Hi incognito,
Yes Iâm very familiar with their construction and the materials they use as you can see in the posts I linked in my reply in the other topic.
If you follow the 5 steps in the mattress shopping tutorial one at a time you will have the best possible chance of finding a mattress that is the most suitable, the most durable, and the best âvalueâ for you based on all the criteria that are most important to you.
Phoenix
Pretty slick (read slimy) that on their certification page
http://www.myessentia.com/company/certifications
they list Oeko Tex 100 Class 1 certification. If you read closely, they are careful to say that itâs their dunop ingredient that this applies to, not their full mattress. When I went to their site, I thought maybe they were finally trying to be transparent and put substance behind their claims. Seems the opposite is true: they are just using higher standard certification to trick customers.
Well, at least theyâre not âcertipurâ. lol
I thought about these guys also before I went with RoyalPedics.
I donât see anything negative really from what theyâre using to make their mattress.
The only negative I can find is from the fire-retardant material they use for goods exported to the US. Which is a Kevlar type of cover. And we all know Kevlar is made form some type of Chemical polymers created by the DuPont company.
So basically a ânon-toxicâ mattress inside, but all thrown out the window because of US-Regulations with in turn makes it not as healthy.
My Essentia is more transparent than S@atva. Their chat-line blatantly said their mattress were âchemical-freeâ.
Check out this page. Theyâre mocking the Certipur-US program. LOL (I have to agree with them).
The only negative thing I can find about their mattress is the Kevlar used to pass US Fire-Safety Regulations. However, I found out that you can send in a prescription to them to order a mattress w/o the Kevlar material.
Other than that, whatâs so bad about them? They use Dunlop Latex, Organic Cotton Cover and their mattress have been tested for VOCâs and itâs a lot lower than âCertipurâ standards.
And the VOCâs are from the natural latex? So that shouldnât be a problem. Compared to VOCâs from lets say Petroleum foams.
In all cases, petroleum based foam is used, with 2-15% of the petroleum being replaced with soy or cedar oil, allowing the product to be promoted as ânaturalâ or âeco-friendlyâ.
They also list the chemicals used in their mattress here.
Hi incognito,
Mostly their exaggerated / misleading / or deceptive information on their site and prices that are exceptionally high compared to other similar mattresses with similar materials.
Diphenyl diisocyanate: This is a chemical used to make polyfoam or memory foam (not natural latex) and is consistent with the results of an analysis of their so called ânatural memory foamâ
Waxes styrene-butadiene copolymer: Styrene Butadiene is synthetic rubber.
There is much more about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them in the rest of the topic we are posting in along with this thread and posts #3 and #4 here.
Phoenix
Just one of the reasons I decided not to buy a latex mattress. No clear info how itâs made and whatâs used.
Hi incognito.
That would depend entirely on who you are dealing with. If you are dealing with a knowledgeable and reputable supplier then they would be able and willing to tell you exactly what you are buying and the type and blend of the latex. Of course if you are dealing with a supplier that misrepresents their product or in some cases doesnât have the knowledge to know exactly what they are selling then you canât be sure whether what you actually receive is what you thought you were ordering.
When you make decisions based on these types of overly broad generalities without considering the specifics then you will often end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Phoenix
Well, they use terms like âgelling agentâ which no one know what chemical is used, Why not just say we use âchemical A, B and Câ, followed by a bath of Chemical D.
Hi incognito,
I donât think itâs realistic to expect this type of information about any mattress material (outside perhaps of natural fibers or fabrics) because it would have no meaning to 99.9% of people that werenât material scientists.
If you were to use these types of criteria as part of a purchase decision then there would be very few mattress materials of any type that would âqualifyâ for a purchase.
Phoenix
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