Understanding the natural latex inside your organic mattress

In an industry that focuses on romancing features and benefits, it can be hard to pin down nitty gritty details. The food industry tried for years to gloss over the term organic, but strict regulations eventually aligned the manufacturers and made it easier for consumers to comparison shop.

If you’re searching for an organic latex mattress, you know what I’m talking about. Lots of companies claim to have them, but skirt the issue of organic certifications. Until we have common guidelines, here’s what you need to know about Natura’s organic latex mattresses.

Latex is harvested as a milky substance from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree in Asia. The trees grow naturally in forests – without the use of herbicides, pesticides or large farm equipment. Harvesting of our latex is done by hand and, like tapping for maple syrup, the trees aren’t harmed.

Natural rubber changes consistency very quickly when exposed to air. Our latex is processed the same day and near the harvest site to reduce the need for chemical stabilization or contamination during transportation.

The latex is whipped into a thick froth, flash frozen and then heated to cure it into the flat slabs. Nothing is added to it and it’s 100% natural latex.

But if you’re an organic guru, you know that latex itself can never be certified organic – by any mattress manufacturer. Latex must be cleaned with soaps during processing to be considered safe for consumer use. Latex proteins, benign to most of us, can cause severe allergic reactions in some people and are carefully regulated.

And it’s that washing that bottlenecks the whole label of an organic latex mattress – from every manufacturer. Natura produces a line of organic mattresses that are 99.9% natural, including the latex, but only the wool and cotton are 100% certified organic by a third party source.

Natura’s organic latex mattresses have no artificial additives, harmful chemicals or fire retardants. They pass and exceed fire regulation laws with purely organic materials. They’re hypoallergenic, dust mite resistant and will not support mildew or bacteria growth.

If you’re mattress shopping for an organic latex mattress, ask your salesperson these questions:

• Is the latex 100% natural latex – no polyurethane or foam of any kind?
• Are all the inner-components 100% natural? If it’s inner-spring, have the coils been coated with a rust inhibitor – which removes the organic claim?
• Is the cotton ticking 100% certified organic?
• Has the cover been treated with a stain-resistant coating? If so, it’s no longer organic.
• Does the mattress pass fire regulation without the addition of non-certified organic materials?

If you’re looking for an organic mattress and have questions, our Customer Service team can answer them. Call, click or visit for the truth about latex organic mattress.