent to me with a cover letter that went with the test results and was submitted to the lab by a credible source. I have also talked with someone that was involved in the pillow purchase. Having said that you are free to believe whatever you are comfortable believing.
In the end if you have read the information in this topic and the other topics about Essentia and you are comfortable with a purchase from them and the price you are paying then you will at least have made an informed decision which is all that really matters. My goal is to provide you with information but you are always free to choose what you do with it.
Phoenix
I realize this is an old thread, but it is VERY relevant to me today.
After having slept on a Savvy Rest mattress for the past year, with excruciating back pain and trying every âfixâ imaginable recommended by the folks at Savvy Rest, I have decided itâs time to bit the bullet and ditch the all latex mattress.
Plus, itâs sagging horribly now and, when I spoke to the guy at my local Savvy Rest store who sold it to me, his response was, âYeah, latexâespecially Talalayâwill do that. Just flip and rotate the top latex layer. Youâre supposed to both rotate and flip the top latex layer every six months anyway.â
What?! Iâve never heard of this! Plus, the holes on each side of the foam layer is different, so it would have a very different feel if it were flipped. (I can perhaps understand rotating it, but flipping it seems weird.)
Anyway, today I called Essentia, thinking I would try their mattresses, as a few of my friends have their mattresses and love them.
Frankly, at this point I am giving up on the âsafenessâ of an all natural (latex) mattress. I could care less about if they use polyurethane or not. I am in so much pain, I just want a mattress that is comfortable. (And I NEVER had back pain like this PRIOR to getting the latex mattress. At first I thought i just needed time to get used to it. But a year is PLENTY of time to get used to something. And, when I stay in higher-end hotelsâusually Marriotts that use Jameson foam mattresses, not the ones that use Simmons mattresses-- my back doesnât hurt and I wake up pain free. So, it is clearly the mattress that is causing my back issues.) I may even just get one of the Jameson mattresses from the Marriott store. At least I know I can sleep on those! (My only hesitation with going this route: a neighbor ordered one and said the mattress was NOT AT ALL like what is in hotels, that it was like âsleeping on cement.â So, I worry that the mattresses for sale to the public are not at all the same mattresses as in the hotelsâeven though Marriott claims they are the same.)
Anyway, after reading your post about Essentia, I am wondering if I just couldnât get a six-inch layer of Dunlop and put a 2-3 inch layer of Oeko-Tek certified polyfoam on top and get the same effect without spending an arm and a leg. (I already spent and arm and a leg on the Savvy Rest.)
If I were to go this route, where can I buy just a 2-3 inch Oeko-Tek certified layer of polyfoam? I am having trouble finding this in an online search.
Many thanks for this site and all of the efforts you put into it!
Hi ShopperGirl,
Iâm sorry to hear that the Savvy Rest mattress you chose didnât work out as well as you hoped for and wasnât a good âmatchâ for you in terms of PPP (although they certainly use high quality materials).
While itâs not possible to âdiagnoseâ mattress comfort issues on a forum with any certainty because there are too many unique unknowns, variables, and complexities involved that can affect how each person sleeps on a mattress in terms of âcomfortâ and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) or any âsymptomsâ they experience ⌠there is more about the most common symptoms that people may experience when they sleep on a mattress and the most likely (although not the only) reasons for them in post #2 here.
There is also more about primary or âdeepâ support and secondary or âsurfaceâ support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the ârolesâ of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between âsupportâ and âpressure reliefâ and âfeelâ.
These posts are the âtoolsâ that can help with the analysis, detective work, or trial and error that may be necessary to help you learn your bodyâs language and âtranslateâ what your body is trying to tell you so you can identify the types of changes that have the best chance of reducing or eliminating any âsymptomsâ you are experiencing (at least to the degree that any symptoms are from your mattress rather than the result of any pre-existing issues you may have that arenât connected to a mattress).
Before you give up completely ⌠it may also be helpful if you could provide more information that compares and contrasts the specifics of how each layering combination you have tried compared to each other and the specific âsymptomsâ you experienced on each of them and even more importantly how (and how much) each of your specific symptoms changed with different combinations relative to the other combinations you tried previously. Information about the changes in your experience and symptoms can act as a pointer to the type or âdirectionâ of changes that may be most helpful.
The first step in identifying the types of changes that may be most helpful is to assess whether the symptoms you are experiencing are most likely to come from âcomfortâ and pressure point issues or are coming from support and alignment issues.
If they are coming from comfort and pressure point issues then changes to the upper layers of the mattress will often be the most effective solution.
If they are coming from support and alignment issues then changes to the deeper layers will often be the most effective solution.
The most common cause of lower back pain is either upper layers that are too thick/soft or deeper layers that are too soft although itâs also possible that there could be other reasons for lower back pain as well.
The firmness of a Talalay latex layer will be very close to the same on both sides even if the pincores are different. Their suggestion is also a good one because flipping and rotating a mattress (or an individual top layer) can help extend the useful life of the mattress or layer (see post #2 here).
You can see some comments about hotel mattresses in post #3 here. Many hotels will use a mattress pad on top of their mattress which can change the feel and performance of the mattress compared to using the mattress by itself.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of âvalueâ of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price or course and the options you have available after a purchase).
Outside of âcomfortâ and PPP the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you canât âfeelâ and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress always depends on knowing the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you can find out the information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to confirm that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
In other words the suitability of a mattress is a separate issue than the durability and useful life of a mattress.
Outside of the topic you are posting in ⌠you can read some comments about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them (as well as some of the FTC issues they have had about their claims) in this thread and posts #3 and #4 here) as well. I certainly wouldnât treat the information on their website as a reliable source of âfact basedâ information. I would also make some very careful âvalueâ comparisons before purchasing any Essentia mattress because they tend to be in a much higher budget range than other mattresses that use similar quality materials as well.
There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can âmatchâ or âapproximateâ another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress âas a wholeâ so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be very unlikely) then there really isnât a way to match one mattress to another one in terms of âcomfortâ and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) based on the specifications of the mattress.
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and donât normally try to âmatchâ another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so while you may find some local mattresses that use âsimilarâ materials or designs and there would be others that are in a similar general category or firmness range ⌠they will generally have different combinations of foam layers and components.
Unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to âmatchâ or âapproximateâ another one in terms of firmness or âfeelâ (or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the âaveragesâ of a larger group of people) ⌠the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they âfeelâ or in terms of firmness or PPP would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
There are also no âstandardâ definitions or consensus of opinions for firmness ratings and different manufacturers can rate their mattresses very differently than others so a mattress that one manufacturer rates as being a specific firmness could be rated very differently by another manufacturer. Different people can also have very different perceptions of firmness and softness compared to others as well and a mattress that feels firm for one person can feel like âmediumâ for someone else or even âsoftâ for someone else (or vice versa) depending on their body type, sleeping style, physiology, their frame of reference based on what they are used to, and their individual sensitivity and perceptions. There are also different types of firmness and softness that different people may be sensitive to that can affect how they ârateâ a mattress as well (see post #15 here) so different people can also have very different opinions on how two mattresses compare in terms of firmness and some people may rate one mattress as being firmer than another and someone else may rate them the other way around. This is all relative and very subjective and is as much an art as a science.
There is also more information about the different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and some of the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here and there is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here that can help you decide which type of certification is most important to you.
In most cases Oeko-Tex is a certification that is used for latex and it would be much less common to see an Oeko-Tex certification for memory foam or polyfoam and CertiPUR is the most common âsafetyâ certification that is used for memory foam or polyfoam. The better online sources Iâm aware of for individual mattress layers and components are listed in the component list here. I would also keep in mind that polyfoam is a different and more resilient material than the material that is used in the top layers of the Essentia mattress which is a slow response material with little resilience.
If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own DIY mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project ⌠the best approach to a DIY mattress is a âspirit of adventureâ where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
If you decide to take on the challenge then I would either use the specs (if they are available) of a mattress that you have tested and confirmed is a good match for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) as a reference point or blueprint and try and âmatchâ every layer and component in your reference mattress (including any springs, any foam layers, and the cover) as closely as possible or use a âbottom upâ approach (see post #2 here).
Phoenix
Thanks so much for your fast, detailed and thorough response, Phoenix. I will check out some of the links you provided.
My back issues are upper back and sciatica. My doc tells me itâs an alignment issue during sleep.
As far as my âlearning curve,â I have spent all the time I care to last year. I spent over four months researching before I bought that Savvy Rest, so I think I am up to speed. (Yes, this forum was one source of research.)
I am not a fan of the DIY stuff but I am thinking it is an option I should not overlook.
Sorry about the confusion as to Oeko-TEK certification for memory foam. I thought I had read that you posted that in one of your other comments.
As far as all of the configurations and my results; I have been through SO MANY over the past year, I cannot recall them all.
I know you actively promote and advocate for Savvy Rest and basically say everything they do is Gospel, but I am not a believer. As you say: mattresses are personal, and I made the HUUUUUUGE mistake of getting caught up in this âoh-it-has-to-be-non-toxicâ mantra, which led me down the SR path .
I still plan to research the Marriott mattresses by Jaimeson more. No, they are not the âoh-so-pureâ mattresses, but at least I know I can sleep on those.
Anyway, thanks again for all of the links. I will check them out.
Hi ShopperGirl,
There are a few memory foams that are Oeko-Tex certified but you will generally only find them in a "finished mattress (see here for example) and not as individual layers that can be purchased individually.
Iâm not certain where you read this but it certainly wasnât on this forum (and this is the only place that I post).
They do use high quality materials in their mattresses ⌠but I generally suggest that anyone that is considering them make some very careful value comparisons with other similar mattresses that are in lower budget ranges.
While I do recommend the members here âas a groupâ (and Savvy Rest isnât one of the members here) because I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency ⌠I donât make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first âruleâ of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best âmatchâ for you in terms of âcomfortâ or PPP or how a mattress will âfeelâ to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or âtheory at a distanceâ that can possibly be more accurate than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
I also donât believe that most mattress materials are âtoxicâ and I think that much if not most of the information about âtoxicâ materials on the internet is very misleading and in many cases is more about marketing than anything else.
For example ⌠one of the most common replies in the forum for those that are getting overly âcaught upâ in these types of issues is this one âŚ
I believe that the Marriott (Jamison) mattresses use 1.8 lb polyfoam which as you can see in the quality/durability guidelines here (and unlike the materials used in many other hotel mattresses) is a good quality material.
Phoenix