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The more we learn about how harmful materials and substances around us may be, the more we’re interested in what’s exactly in our own stuff. Whether you’re trying to figure out what’s in your own mattress or are simply drawn by curiosity, read on to learn about all the different materials (and chemicals) that can be found inside a mattress.
Overview of The Most Common Materials in Today’s Mattresses
There’s a wide variety of materials used in modern mattresses and a lot of ways to build a mattress. Depending on the type of the mattress and its age (time of production), it may contain any of the following materials:
- metal (coils in the base layer)
- polypropylene (pocketed coil sleeves)
- polyurethane foam (simplest foam)
- memory foam (that is, viscoelastic polyurethane foam)
- gel (gel-infused cooling foams)
- natural latex foam
- synthetic latex foam (Styrene-Butadiene rubber)
- adhesives (to bond layers together)
- polyester (mattress cover or fill)
- fiberfill (for a pillow top mattress)
- wool (pillow top or organic mattresses)
- cotton (mattress cover or fill)
- bamboo fibers (top layer)
- various sensors (in smart beds)
- fiberglass (as a flame retardant)
- flame retardant chemicals such as Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)
What Are Innerspring Mattresses Made Of?
An innerspring mattress consists of a coil support system on top of which lies a relatively thin comfort layer (usually made of foam).
Coil mattresses have been around for quite a while and any really old mattress that you find is likely to be a simple innerspring mattress. Since they had a thin layer of fabric on top, it was really easy to get poked by a broken spring. They also didn’t relieve pressure (especially for side sleepers) as much as today’s innerspring mattresses.
Modern innerspring mattresses have foam or another soft material as a comfort layer on top of the spring base. The comfort layer is much thicker today and this makes it superior to the old mattresses. A lot of modern mattresses also have pocketed coils (individually wrapped coils) which ensure that the springs last longer and better provide support.
What Materials Go Into Memory Foam And Other Foam Mattresses?
All foam mattresses, except for natural latex mattresses, are made of petroleum compounds.
Most contain polyurethane foam (memory foam is just enriched polyurethane foam), and synthetic latex is made of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR). Both types are basically plastics.
Natural latex foam is made of rubber tree sap that is whipped and baked, so it doesn’t contain toxic chemicals unless it’s infused with chemical flame retardants or it’s a mix of synthetic and natural latex (which is very common).
Memory foam mattresses
Memory foam mattresses are made of polyurethane, which contains polyols, diisocyanate, and water. The additional chemicals give the material its specific viscosity. If you change the ratio of the three substances from above, you’ll get different firmness and different viscosity levels.
Many manufacturers of high-end memory foam mattresses keep developing their materials and running various tests on how to improve the feel and support, so you may find some that use proprietary foam that they might call different names, but it’s usually just memory foam with some additional chemicals or enriched polyurethane foam.
Gel-infused foam mattresses
These mattresses have small gel beads that were infused in the foam production process. The gel is supposed to keep you cool while you sleep. Most gel foam contains a type of gel that’s slow to warm up, so it gives a cool feeling while you’re falling asleep. Once it’s warm, this foam works like any other foam. It doesn’t actively cool you down, and still accumulates the body heat.
Other synthetic foam mattresses
Simple polyurethane foam is the cheapest and lowest quality you can find. If your sleep needs aren’t too specific, you could be fine, just remember that this material doesn’t last long. The cheapest mattresses can only be made of one big slab of this foam. Some might include foam layers of different firmness for added support.
Latex mattresses
Latex mattresses usually have more than one layer. Speaking of natural latex, the foam produced in the Dunlop process is generally firmer and more resilient. Due to the specifics of the process, this foam is firmer at the bottom and softer at the top, and as such works better as a support layer.
Talalay latex is also natural, but the foam is frozen before being baked in an oven (unlike Dunlop, which is just baked), so it’s much fluffier. Talalay is better as a top layer.
Some mattresses might use one or the other, and some both.
What Are Hybrid Mattresses Made Of?
Hybrid mattresses are a mix of two different materials. They usually have 50% of one and 50% of the other. The most common hybrid mattress type is an innerspring-foam mattress.
This means that it has an innerspring core and a thick section of comfort layers made of memory foam, latex, or other foam types.
Hybrid beds usually have good edge support, little motion transfer, and relieve pressure points.
A lot of hybrids have a bottom layer of a few inches of foam, then a coil layer, and finally several layers of comfort foam on top. This makes them flippable – firm on one side and soft on the other. This is great because you can get the best support for yourself – from spinal alignment to pressure relief.
Other, less common options include a waterbed and foam hybrid, a latex and wool hybrid, or a hybrid of a foam and air mattress. There are probably a lot more combinations that different manufacturers have come up with.
Mattress Cover Materials
The majority of mattress covers are made of polyester. Some are a mix of polyester and spandex. An organic and natural mattress cover is usually made of cotton.
Mattress covers are often quilted which means they contain a bit of fill to make the top of the mattress more comfortable. They are also stitched throughout the cover – this keeps the fill from moving around. Manufacturers might use a specific stitching design to make their mattresses recognizable.
If the mattress cover is tight, your mattress will feel firmer. But this is not the only factor for mattress firmness because the materials inside the mattress are much more important.
What Material Do They Use for Natural And Organic Mattresses?
Both mattress types are considered to be non-toxic and eco-friendly. Some individuals or manufacturers might even use any or both words to describe the same type of mattress.
You’ll find materials like wool, cotton, or (natural) latex in both of them. However, true organic mattresses have special certifications that prove these mattresses were made of organic materials.
Both organic and natural mattresses can be GREENGUARD Certified or GREENGUARD Gold Certified. This certification looks at what chemicals a mattress off-gasses and how much. It focuses on indoor air quality and vouches a customer will not end up with a toxic mattress.
Organic mattresses
Organic mattresses carry Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certifications.
These certification programs evaluate the quality and purity of the material used in a product. However, they don’t mean your mattress will have zero harmful substances – but they do mean that your mattress will have a small amount as permitted by these standards.
Latex foam mattresses are often seen as completely non-toxic because latex is derived from the rubber tree, which is a natural material. Also, latex mattresses that are GOLS-certified are definitely natural. There’s also synthetic latex (artificial foam designed to imitate natural latex, but is cheaper, more toxic, and degrades more quickly).
Also, if you’re determined to find the best fully organic mattress, make sure to read the fine print carefully – “made with organic materials” is a sign that you can attach to a toxic memory foam mattress, and they wouldn’t be lying. Maybe the cover is made from organic cotton.
GOTS standard is looking into the materials, but also whether the finished product meets their standards. However, it allows steel coils, food-grade polyurethane, and PLA (a plant-based plastic) because although they aren’t organic, they’re considered safe.
Natural mattresses
Natural mattresses don’t have certified organic materials, but it doesn’t mean these materials are synthetic. Their cotton may come from a farm that used insecticides or herbicides in the growing process, but it’s still cotton and it doesn’t off-gas.
Other natural materials include bamboo (fiber), cashmere, silk, down, and wool. None of these materials is man-made. Yet, there might still be some artificial materials inside the mattress – different types of foam that make such a mattress a blend of natural and artificial materials.
Finally, what some manufacturers call a 100% natural mattress is actually an organic mattress – for some reason, their PR might have decided that this label was going to sell it better. Even though they carry the “natural” in their name, they might have all certifications – GOLS, GOTS, GREENGUARD, USDA Organic, and more, which technically makes them organic.
So, while you’re looking to not get cheated with big words, also look at the hidden gems when shopping for mattresses.
What’s In Vegan Mattresses?
They are made of the same materials as organic or natural mattresses minus the wool/down option. These mattresses carry the name which tells you straight off that there are no animal products, just plant-based fibers, natural latex foam, and the like. A good example is the Avocado Vegan mattress.
What Are Smart Mattresses Made Of?
Smart mattresses like Eight Sleep are often made of foam, especially gel memory foam, and are equipped with a layer that contains sensors for sleep tracking and temperature regulation. They might also have a special layer of air chambers that can inflate and deflate to regulate firmness, or a water grid cooling system. The chambers and water grids are typically made of polyvinyl.
What Are Cooling Mattresses Made Of?
Some cooling mattresses have gel-infused foams as a top layer, and some have active cooling systems. For example, there’s a grid system throughout the mattress and a water cooler/heater with a pump and a motor that stands by the side of the bed. The motor keeps pumping chilled water into the mattress and maintains the set temperature.
What Toxic Materials or Substances Could Be Found in a Mattress?
Older mattresses may contain fiberglass as a flame retardant, but most modern mattresses off-gas a variety of substances. Some of those gasses come out of the foam itself due to its properties. Some are in the form of the chemical fire retardants that were added to the foam and other materials.
Either way, your mattress can have a strong impact on the indoor air quality of your bedroom, and some of the toxic chemicals include:
- Formaldehyde
- Diisocyanates (including toluene)
- Benzene
- Propylene oxide and TDI
- Methylene chloride
- Perchloroethylene
- Boric acid
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), known as Freon
Flame retardants:
- TCEP
- TCPP
- TDCPP
- HBCD
- TBPH
- TBB
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
- TBBPA
- chlorinated paraffins
- antimony trioxide
Depending on a person’s sensitivity, these may or may not cause headaches, sore throat, nausea, skin irritation, coughing, allergic reactions, and other toxic mattress symptoms. In the long run, a lot of these might cause various cancers because they accumulate in the body. Most of these flame retardants are federally recognized as such and now many states prohibit them from being used in mattresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
The white powder found in Purple mattresses is supposed to keep the mattress undamaged while it’s compressed. The website Honest Mattress Reviews published a study about this in 2016, where they claimed that the powder can cause harm to anyone who might come in contact with it. This caused Purple to sue the website, and the outcome of the lawsuit – Purple won. This polyethylene-based powder is made out of the same hyper-elastic polymer used for manufacturing bottles, food containers, cosmetics, and many more everyday products.
Tempur-Pedic mattresses basically use what we might call improved memory foam that they call TEMPUR® material. Both memory foam and TEMPUR® can be traced back to the same exact place – NASA labs where they were making a pressure-relieving material for astronauts. Unlike the common memory foam, Tempur-Pedic foam gives you more support while also slightly contouring to the body. Tempur has been developing its materials through the years, so looking into their mattresses, you can find the APR (Advanced Pressure Relief) material and ventilated APR for breathability. And, they also have proprietary cooling materials.
People slept on pads filled with leaves, corn husks, horse hair, or hay (that’s why we say “hit the hay”). There were also other materials, such as wool or feathers. People didn’t start sleeping on innerspring mattresses until the beginning of the 20th century.
Conclusion
The choice of mattress materials today is huge – from natural materials of animal or plant origin, to completely synthetic foams. You can have almost anything you want – it all comes down to a consumer’s preferences (and budget). However, you might want to stay away from some materials if you have health concerns. If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep and a perfect mattress, one of the best options is a latex mattress or a latex hybrid, because it has the best of both worlds – it’s natural and offers superior comfort.
Next step: Now that you’re aware of the different materials used inside of mattresses, it’s time to take a look at something we didn’t cover. Copper-infused mattresses are the latest innovation in the mattress industry. The copper infusion helps wick away body heat and keep you nice and cool throughout the night. Check out our list of the best copper-infused mattresses to learn more.
With over 5 years experience writing about sleep and mattresses, she's considered one of the go-to experts on the topic.
She likes cycling, nature, art, and languages. She pays special attention to providing you with accurate and useful information when it comes to your sleep quality.
After solving her personal sleep and tiredness problems, she is on to help others by sharing this invaluable information.
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