What in God's name is "Comfort Foam"?!?!

Hello!

I’ve been doing a lot of research on this site, and I feel like I am starting to develop a really good idea of the materials in both the comfort and support layers. I am also going to some regional suppliers to see what kind of mattresses I like. (Thanks for this amazing resource!)

I’ve really been liking some firm hybrid mattresses with 1 inch Talalay latex with pocket coil and HD foam support cores. I am a side, back, and stomach sleeper and they are feeling great in all positions. However, these mattresses also have about .75 to 3 inches of what is only called “Comfort Foam” as part of the comfort layer. (usually below or sandwiching the latex)

What in the world is “Comfort foam”? I tried to do some research, and I’m coming up empty. I’m assuming it isn’t memory foam, or it would be labeled as such. Same for HD polyfoam. My fear is this is some weird industry filler that will ultimately be the “weak link” in these mattresses. I asked and they weren’t able to give me any density specs. This also makes me worried about the durability of the mattress.

For further context, the mattress I really liked was made by Southerland. It is a Powell bed under their Englander line. (Powell :: Southerland Sleep for reference) I’m hoping someone can confirm or deny my fears about “comfort foam” as a weak link. I am also open to being directed to other options for my needs. I am in Eugene, Oregon.

Thank you in advance,
Jeremy

Hey Jeremy,

Welcome to the Mattress UnderGround and joining our community of affectionately called MUGsters.

What the heck is comfort foam, well it is foam that makes you feel comfortable, right? Probably, maybe, your guess is as good as mine, LOL.

When companies dont list their foams, or upon query, wont tell you, I always say that is the time to dig deeper. As you so acutely observed, it could be the “weak link” of the mattress, although in the case of the Powell, it is only .75" of foam, and we do say that if a mattress has more than 1" of lower quality foam, it should be avoided. So, the Powell, which falls into the “middle of the road” in terms of quality foams, materials, construction and warranties, might still be a good choice if you were to get it home and are offered a good trial period to test it. Although, the presence of a trial and full warranty disclosure was not found on their website. The fact that they have been around since the turn of the last century, does speak a bit to overall customer satisfaction. Not too many companies have been around for over a century by producing unpopular products.

It’s great to hear that you’ve been doing thorough research and trying out different mattresses. It seems you’ve narrowed down some solid options with firm hybrid mattresses featuring Talalay latex and pocket coils. I know the mystery of “Comfort Foam” can definitely be a bit concerning, especially when you’re looking for durability and clarity around the materials used, but as explained, it is less than an inch, so that may not be of the greatest concern.

You can ask them for details about what the mattress is made of to unravel the mystery. If they refuse to provide that information, it doesn’t necessarily mean the mattress is bad, but at Mattress Underground, we prioritize transparency as one of the key qualities in our Trusted Members. Companies that are unwilling or unable to share this information typically do not meet our standards.

Hope this helps,

Maverick

Maverick,

That definitely helped. I have tried calling Southerland a couple of times with no response. The one time I did reach a customer service rep, it wasn’t a great experience.

Based on that, I am going to look at other options. I am now looking into SleepEZ, since they are recommended on this site. They seem to have everything I’m looking for, in a similar price range, and I can actually chat with them!

Thank you so much,
Jeremy

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@Sleep_EZ are excellent, seasoned and professional. They will work with you every step of the way to get you set up comfortably and correctly. They will ensure you have the right balance of support and cushion for pressure relief and contouring. You would be in very good hands.

“Comfort Foam” is a gift from the heavens that no one knows what it is made of, how it came to be, not to be confused with “Excalibur Foam” and “The Royal Comfort Foam” which all share the same density and firmness. Someone, some where knows what this stuff is. If they choose not to inform the customer assume the worst and walk away from it. Do Not get caught up in names, they are marketing gimmicks and that’s where people get suckered in. Any company can make a comfortable mattress, the secret is making a comfortable mattress last.

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Hi Jeremy,

“Comfort foam” is normally just polyurethane foam in one form or another. They can have different firmnesses, materials, etc. because “comfort foam” is a pretty broad term. Polyurethane foam is the same stuff that’s in your car seats, couch cushions, office chair, etc. etc. We use some polyurethane foam in some of our mattresses, but the foam we use is called Certi_Pur HD foam, which is a High Density polyurethane foam that is: Made without ozone depleters
Made without PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (”Tris”) flame retardants
Made without mercury, lead, and other heavy metals
Made without formaldehyde
Made without phthalates regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million)

And you can read more about Certi-Pur foam here - https://certipur.us/.

With all that said, you might want to consider the 10" organic latex mattress, which can be as soft or as firm as you’d like - https://sleepez.com/product/organic-latex-mattress/

The organic and natural mattresses (the Select Sleep mattresses) are our flagship products. They’re fully customizable, meaning you can order the mattress to be as soft or as firm as you’d like. They’re also fully adjustable, meaning you can change the softness, firmness, back support, pressure relief, etc. AFTER you get the mattress in your home. To be more specific, the 10” is our most popular, and these mattresses normally go out with three 3" layers of different firmnesses - normally the softest layer (or the cushion & contour layer) is on top and the supportive layers are on the bottom. This helps ensure our customers get the right balance of contour for their hips and shoulders but also support for their lower back. If you start with a certain setup and find that it’s too soft, you can unzip the cover and rearrange the layers to get a firmer feel out of the mattress, or you can exchange a layer to make it softer. Additionally, latex mattresses typically last 20 years. If, in 5 or 10 or 15 years you decide you want a softer or firmer mattress you would only have to buy a new layer instead of an entirely new mattress. Lastly, if the mattress starts to break down in 15 – 20 years, it’s normally the top layer that breaks down first, and at that point you can likely just buy a new top layer of latex instead of a whole new mattress and get an additional 8-10 years out of the mattress.

Furthermore, queen, king, and cal king mattresses are available with what we call “split layers,” which means you can have us cut the layers down the middle (from head to foot) so that you can have a different feel / firmness on your side versus your partner’s side, and you can adjust each side independently over the 20 year lifetime of the mattress. About 95% of our mattresses go out with all split layers from top to bottom, and we get zero complaints on being able to feel the split and we get zero complaints about the layers shifting or anything like that, even if you sleep right on the middle of the mattress.

If you’re wondering how to pick the layers for this mattress, you can go to the natural or organic mattress page, click the green button that says “Build Your Mattress Now,” then click the gray oval that says “Personalized,” and you’ll be able to enter your information. The website will then make a personalized recommendation based on your information (the layers in the mattress diagram will reflect the recommendation after you click the “Apply” button. Please note that our initial recommendations have a 90% success rate (we only have a 10% layer exchange rate) so there’s a 90% chance that the recommendation turns out to be your perfect setup!

Although it’s not likely that you’ll need to rearrange layers or exchange layers, you certainly have the option to adjust the mattress according to you and your partner’s specific needs and preferences, both in the short-term and long-term. We have a 90 day exchange and return period, so you can exchange a layer within the first 90 days for a flat-rate $30 fee for the first exchange and the full cost of shipping for any subsequent exchanges. We will ship your layers first, and we will ship them with extra plastic that you can use to package your current layers, and we will ship it with a pre-paid Fed Ex return label. Also, if you will please call us when you are ready to ship your layers back we will schedule a free Fed Ex pick up for you. You will have 30 days after its arrival to return a layer of your choosing, so you’ll have plenty of time to try a few different combinations with the layers you have and the layer we will be sending you so that you can get your comfort and support levels just right.

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