Selecting a 100% Natural Talalay Latex Topper

Greetings,

This forum has so much good information on it - thank you for putting it out there, everyone!

I am in the process of selecting a 100% Natural Talalay Latex Topper and have some questions… :cheer:

But first, here is a little background: I currently have a king sized Ikea Erfjord mattress which is 85% natural latex and 15% synthetic latex (they no longer make this exact model.) I purchased it in 2010 because I was running out of time to do research and it was the least toxic thing I could find for the cost. Unfortunately, I have never been particularly happy with it - it is very supportive but quite firm. I have always used a thick mattress pad or even a down comforter underneath the sheets to soften it up. Recently, I slept on a friend’s new Casper mattress and liked the feel of it a lot, so I ordered one for myself! Unfortunately, the off-gassing and chemical stench was so oppressive that I had to send it back. Which… led me to do even more research on mattress toxicity. I was not impressed with the Casper bed ingredients - synthetic latex and memory foam. My research has shown that the best way to achieve relative non-toxic status in my mattress without spending upwards of $3-4K, is to just get a talalay topper. Does this sound reasonable? My main priorities in selecting a topper are comfort and finding something that is chemical-free and non-toxic.

Here are my questions about Talalay toppers:

  1. Is natural latex always less toxic than synthetic latex?

  2. From what I’ve learned, 100% Natural Talalay will always have potentially toxic additives like ammonia - which manufacturer has less toxic ones? Radium or Latex International?

  3. Is a Radium or Latex International 100% Natural Talalay mattress topper exactly the same product regardless of which company I order it from - Plush Beds, Arizona Premium Mattress, EZ Sleep, etc? In other words, is all 100% natural talalay latex from a given manufacturer created equal? If not, how does it differ?

  4. Any suggestions on what is the right ILD and thickness (2 or 3") to soften up our mattress? My husband and are both side/back/occasional belly sleepers and we both weigh under 160lbs.

  5. Savvy Rest says that they used to source their talalay from Latex International but moved to Radium because their latex is 15% more pure. Has anyone else done any research on this?

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!

Hi bikegirl,

All the latex you are likely to encounter whether it is Dunlop or Talalay and made with synthetic or natural rubber or a blend of both has been tested either by Oeko-Tex or Eco-Institut for harmful substances using the same testing methods so they would all be “safe” by any reasonable standards. Other than this the only way to know whether any individual layers had more or less VOC’s and the specific amount of VOC’s in that particular layer compared to any others would be by comparing the results of a lab test. There are a lot of people on the internet that try to tell people that one is “safer” than the other but they have no evidence to show anyone and this is mostly about marketing.

There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about the different certifications that you may see for latex in post #2 here

Ammonia is mostly removed when the latex is foamed and all latex has a curing package that uses various chemicals to manufacture the latex. The only way to know the differences between different types of latex outside of the actual certifications would be to test the specific layer you are considering which of course wouldn’t be practical. Again … I would consider all latex to be a “safe” material other than for those that may have latex allergies (see post #2 here).

If what you are ordering is the same type and blend of latex manufactured by the same company then the product would be the same yes (outside of the smaller variations in firmness levels … seehere).

Post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to can help you use your own experience on your mattress as a guideline to help you choose the thickness and firmness of a topper that has the best chance of success and includes a link to a list of the better sources for latex layers that I’m aware of as well.

Yes … I can confirm that Savvy Rest uses Radium for their Talalay and CoCo latex for their Dunlop.

Phoenix