GoKawiilThere’s a Lot of greenwashing around the term “organic” these days. It often seems more like a reason to raise prices than anything else, which is why it helps to be selective about where you pony up for organic things. I’ve taken to buying organic by exposure—you’re going to sleep on a bed every night for years, and that’s a lot of exposure, so to my mind, it makes sense to invest in an organic mattress. The good news is that most of these aren’t much more expensive than a conventional mattress.
Conventional mattresses often have questionable materials in them. Everything from polyurethane foams with formaldehyde and TCEP (a flame retardant) to phthalates can end up in nonorganic mattresses, off-gassing into your home. How much these substances affect you isn’t scientifically settled, but it’s not hard to avoid them altogether with a mattress made from natural, organic materials. Most organic mattresses are made of a combination of wool, natural latex, and cotton. The construction is similar to conventional mattresses but without the chemicals.
I’ve been testing and sleeping on organic mattresses for seven years now, and these are my favorites out of the dozens I’ve tested. All of the prices below are for queen-size models unless specified.
Updated August 2026: We've revamped this guide to narrow down our picks and added some organic toppers and sheets you can grab to round out your organic bed.
What Makes a Mattress Organic? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron To help you make sense of the often bewildering world of organic mattresses, here are some terms and certifications to know. The big name in organic certifications, and organic cotton certification specifically, is the Global Organic Textile Standard, generally abbreviated as GOTS. It looks not just at how the cotton is grown and processed but also at ecological and social criteria, and it uses third parties to independently verify that standards are being met. If you’re curious, you can read version six of the standard online. Most of the mattress brands here have GOTS certification. Our top pick, Avocado Green Mattress; our favorite kids’ mattress, My Green Mattress; and the Birch Natural are all GOTS certified. Awara is not. But cotton is not the end of the story for these mattresses, which usually also contain latex, which has its own certifications like GOTS. The latex certification is called Global Organic Latex Standard and is more or less the same as GOTS, but for latex instead of cotton. Again, the goal of GOLS is to look at the entire supply chain, not just the finished product. Avocado and My Green Mattress are the only ones in this guide certified by GOLS and GOTS. While we especially like the big-picture approach of GOTS and GOLS, there are other certifications that test the finished product, and in some ways some of these are more revealing. The best one, Made Safe, certifies that mattresses (or other products) are not made with any known cancer-causing or hormone-disrupting chemicals. The Made Safe standard is one of the strictest in the industry. Another popular certification comes from Oeko-Tex, which certifies that an item is “tested for harmful substances and that the article, therefore, is harmless for human health.” Another thing to look for is the Greenguard Gold certification and UL Environment’s Formaldehyde Free label, which both certify that there are no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or formaldehyde in your mattress. Another term you might see while shopping for organic mattresses is “needle-tufted.” This means the mattress is sewn rather than glued (assuming it’s 100 percent needle-tufted). Since needle-tufted mattresses use no adhesives, you don’t need to worry about VOCs from adhesives. Organic? Like Organic-Organic? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Organic mattresses are something of a Wild West when it comes to certifications. There is no government involvement here, and no USDA or other official organic certification. Anyone can claim their mattress is organic. Some companies claim to carrry GOTS- or GOLS-certified brands or have a certified mattress when, in fact, they don’t. What they have is certified materials, but the end product has not been tested. In particularly egregious examples, companies will claim someone else’s certification for themselves. I have not included any such brands in this guide, but it’s also important to understand that there’s a big a difference between certifying the materials and certifying the finished product. In one case, the finished product has been independently tested; in the other, it has not. As noted above, there are independent standards that have to be met in some cases, but in the particular case of GOLS, the latex certification, the fine print says “organically grown natural rubber latex.” Unfortunately, while it’s great that the rubber trees are grown without harmful chemicals, that doesn’t mean those weren't added somewhere in the process that transforms rubber tree sap into something you can sleep on. It’s a safe bet that just about any industrial process is going to have a detrimental effect on its source material. How detrimental and what that means for you is often difficult to know. Most companies, when you read the fine print, will say that latex foam is ≥95 percent certified organic latex, which is the highest possible standard. The remaining 5 percent represents the essential processing agents—required for any manufacturer to make latex foam. If you want to make sure that the other 5 percent don't end up in your mattress, you’d essentially have to buy a mattress without latex, and those are few and far between. In the end, it seems that while perfection may not be achievable, these mattresses are still probably much better for you and the planet than conventionally manufactured mattresses. How We Tested and What to Look for in an Organic Mattress AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Mattresses are large, and testing them is time- and space-consuming. Members of the WIRED Gear team have been testing mattresses for many years, and we have slept on every mattress on this list for at least a couple of weeks, often longer—in many cases, years longer. That said, there’s no way for us to test them all. Here are a few general tips, tricks, and things to look for when shopping for an organic mattress online. Know What Kind of Sleeper You Are: Different mattresses are designed for different sleeping styles. Are you a side sleeper? Stomach sleeper? Back sleeper? Or are you like me, a little bit of everything (which they call a combination sleeper)? Knowing the answer to this question can help narrow down your search to mattresses that are a good fit for your sleeping habits. This is where mattress reviews like ours come in handy; we test for every kind of sleeper.
Different mattresses are designed for different sleeping styles. Are you a side sleeper? Stomach sleeper? Back sleeper? Or are you like me, a little bit of everything (which they call a combination sleeper)? Knowing the answer to this question can help narrow down your search to mattresses that are a good fit for your sleeping habits. This is where mattress reviews like ours come in handy; we test for every kind of sleeper. Do You Like Firm, Soft, Medium? Mattresses come in different firmness options, often within the same model. Whichever one is right for you depends on which level of firmness you enjoy, as well as any issues you may have, like back pain.
Mattresses come in different firmness options, often within the same model. Whichever one is right for you depends on which level of firmness you enjoy, as well as any issues you may have, like back pain. Innerspring vs. Foam : Organic mattresses come in two basic flavors: the traditional innerspring coil design and pure foam. We’ve primarily tested and recommend innerspring in this guide, though we do like pure foam designs as well. The big difference in my experience is the amount of heat that foam retains. It’s a good choice for those who sleep cold, while those who sleep hot are better off with a traditional pocketed coil design.
: Organic mattresses come in two basic flavors: the traditional innerspring coil design and pure foam. We’ve primarily tested and recommend innerspring in this guide, though we do like pure foam designs as well. The big difference in my experience is the amount of heat that foam retains. It’s a good choice for those who sleep cold, while those who sleep hot are better off with a traditional pocketed coil design. Look for a Trial Period: Everyone makes mistakes; to avoid having to live with a potential mistake, make sure the mattress you’re considering offers a sleep trial. Everything listed here offers some kind of sleep trial period after which, if you’re not happy, you can return the mattress.
Everyone makes mistakes; to avoid having to live with a potential mistake, make sure the mattress you’re considering offers a sleep trial. Everything listed here offers some kind of sleep trial period after which, if you’re not happy, you can return the mattress. More Expensive Doesn’t Mean Better: Organic mattresses aren’t cheap, but there’s no reason to spend a fortune just to get a good, eco-friendly night’s sleep.
Organic mattresses aren’t cheap, but there’s no reason to spend a fortune just to get a good, eco-friendly night’s sleep. Check the Warranty : Lifetime warranties are rare these days, but most of the mattresses we’ve tested offer around 25-year warranties. Some companies cap it at 10 years, but view those with suspicion. A good mattress should last more than 10 years, and good companies are willing to stand behind their products for that long.
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