Why is some memory foam very greasy feeling, like it's wet?

[phoenix]

Hi SleepDeprived,

Welcome back and thanks for your post. I moved your question to a new thread; at the moment we have the “post new topic” thread open only from the expert dedicated forums while we add new user-friendly features and perform development work in the backend of the site.

In the course of shopping for memory foam, I’ve noticed how differently they can feel from one another. Some are close to feeling like regular polyurethane foams while others have a very wet, greasy feel that tends to crush down to a hard layer and I don’t like the feel of them Is there a different name for these or some way to tell from a description which type it is?.

Generally speaking, it would be practically impossible to keep track of products that would have issues like the one you mention compared to others that do not. There are many brand names, manufacturers, and formulations for memory foam and poly products to tell just “by description” which type it is and how they are likely to feel like for any particular person. Instead, TMU experts advise focussing on firstly finding out the density and ILD/IFD specifications of memory and poly foams that will allow to asses the durability and comfort of any component within the mattress to predict how well you will sleep and most importantly how long you will sleep well on any particular mattresses.

As far as “wet, greasy feel”… it depends… exceptionally good, high-density memory foams with very low ILD can feel “wet, greasy”… sometimes lower quality foams can feel this way because of fillers (such as oils) and cheap additives that will cause softening and body impressions over time. In short, to be able to comment upon it we’d need more detailed information … description/definition and density/ILD specifications. Feel free to add this info and we’ll be glad to further assist with this.

I’d also keep in mind that different gel formulations and combinations among mattress manufacturers are mostly trying to create branding stories and the perception that their version is better than anyone else. Gel materials themselves (soft solid materials) in other industries have existed for a long time but their use in mattresses only goes back in the range of about 10 years or so and the gel memory foams and the gel category itself was made much more popular when Serta introduced the iComfort in early 2011and became a big marketing success which was copied by most other manufacturers. It also led to sales that helped propel Serta past Sealy to become one of the largest manufacturers in the country.

You can read a few more details about gel memory foams and materials in post # 2.
I hope that information helps you out in your search.
Phoenix