Best organic mattress for 2022 – CNET

Comfortable sleep is just one of the many benefits of an organic mattress. Like organic produce in the grocery store, organic beds are responsibly sourced, free from harmful chemicals and made with at least 95% organic materials. They also make for nontoxic, chemical-free sleeping surfaces, as most of the materials come directly from the great outdoors. 

Fun fact: Organic latex foam is actually sap from tropical rubber trees. It’s baked into a unique foam and the end product feels like a supportive, comfy sponge, creating an eco-friendly mattress different from a traditional memory foam mattress. It’s also way different than an innerspring mattress or hybrid mattress.

At the risk of sounding like a bad infomercial, there’s more! Organic and natural latex beds are breathable because of their perforations, and they’re hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. Further, unlike a conventional mattress, a latex hybrid mattress or a polyurethane foam mattress, a natural mattress shouldn’t cause your allergies to flare up because household allergens like bacteria, mold and mildew are unable to grow within the foam. Not every mattress brand that has a traditional mattress inventory is able to boast the same.

I’ve personally tested over 100 different beds in my years as a mattress expert, solely to provide unbiased reviews for people who have no idea where to start when it comes to buying a new mattress — there are so many mattress company and material options to choose from these days and it feels like you can’t throw a rock without hitting a new mattress company. That said, knowing what you’re looking for in the hunt or the best organic mattress is key in this age of online mattress shopping, and I’m here to help.

Below, I discuss the best organic mattress for all types of sleepers, the best low-cost organic bed and more natural mattress options. The prices listed below are for queen-size models and are subject to change.

Avocado Green/Melissa Kruse

Decorated with several organic certifications and an endorsement from the American Chiropractic Association, the Avocado mattress is a comfy and eco-friendly bed suited for firm-bed lovers. It is hand-crafted in Los Angeles, and includes details like a button-tufted organic cotton cover and green trim detail around the edges. Upon first glance, Avocado definitely looks like a premium mattress. It also doesn’t have an off-gassing smell like popular bed-in-a-box mattresses because it’s made without harmful chemicals. Instead, it gives off a nature-like earthy smell that reminds me of the woods. 

The Avocado mattress is 11 inches thick and is made from certified organic Dunlop latex foam, organic wool and certified organic cotton. The base is even eco-friendly, made with heavy-duty recycled pocketed steel coils. It’ll support any body type from lightweight to larger bodies, but it is a bit on the firm side.

If you’re a strict side sleeper, the Avocado Green bed might not be the best organic mattress for you. It doesn’t provide much give when you lay on top of it, and doesn’t contour to the sides of your body like most side sleepers prefer. It’s best suited for back and stomach sleepers who suffer from back pain, and really does a good job at keeping your back supported throughout the night. 

With the optional pillow topper, which I highly recommend, makes this bed around a medium-firm or a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. This seems to be the sweet spot for back pain sufferers because it offers great support to keep your spine in proper alignment, but there’s still pressure relief that allows the foam to cradle your curves. Read more in our full Avocado mattress review

For the Avocado Green mattress with the organic cotton topper, it’ll cost around $999 for a twin and $1,899 for a California king. 

Lindsay Boyers/CNET

Birch is brought to you by Helix, a brand who specializes in being inclusive and values giving the consumer choices. The Birch mattress is their eco-friendly natural and organic model. It has two more layers than the Avocado mattress and incorporates natural OEKO-TEX certified Talalay latex foam, responsibly sourced New Zealand wool and organic cotton. 

Birch, like many latex foam beds, is very bouncy and feels really supportive. It’s a durable son of a gun thanks to the pocketed coil and latex foam combo. You won’t sink into the foam here, but the organic wool batting on top gives it more of a fluffy, airy feel on the top. 

I like it a lot because it’s a little softer than the Avocado mattress. I don’t want to jump the gun though, because it’s not soft by any means. I’d rate it around a medium-firm on the scale or around a seven out of 10. It’s not quite pressure-relieving enough for most lightweight to moderately sized side sleepers, but larger body types who favor their side will probably enjoy this bed. 

Prices for a Birch mattress start at $1,049 and max out at $1,799 for a California king. 

PlushBeds

As you can see by this list, soft natural and organic latex mattresses are a little hard to come by. Latex foam is naturally a firmer material, especially when you tie it in with the support of pocketed coils. PlushBeds, however, is an all latex foam bed and is organic from top to bottom with a customizable firmness profile that will suit most side sleepers. 

For starters, the Plushbeds Botanical Bliss is available in two different firmness levels: Medium and Medium-firm. Side and combination sleepers can opt for the Medium natural latex model which is my favorite. It’s bouncy and supportive, but at the same time, gives in more along the curves of my side and allows my spine to be in proper alignment. Either latex mattress model will work for back and stomach sleepers!

PlushBeds Botanical Bliss is made with three different layers of foam, and each latex slab has its own firmness level. If you end up thinking your mattress is too soft, you can switch the layers around and adjust the firmness level to your liking. This is a feature I haven’t seen in any bed. The setup process is more of a hassle because you have to stack the layers yourself and fit them inside the organic cotton cover, but I can look past this feature because of the versatility it offers.

PlushBeds Botanical Bliss is definitely more expensive than your typical bed-in-a-box mattress, but keep in mind it regularly offers discounts. Prices start at $2,299 for a twin and twin XL, and go up to $3,099 for a California king.

My Green Mattress

The bar is set high for mattress companies who seek to brand their product as organic or natural, and their price tags often reflect that. From start to finish, there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to guarantee that materials are organic and sustainably sourced. My Green Mattress, on the other hand, offers natural and organic environmentally safe materials at a lower cost because they manufacture all of their beds in their own family-owned factory.

My Green Mattress Natural Escape is 11 inches thick, and is made with three different layers. The first is a supportive pocketed coil layer, and on top is natural Dunlop latex foam with natural wool for an extra comfort layer. Imagine a supple, bouncy surface with a light and airy cushion on top. It’s not as firm as Avocado, I’d rate it around a medium-firm or a seven out of 10 on the firmness scale. 

I’d mostly recommend this mattress to individuals who weigh under 230 pounds because it’s not going to be as supportive as the hybrid beds mentioned on this list. As for its most suitable sleeper position matches, I think it’s best for back, stomach and combination sleepers. 

Prices start at $999 for a twin size mattress and go up to $1,799 for a California king bed. 

WinkBeds

WinkBeds is a luxury mattress brand who prides themselves on making extremely durable and long-lasting mattresses. They put their beds through a simulation that forces 20 years worth of pressure onto their beds to ensure they selling high-quality beds that will last you a decade or longer. The EcoCloud is their organic offering, and it’s one of the most pressure-relieving latex hybrid mattresses on the market.

Many latex hybrid mattresses like Birch or Avocado come in a firmness level around medium-firm or even firm, which is great for people who want support. However, if you’re a side sleeper or suffer from joint pain, you want a bed with a more balanced feel — there’s where EcoCloud comes in. 

This bed is made with recycled steel coils with a zoned design to provide targeted pressure relief to the shoulders and hips. The top layers include natural Talalay latex, organic cotton and premium New Zealand wool to give you an all-natural and organic sleeping experience. 

I’d rate the firmness around a medium or a 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale. It teeters between soft and firm, making it supportive, but amply pressure-relieving for folks who suffer from hip and shoulder pain, or like to sleep on their side. It also comes with strong reinforcements along the edges, a plus for couples who share a mattress and get forced to the sides. 

Prices for this bed range from $1,399 for a twin size mattress to $2,399 for a California king.

Organic mattress FAQs

What is the best organic mattress?

Some of the best organic mattresses include:

  • Avocado Green Mattress
  • Birch Mattress
  • My Green Mattress Natural Escape
  • PlushBeds Botanical Bliss mattress
  • EcoCloud mattress by WinkBeds 

What is an organic mattress?

A mattress must contain at least 95% organic materials to qualify for an organic certification from the US Department of Agriculture. The company that made the mattress must also follow tight sustainability regulations during the farming and manufacturing processes. Otherwise, you cannot market your Talalay or Dunlop latex mattress as “organic,” only “natural.”

More sleep recommendations 

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.