Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper review: natural, responsive support for all sleep positions
This year's best mattress toppers guide is full of memory foam options, so I was eager to see if Birch's bed topper would be the first latex topper to make the cut. To find out, I put a full-sized Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper on a memory foam mattress and slept on it for two weeks. Here's my experience.
The Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is made from a 2" thick layer of natural latex and an organic cotton cover. According to the brand, the Plush Organic Topper is "crafted from breathable, natural and organic materials".
Type: Talalay latexDepth: 2" Cover: Organic cottonCorner straps: NoTrial period: 100 nightsWarranty: 10-year warranty Starting MSRP: from $372 at Birch
So, who is this mattress topper for? Well, let's get the obvious out of the way: eco-conscious (and health-conscious) shoppers who want a sustainable sleep product made from clean, non-toxic materials.
But what's it like to sleep on? Well, as a side and back sleeper, I need something soft enough to soothe my shoulders when side sleeping but firm enough to support my lumbar region when sleeping on my back. Thanks to the spongy-yet-firm latex, I slept comfortable in both sleep positions.
However, don't expect the mattress topper to live up to its "Plush" title. I must admit, I was not surprised to find it was not as soft as the name suggested, as latex is known to be on the firmer side. That isn't to say it's uncomfortable, though.
In fact, it made my quicksand-y memory foam bed more responsive and less stifling, so it's a perfect choice for restless sleepers who need ease of movement when switching sleep positions. The latex topper is also a good choice for anyone who feels trapped by the sink-in softness of their memory foam bed.
The 2" height is thick enough to transform any bed, but thin enough not to add too much height to any mattresses over 14".
That said, the design does have a few shortcomings. Firstly, there are no anchor straps to keep the Plush Organic Mattress Topper in place on your bed. Secondly, the soft-touch organic cotton cover is non-removable and spot clean only.
While the bed topper would have benefitted from these features, it kept clean and never shifted the whole time I was testing it thanks to a fitted mattress protector and sheet.
As for price and deals, a queen-size Plush Organic Mattress Topper is $532 at MSRP, but it's usually $399 thanks to a regular 25% discount. Yes, it's a premium price, but it's made from premium materials and comes with two pretty generous benefits: a 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty.
The Birch Plush Organic Matress Topper uses premium organic materials, so it's only natural (no pun intended) that it would have a luxury price tag. However, if you consider that the average queen latex bed topper is $575, a queen Birch's usual $399 price (thanks to a regular mattress sale) is relatively affordable. You can also find a 20-25% discount on the topper in the Helix mattress sale.
Here are both the MSRPs and sale prices for the The Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper in all available sizes:
Plus, it's a cost-effective alternative to the best organic mattresses (which typically has an average price of $1,665 for a queen) or Naturepedic's latex topper (whose $749 queen price was listed as a drawback in the Naturepedic Adagio Organic Latex Mattress Topper review.)
Despite the cheaper price, the Birch matches Naturepedic's benefits: free shipping, a 10-year warranty, and 100-night sleep trial. Considering that the average topper trial is 30 nights and the average warranty is around three to five years, the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper boasts the generous extras you would typically find for full-fledged mattresses.
Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper: twin was $279 now $372 at BirchThe Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is available in six sizes at both Birch and Helix: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and Cal king. Both Helix and Birch shoppers can regularly enjoy a 20% or 25% discount, which reduces a queen to $399, plus free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.
A major draw of the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is that it's free from polyurethane-based foams and uses responsibly-sourced materials with Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) and GREENGUARD Gold certifications.
However, I feel it would be very remiss of me not to point out some discrepancies between the website and the leaflet in the box.
In the leaflet, the mattress topper is billed as being Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified with no mention of the GOLS certification. It also describes the latex as the Talalay variety and mentions Fair Trade cotton, organic wool, and certifications from the eco-INSTITUT and Forest Stewardship Council.
The website's description, meanwhile, boasts about the GOLS and GREENGUARD Gold Certified only, so it's safe to assume the mattress topper has now switched to Dunlop latex as Talalay's production process means it's disqualified from a GOLS certification. (For more information on the differences between the two, take a look at my Dunlop vs Talalay latex breakdown.)
Eco-credentials and mattress certifications aside, this is still a sustainable, responsibly-sourced latex bed topper with premium, high-quality materials. While the the non-removable cover has no anchor straps and can only be spot-cleaned, this wasn't a deal breaker for me as it stayed clean and steady with a fitted sheet and a good mattress protector.
I slept on a full-size Plush Organic Mattress Topper for two weeks, testing it with a focus on three key areas in line with our mattress methodology: support and comfort, temperature regulation and ease of set-up.
Like the best mattresses in a box, the Birch Plush Organic arrives at your doorstep compressed, rolled-up, and wrapped in plastic.
This makes shipping easier, but it does mean you'll need to unbox it and wait for it to expand — which is why it's strange that the leaflet in the box included no set-up instructions or expansion wait time.
As I've unboxed plenty of mattresses and mattress toppers in my time as a tester, I found the set-up to be pretty easy. (Although, the topper was plastic-wrapped extremely tight.)
However, If you're unfamiliar with the unboxing process, you may find it a little confusing without instructions via leaflet or website, so I suggest you checkout our guide on how to set up a mattress in a box.
It would have been nice to have an indication of how long it takes to expand as all bed toppers differ, but it reached its full height 10 minutes after unboxing. Even though you could probably sleep on the Birch topper straight away, I left it on the floor overnight before I slept on it, just in case.
Thanks to the natural materials, there's no nasty off-gassing you usually detect when unboxing memory foam toppers. Instead, you get the sweet, earthy smell of latex that's often compared to cupcakes or pastry dough.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
I put the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper on a the memory foam bed I tested for the EGOHOME Black 12" Memory Foam Mattress review. I genuinely liked the bed and even added it to the best cheap mattress guide, but a major complaint was that the slow-moving foam surface was difficult to change sleep position on.
Thankfully, the Birch Organic Plush Mattress Topper solved that problem with its quick-response spongy latex foam. It's responsive foam was flexible enough to give against my pressure points when side sleeping, but firm and durable enough to keep my back and hips upright and spine properly aligned when back sleeping.
Despite its name, however, this is not a plush mattress topper. Talalay latex is the plushest form of natural latex, but I doubt the Birch topper uses this anymore due to the GOLS certification (see the above Design & Materials section for more information on this) so can only assume it uses the firmer Dunlop.
Score: 4 out of 5
Latex is often boasted to be breathable and cooling, and while the former is true, the latter is more complicated.
While latex can boost airflow to help regulate temperature, it isn't cooling per se. This distinction was shown when I slept cool and comfortable during milder weather, but slept hot and humid during a heatwave when my bedroom was close to 85°F in the night.
Once testing was over, I switched my breathable non-cooling mattress protector with a cooling one (the one I reviewed for the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector review 2025 in case you're wondering) and slept much cooler throughout the warm weather.
Score: 4 out of 5
The 1,500+ reviews on the Birch website for the Plush Organic Mattress Topper are mostly glowing, with an overall rating of 4.6 stars.
Positive reviews praise the great quality, support (some even claiming it alleviated their back pain) and balanced comfort that allows them to sleep on top of the mattress rather than sinking into it.
Only a small percentage of customers wrote a negative review, with the less favorable reviews mentioning that they thought it would be thicker and plusher.
While I have to point out that the 2" thickness is made clear throughout the website's description, I can see why customer's may be disappointed with the firmness considering "Plush" is in in the topper's title.
If you're looking for a high-quality mattress topper that uses certified-organic and natural materials, then the Birch Plush Organic mattress topper is a supportive, comfortable and relatively affordable option.
It supported me while both side and back sleeping, and gave me that bouncy easy of movement that you often can't get from even the best memory foam mattresses and toppers.
A queen may have a $399 tag, but it's still cheaper than some organic latex mattress toppers and beds on the market. Plus, the 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty is outstanding for a mattress topper.
That said, it's not as plush as the title suggests, so anyone looking to add super soft cushioning to a hard bed should look elsewhere. Also, despite its promise of a a cool night's sleep, the latex won't be cooling enough for those sleep chronically hot or experience night sweats.
✅ You're eco-conscious: GOLS and GREENGAURD Gold certifications show that this mattress topper is sustainable and responsibly sourced.
✅ You hate that memory foam feel: While sink-in soft memory foam can give you that "quicksand" feeling, the latex foam is quick to bounce back after pressure is applied.
✅ You're a back, side, or restless sleeper: The spongy but firm latex supplies enough support for most sleep positions, especially back and side sleepers, and easy of movement for those who toss and turn.
❌You're expecting it to be plush: Yes, despite its name, this is not a plush mattress topper. It's comfortable and supportive, but not super soft at all.
❌ You experience night sweats or always sleep hot: While latex is temperature-regulating, it's not cooling and no match against heatwaves.
❌You're on a budget: Despite it being relatively cheap compared to other latex toppers on the market, it's still premium priced and not for tight budgets.
The Naturepedic 2" Adagio Mattress Topper is another latex topper that we tried. It's a lot more expensive than the Birch (and less frequently discounted, too) meaning a twin Adagio is more expensive than a Birch queen. Despite the higher price tag, this is still a good option if you want an organic latex topper that's actually plush and, as our tester put it, "marshmallowy" soft. Learn more in our Naturepedic Adagio Organic Latex Mattress Topper review.
Like the Birch, the Saatva High-Density Foam Mattress Topper features a moisture-wicking organic cotton cover, but it also has anchor straps and an antimicrobial treatment. It's not as sustainable and natural as the Birch as it included memory foam, but at $245 for a queen, it offers cheaper luxury. Learn more in our Saatva Foam Mattress Topper review.
The Panda Bamboo Memory Foam Mattress Topper may not feature natural latex or organic cotton, but it does harness the breathable, antibacterial power of a hypoallergenic bamboo cover. It doesn't come in a twin XL though (bad news for most college students), but it offers plenty of body-molding comfort for side sleepers. Learn more in our Panda Bamboo Memory Foam Mattress Topper review.
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Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘She could have died.' Alberta mother feared the worst for 4-month-old with measles
Months after fearing she would lose her baby girl to measles, Morgan Birch says she wants Canadians to educate themselves more about the importance of vaccines. Birch's daughter, Kimie Fukuta-Birch, was too young to be eligible for the vaccine, which is not routinely given to children under a year old. But she feels her baby would not have been infected if more people around her had received the vaccine. 'Basically as parents it's your responsibility to educate yourself with the help of your pediatrician and health-care professionals,' she said. 'I feel this was completely preventable.' Birch, who lives in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., said she is also worried that her daughter may suffer long-term health complications as a result of her getting measles at such a young age. 'It's not just that parent or child who it affected when they don't vaccinate, there's a whole other population that needs to be protected by vaccines.' Birch isn't certain where her daughter got infected, but said she took her out in the Fort Saskatchewan community before she got sick. Alberta has become a hot spot for measles, with the province reporting nearly 1,380 infections since the beginning of March. This is more than the total number of cases reported in the United States. Ontario has also reported more than 2,270 infections since an outbreak began last fall. Alberta's immunization rates against measles for children fall below the recommended rate of 95 per cent that scientists say is needed to prevent the illness from spreading. The province's 2024 data shows that by age two, 80 per cent of children received one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and 68 per cent received both doses. Alberta's vaccination schedule for the two-part shot calls for the first dose at 12 months and the second at 18 months. But even by age seven, only 71.6 per cent had received both doses, provincial data shows. However, it's not the only province with low immunization rates against measles among children. Three out of the four Atlantic provinces told The Canadian Press they also had immunization rates below the 95-per-cent threshold, while one province, Newfoundland and Labrador, has not responded to requests for its data. Last week, Dr. Kimberley Barker, regional medical officer of health for Sussex, N.B., said measles cases were rising due to factors such as vaccine hesitancy. In some cases, she said parents are too busy and may underestimate the seriousness or risk of infection. Barker said officials are ramping up immunization campaigns when schools start in September to make it easier for kids with busy parents to get vaccinated. Other provinces are also making it easier to get immunized through walk-in clinics, community health centres and health-care providers. Birch explained how the consequences could be severe for those who don't follow recommendations from their local public health officials and doctors. She recalled that before her daughter's bout of measles, she was a happy baby. But it took a month for Kimie to recover from the infection. And although she is now back to her 'happy self,' Birch said she seems to be falling sick more than she used to. 'Her immune system has to be built up again.' Overall, Canada has a total of 3,822 confirmed measles cases from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, as of July 5. New Brunswick has confirmed 14 cases. Shelly Bolotin, director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto, said the first does of the measles vaccine is usually given at 12 months. But children as young as six months can also be given the shot if they are travelling or living in an area with an outbreak. Although, she added those children who receive a dose at six months will still need to receive two subsequent doses. 'As people are going out of town and taking trips — if they are going to measles endemic areas — they can protect their infant if they're a minimum of six months old,' Bolotin said, adding it takes up to two weeks for the vaccination to take effect. Bolotin said the incubation period for measles is up to three weeks from the time a person is exposed to the disease until they start experiencing symptoms. Measles infects the immune cells, erasing a lot of the previous immunity and leaving the person susceptible to other bacterial and viral infections for several years, she said. 'The technical term is measles immune amnesia.' Children who recover from measles can experience other infections more frequently because they have lost this immunity and don't realize that this is a long-term effect of measles infection, she noted. There is also a rare and fatal form of neurological deterioration — subacute sclerosing panencephalitis — that happens in four to 11 in every 100,000 cases, she said. This disorder occurs when measles remains in the body latently, she added. Some of the symptoms include behavioural changes, cognitive decline, jerks, and seizures,with the onset of the disease being late childhood or adolescence. 'Canada worked very, very hard to eliminate measles, and we achieved measles elimination in 1998 which means the World Health Organization has recognized that it wasn't circulating regularly in our country, and now we're at risk of losing that,' Bolotin said. 'And that would be a shame.' Dr. Anna Banerji, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, said some children suffer from complications after measles such as pneumonia, hepatitis or encephalitis. Measles can also cause deafness and blindness, especially if the child is malnourished. After recovering from a bout of infection, Banerji said some children have temporary low immunity. 'It can take a while to recover,' she said. Meanwhile, Birch said she will carry the heartbreak, frustration and feeling of helplessness as she watched her four-month-old daughter fight measles. 'She could have died,' she said of her daughter. 'A lot of kids died from measles back before there were preventive measures in place.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper review: natural, responsive support for all sleep positions
Launched back in 2019, Birch is a sub-brand of the luxury mattress company Helix. The Helix team, responsible for some of this year's best mattresses on the market, created Birch to build natural and sustainable sleep products, that use organic materials. The all-natural brand's signature bed topper, the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper, has been on my radar since I joined the review team back in 2023, and I recently got the chance to test it out. This year's best mattress toppers guide is full of memory foam options, so I was eager to see if Birch's bed topper would be the first latex topper to make the cut. To find out, I put a full-sized Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper on a memory foam mattress and slept on it for two weeks. Here's my experience. The Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is made from a 2" thick layer of natural latex and an organic cotton cover. According to the brand, the Plush Organic Topper is "crafted from breathable, natural and organic materials". Type: Talalay latexDepth: 2" Cover: Organic cottonCorner straps: NoTrial period: 100 nightsWarranty: 10-year warranty Starting MSRP: from $372 at Birch So, who is this mattress topper for? Well, let's get the obvious out of the way: eco-conscious (and health-conscious) shoppers who want a sustainable sleep product made from clean, non-toxic materials. But what's it like to sleep on? Well, as a side and back sleeper, I need something soft enough to soothe my shoulders when side sleeping but firm enough to support my lumbar region when sleeping on my back. Thanks to the spongy-yet-firm latex, I slept comfortable in both sleep positions. However, don't expect the mattress topper to live up to its "Plush" title. I must admit, I was not surprised to find it was not as soft as the name suggested, as latex is known to be on the firmer side. That isn't to say it's uncomfortable, though. In fact, it made my quicksand-y memory foam bed more responsive and less stifling, so it's a perfect choice for restless sleepers who need ease of movement when switching sleep positions. The latex topper is also a good choice for anyone who feels trapped by the sink-in softness of their memory foam bed. The 2" height is thick enough to transform any bed, but thin enough not to add too much height to any mattresses over 14". That said, the design does have a few shortcomings. Firstly, there are no anchor straps to keep the Plush Organic Mattress Topper in place on your bed. Secondly, the soft-touch organic cotton cover is non-removable and spot clean only. While the bed topper would have benefitted from these features, it kept clean and never shifted the whole time I was testing it thanks to a fitted mattress protector and sheet. As for price and deals, a queen-size Plush Organic Mattress Topper is $532 at MSRP, but it's usually $399 thanks to a regular 25% discount. Yes, it's a premium price, but it's made from premium materials and comes with two pretty generous benefits: a 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty. The Birch Plush Organic Matress Topper uses premium organic materials, so it's only natural (no pun intended) that it would have a luxury price tag. However, if you consider that the average queen latex bed topper is $575, a queen Birch's usual $399 price (thanks to a regular mattress sale) is relatively affordable. You can also find a 20-25% discount on the topper in the Helix mattress sale. Here are both the MSRPs and sale prices for the The Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper in all available sizes: Plus, it's a cost-effective alternative to the best organic mattresses (which typically has an average price of $1,665 for a queen) or Naturepedic's latex topper (whose $749 queen price was listed as a drawback in the Naturepedic Adagio Organic Latex Mattress Topper review.) Despite the cheaper price, the Birch matches Naturepedic's benefits: free shipping, a 10-year warranty, and 100-night sleep trial. Considering that the average topper trial is 30 nights and the average warranty is around three to five years, the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper boasts the generous extras you would typically find for full-fledged mattresses. Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper: twin was $279 now $372 at BirchThe Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is available in six sizes at both Birch and Helix: twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and Cal king. Both Helix and Birch shoppers can regularly enjoy a 20% or 25% discount, which reduces a queen to $399, plus free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty. A major draw of the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper is that it's free from polyurethane-based foams and uses responsibly-sourced materials with Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) and GREENGUARD Gold certifications. However, I feel it would be very remiss of me not to point out some discrepancies between the website and the leaflet in the box. In the leaflet, the mattress topper is billed as being Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified with no mention of the GOLS certification. It also describes the latex as the Talalay variety and mentions Fair Trade cotton, organic wool, and certifications from the eco-INSTITUT and Forest Stewardship Council. The website's description, meanwhile, boasts about the GOLS and GREENGUARD Gold Certified only, so it's safe to assume the mattress topper has now switched to Dunlop latex as Talalay's production process means it's disqualified from a GOLS certification. (For more information on the differences between the two, take a look at my Dunlop vs Talalay latex breakdown.) Eco-credentials and mattress certifications aside, this is still a sustainable, responsibly-sourced latex bed topper with premium, high-quality materials. While the the non-removable cover has no anchor straps and can only be spot-cleaned, this wasn't a deal breaker for me as it stayed clean and steady with a fitted sheet and a good mattress protector. I slept on a full-size Plush Organic Mattress Topper for two weeks, testing it with a focus on three key areas in line with our mattress methodology: support and comfort, temperature regulation and ease of set-up. Like the best mattresses in a box, the Birch Plush Organic arrives at your doorstep compressed, rolled-up, and wrapped in plastic. This makes shipping easier, but it does mean you'll need to unbox it and wait for it to expand — which is why it's strange that the leaflet in the box included no set-up instructions or expansion wait time. As I've unboxed plenty of mattresses and mattress toppers in my time as a tester, I found the set-up to be pretty easy. (Although, the topper was plastic-wrapped extremely tight.) However, If you're unfamiliar with the unboxing process, you may find it a little confusing without instructions via leaflet or website, so I suggest you checkout our guide on how to set up a mattress in a box. It would have been nice to have an indication of how long it takes to expand as all bed toppers differ, but it reached its full height 10 minutes after unboxing. Even though you could probably sleep on the Birch topper straight away, I left it on the floor overnight before I slept on it, just in case. Thanks to the natural materials, there's no nasty off-gassing you usually detect when unboxing memory foam toppers. Instead, you get the sweet, earthy smell of latex that's often compared to cupcakes or pastry dough. Score: 4.5 out of 5 I put the Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper on a the memory foam bed I tested for the EGOHOME Black 12" Memory Foam Mattress review. I genuinely liked the bed and even added it to the best cheap mattress guide, but a major complaint was that the slow-moving foam surface was difficult to change sleep position on. Thankfully, the Birch Organic Plush Mattress Topper solved that problem with its quick-response spongy latex foam. It's responsive foam was flexible enough to give against my pressure points when side sleeping, but firm and durable enough to keep my back and hips upright and spine properly aligned when back sleeping. Despite its name, however, this is not a plush mattress topper. Talalay latex is the plushest form of natural latex, but I doubt the Birch topper uses this anymore due to the GOLS certification (see the above Design & Materials section for more information on this) so can only assume it uses the firmer Dunlop. Score: 4 out of 5 Latex is often boasted to be breathable and cooling, and while the former is true, the latter is more complicated. While latex can boost airflow to help regulate temperature, it isn't cooling per se. This distinction was shown when I slept cool and comfortable during milder weather, but slept hot and humid during a heatwave when my bedroom was close to 85°F in the night. Once testing was over, I switched my breathable non-cooling mattress protector with a cooling one (the one I reviewed for the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector review 2025 in case you're wondering) and slept much cooler throughout the warm weather. Score: 4 out of 5 The 1,500+ reviews on the Birch website for the Plush Organic Mattress Topper are mostly glowing, with an overall rating of 4.6 stars. Positive reviews praise the great quality, support (some even claiming it alleviated their back pain) and balanced comfort that allows them to sleep on top of the mattress rather than sinking into it. Only a small percentage of customers wrote a negative review, with the less favorable reviews mentioning that they thought it would be thicker and plusher. While I have to point out that the 2" thickness is made clear throughout the website's description, I can see why customer's may be disappointed with the firmness considering "Plush" is in in the topper's title. If you're looking for a high-quality mattress topper that uses certified-organic and natural materials, then the Birch Plush Organic mattress topper is a supportive, comfortable and relatively affordable option. It supported me while both side and back sleeping, and gave me that bouncy easy of movement that you often can't get from even the best memory foam mattresses and toppers. A queen may have a $399 tag, but it's still cheaper than some organic latex mattress toppers and beds on the market. Plus, the 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty is outstanding for a mattress topper. That said, it's not as plush as the title suggests, so anyone looking to add super soft cushioning to a hard bed should look elsewhere. Also, despite its promise of a a cool night's sleep, the latex won't be cooling enough for those sleep chronically hot or experience night sweats. ✅ You're eco-conscious: GOLS and GREENGAURD Gold certifications show that this mattress topper is sustainable and responsibly sourced. ✅ You hate that memory foam feel: While sink-in soft memory foam can give you that "quicksand" feeling, the latex foam is quick to bounce back after pressure is applied. ✅ You're a back, side, or restless sleeper: The spongy but firm latex supplies enough support for most sleep positions, especially back and side sleepers, and easy of movement for those who toss and turn. ❌You're expecting it to be plush: Yes, despite its name, this is not a plush mattress topper. It's comfortable and supportive, but not super soft at all. ❌ You experience night sweats or always sleep hot: While latex is temperature-regulating, it's not cooling and no match against heatwaves. ❌You're on a budget: Despite it being relatively cheap compared to other latex toppers on the market, it's still premium priced and not for tight budgets. The Naturepedic 2" Adagio Mattress Topper is another latex topper that we tried. It's a lot more expensive than the Birch (and less frequently discounted, too) meaning a twin Adagio is more expensive than a Birch queen. Despite the higher price tag, this is still a good option if you want an organic latex topper that's actually plush and, as our tester put it, "marshmallowy" soft. Learn more in our Naturepedic Adagio Organic Latex Mattress Topper review. Like the Birch, the Saatva High-Density Foam Mattress Topper features a moisture-wicking organic cotton cover, but it also has anchor straps and an antimicrobial treatment. It's not as sustainable and natural as the Birch as it included memory foam, but at $245 for a queen, it offers cheaper luxury. Learn more in our Saatva Foam Mattress Topper review. The Panda Bamboo Memory Foam Mattress Topper may not feature natural latex or organic cotton, but it does harness the breathable, antibacterial power of a hypoallergenic bamboo cover. It doesn't come in a twin XL though (bad news for most college students), but it offers plenty of body-molding comfort for side sleepers. Learn more in our Panda Bamboo Memory Foam Mattress Topper review.
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Man-made GlacioTex vs natural latex: which is the more effective cooling mattress material?
GlacioTex and latex are both used in cooling beds to assist temperature regulation. If you're deep into researching which of this year's best cooling mattresses to buy, you've likely come across various celestial-sounding materials including these two. Luckily, we're here to help you understand what these materials are and what they bring to your sleep health. It is literally my and my team of mattress testers' job to shift through mattress jargon and marketing waffle to help you find the best mattress for you and your sleep needs, and snap up the best deal in monthly mattress sales. Here we're zooming in on latex and GlacioTex, pitting them against one another in terms of price, design, feel and temperature control to help you decide which luxury mattress material is worth the splurge. GlacioTex is a man-made fabric composed of fibers with high thermal conductivity. Usually sewn into mattress covers, these fibers are able to pull heat away from the mattress surface and, therefore, your body while you sleep. It is also hypoallergenic and waterproof, providing a defense against spills, dust mites and bacteria building up in your bed. While nobody has patented latex, brands under the 3Z umbrella (we're talking Helix, Brooklyn Bedding and Nolah) commonly use GlacioTex in their mattress covers. While there are two types of latex foams (natural and synthetic), it is the natural form we are focusing on here. Natural latex is a foam derived from sap from rubber trees and manufactured into an open-cell foam. The sap is extracted from the tree, mixed with non-toxic materials, whipped until frothed, and then set into a foam. The next step determines whether the natural latex will be Dunlop or Talalay latex. With Dunlop latex, the froth is poured into a mold all the way to the top, then baked, removed from the mold, washed and then baked again. With Talalay, it only partially fills the mold, which is then vacuum-sealed so the liquid expands. Then it's frozen, baked, washed and dried. The result? Talalay has a softer, spongier feel offering the sleeper more cushioning. On the other hand, Dunlop is denser and firmer, providing a more responsive, robust surface. Latex can be found in most of the best organic mattresses and in luxury mattresses like the Birch Luxe Natural mattress and Saatva Latex Hybrid mattress. From the manufacturing process to how they feel when you sleep on them, these materials have several differences, which we will explore here… Firstly, it is important to note that GlacioTex is actively cooling — it pulls heat away from the body to cool you down. Meanwhile, latex is breathable and temperature regulating, meaning it keeps the bed temperature-neutral. While memory foams are notorious for trapping heat, latex is porous and the tiny air pockets allow air to circulate freely. This means heat and moisture are able to escape rather than getting sucked into the foam and trapped against your body. On the other hand, GlacioTex employs high thermal conductivity fibers which transfer heat away from the air and your body. This means GlacioTex fabric remains cool to touch. GlacioTex fabric is typically a 50/50 blend of polyester and polyethylene with high thermal conductivity fibers sewn into it to form a cool mattress or mattress topper cover. These thermal conductivity fibers are able to dissipate heat through the mattress surface. On the other hand, latex foams are used in support and cushioning layers of mattresses. With slight discrepancies between Dunlop and Talalay mentioned above, latex is typically a firm, sturdy foam. Used in top comfort layers and support cores of a mattress, latex has a much larger effect on the overall comfort of a mattress compared with GlacioTex, which is usually only in the thin mattress cover. As a spongy material, latex is known to be durable and bouncy. This property makes it ideal for combination sleepers who like to switch between positions during the night. Firmer than memory foam, it contours to your body while providing spinal support. Meanwhile, our mattress testers have found GlacioTex covers to be slippery in come cases, making it difficult for a fitted sheet to stay put. Besides this minor inconvenience, the GlacioTex doesn't alter the feel of the mattress too much. It simply adds a cool-to-touch surface. As premium mattress materials, neither GlacioTex or latex come particularly cheap. As a natural material used in many of the best organic mattresses you can buy, latex is pricey due to its natural production process. GlacioTex is often available in cooling cover upgrades (Helix GlacioTex cover starts from $187 in a queen size at Helix), incurring extra cost. But it is generally cheaper than latex. While both GlacioTex and latex can contribute to a cooler sleep experience, as we've explored here, latex is generally considered more effective for temperature regulation. This is mainly due to the fact that latex's open cell structure allows air to flow throughout the mattress, improving breathability even in deeper layers. Whereas, limited to the mattress cover, GlacioTex primarily focuses on surface-level cooling. While it can initially feel cool, GlacioTex may not be as effective at dissipating heat trapped within the mattress. In essence, if you're looking for a material that actively regulates temperature and keeps you cool throughout the night, latex is a better choice. If you're primarily concerned with surface-level cooling and a cool-to-the-touch feel, GlacioTex could be a suitable option, but it's less effective at long-term temperature regulation.
