As a professional mattress tester, I’ve seen an upward trend in the past few years of people looking into organic mattresses, toppers, and sheets. Whether it’s because of a renewed focus on what is truly “healthy” and toxin-free, or a concern over the use of fiberglass (I know we all remember that blowing up on TikTok), more brands are increasingly getting products certified.
However, just because someone’s throwing on a label and using buzzwords like “natural” and “organic” doesn’t mean it’s the real deal. Nor does it mean it truly qualifies as organic—you really have to look closely to verify. If I see a brand doing only that, I give them some serious side-eye.
When it's truly the natural stuff, organic sleep products aren’t cheap because they involve top-of-the-line materials. Here are common logos and certifications you’ll see and what materials they’re often associated with, so that you can discern what kind of bedding you’re buying like a pro.
Photograph: Essentia Essentia Tatami Organic Mattress $3,272 Essentia
If You See This, Know It’s the Real Deal
If any of these logos pop up on your search, it’s a good sign that the product you’re looking at is truly certified organic at a global scale. Each of these organizations has a database where you can look up brands and products, so to be 100 percent certain, I recommend you take that extra step just to verify.
Courtesy of Global Organic Textile Standard
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a certification that upholds rigid guidelines on the production of organic cotton and other textile fibers. Bottom line: GOTS verifies that non-GMO plants are used, along with no potentially poisonous farming pesticides. The organization also evaluates the environmental impact of growing these materials, production and human rights standards, manufacturing, and distribution. There is also third-party certification used to verify that materials are truly of the utmost quality. You can look up GOTS products within the organization’s database to cross-check.
Courtesy of Global Organic Latex Standard
Global Organic Latex Standard, otherwise known as GOLS, is a certification specifically pertaining to latex products and the purity and quality of the raw material used. Latex is analyzed at every stage of the game—from being harvested on rubber sap farms to being processed into materials used in mattresses or other latex-involved products. GOLS-certified products have to prove that they followed these steps to a T, and that they generated minimal environmental impact in the process.
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