Hi
I have a natural talalay pillow and did have a blended talalay topper which both have a sweet kind of vanilla scent. The feel of these items were soft but had an oily kind of smoothness to them.
I recently purchased a new Radium blended talalay topper which so far I find it to be fantastic but I was wondering why this item smelled more like rubber and had a drier feel to it?
The new topper is in a ILD of 28 which feels very nice but I’m feeling some weird sort of pressure feeling in my butt, sort of like a rubbing burn. When I wake up I don’t feel the sensation anymore, so I was wondering if I need some sort of ticking or a pad like the one you recommend (Seven Comforts Premium Latex Foam Mattress Pad (King)?
i don’t know why, but it is possible that the blend uses lower percentage natural latex ? i think Phoenix knows the percentages for different manufacturers.
my Brooklyn Bedding topper does have the sweet smell that Pure Latex Bliss has, although the BB topper is blended.
The smell of the different types of latex depends on the compounding formula that is used by each manufacturer and as you noted it ranges from a sweetish smell to a more rubbery smell. The actual compounding formula that each manufacturer uses is a complex and closely guarded secret and not disclosed. The most reliable way to know that any latex smell isn’t connected to any harmful VOC’s or harmful compounds in the latex is to make sure that it is certified by a reputable testing agency such as Oeko-Tex or Eco Institut.
The Talalay you are likely to encounter would either be made by Latex international or by Radium … both of which are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 class 1 (safe for babies) certified.
The “feeling” you are describing sounds like some kind of shear pressure (horizontal “stretching” pressure vs vertical “compression” pressure) and could come from sleeping directly on the highly resilient latex (or perhaps with only a very thin cover on it). A mattress pad with natural fibers or materials or even synthetic fibers, a thicker mattress protector, a good topper cover, or even a thin topper using less resilient material would reduce the surface resilience and tension and change the surface feel of your sleeping system with little alignment risk and likely solve the problem (assuming this is what it is). Post #10 here has more information about mattress pads may be helpful.
I would probably hesitate to add anything that was 2" thick if your mattress / topper combination is already providing you with good PPP and focus on changing the hand feel rather than the pressure relieving properties of the system but if you have some “room” for some additional thickness and softness on top … then the Seven Comforts would probably be a little less risky for alignment than the equivalent solid layer of latex because the latex inside is shredded and will displace a bit under more “pointy” pressure points rather than just compress.
Hi Phoenix
I guess my next question is what does Radiums talalay 60/40 blend generally smell like and what is the feel to the touch like, is it soft and buttery or more of a dry feel?
I read somewhere that some of the Chinese made latex can be ordered with or without scent what do you know about that?
I was amazed at the low price’s of the Chinese latex and do you think latex should have a label or proof of authenticity attached to it, particularly premium brands?
Thank you
I can’t help you much with the smell of Radium because my personal experience with it is very limited except for a vague memory of a rubbery smell in the pieces I know came from there but I’m not so sure because it wasn’t something I wasn’t paying much attention to (or at least don’t remember). I’m more familiar with the smell of Latex International (I heard a new description today of the smell which was that it smells like bananas so we now have vanilla, bananas, and sugar cookies). I have a Malouf pillow which is Talalay latex which could be from Radium or from a Chinese Talalay manufacturer and it had a rubbery smell vs a sweet smell as well. The best place to ask about the various smells would be a manufacturer such as SleepEZ or Mattresses.net who deals on a regular basis with both.
The buttery or waxy feel you are referring to though is likely the latex skin that was next to the mold vs the rougher feel of a cut surface. It is much smoother and has either a waxy antioxidant or a mold release agent which makes it feel somewhat smoother and as you say “buttery”.
Hi Phoenix
Yes that buttery feel is probably as you suggest as I would assume that pillows must come right off the mold as it would be quite difficult to sculpt them.
In regards to the Chinese latex is it readily available online and I wonder if any of the major manufacturers are having it out sourced from china, after all everything else is? I wouldn’t have any issues buying Chinese latex providing the price reflected it, what about you?
So do the manufactures add the scent or is it an all natural smell, at least in regards to the sweet latex?
To my knowledge … the only Chinese Talalay that is here is in pillows … no cores. There are two manufacturers of Talalay in China that I know of though (and only two outside of China) so would expect to see it here at some point.
If its good quality and certified then I would certainly consider buying it. There are some good quality products coming out of China and a lot of junk. I have no issues with the good stuff
I believe that the “sweet scent” of their latex is just a side effect of the compounding formula (or of course in the case of the rubber smell it’s just what rubber smells like when its cured) … and I would doubt that it’s a natural substance but it’s also not harmful (it’s Oeko-Tex certified) but since they don’t release the actual formula … I don’t know for sure.
