Manufacturers worldwide are whipping up winning formulas for latex.
A batch of latex looks a bit like cake batter. A fitting appearance considering its creator, scientist E. A. Murphy, used a kitchen mixer in the 1920s to first whip up the material, which would eventually be used to create latex mattresses. About a decade later, another scientist, Joseph Talalay, would refine Dunlop’s process to develop the latex manufacturing process named after him.
Although tree sap from Hevea brasiliensis rubber trees is the unchanging, essential ingredient in natural latex — whether it’s processed using the Dunlop or Talalay methods — manufacturers have developed their own recipes to create products that stand out from the competition. Keep reading to learn about the latest in latex, from new product launches to achievements in sustainability.
Guide to Latex
Natural. Organic. Talalay. Dunlop. The world of latex comes with a distinct set of terminology to capture differences between products and processes. Here’s a breakdown of some of the basics.
- Latex: A flexible foam created from a water dispersion of rubber, either from the rubber tree (natural latex) or a human-made, petroleum-based product (synthetic latex).
- Natural latex: Latex foam whose main ingredient is natural, not synthetic, latex.
- Blended latex: Latex foam that is made with a combination of natural and synthetic latex.
- Continuous process: In latex foam production, it’s a continuous mixing and pouring process using conveyors and molds to produce mattress comfort layers.
- Dunlop process: A latex foam production method in which the latex mixture is whipped, poured, baked, washed and dried.
- Talalay process: A more complex latex foam production method in which the latex is poured into molds. A vacuum is applied to raise and evenly distribute the mixture. Then it is frozen, heat-processed, washed and dried.
- Global Organic Latex Standard: A private, third-party certification program for organic latex foam administered by Peterson & Control Union. GOLS certifies that latex components and latex-containing finished products have 95% natural rubber content from certified organic rubber tree plantations.
Achieving Latex Perfection: Manufacturers Focus on Consistency
When BedTimes last reported in-depth on the latex industry in 2022, the world was still emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the International Sleep Products Association had hosted its first ISPA EXPO since 2018 in Orlando, Florida. This year, at the show in Columbus, Ohio, foam suppliers eagerly returned to showcase their latest products and innovations. Whether relative newcomers or industry veterans, consistency was a top priority in everyone’s latex production goals.
Talalay Global previewed its new 8ILD super plush latex, which officially launched right after the show in March. Featuring a high level of softness, the Talalay manufacturing process for the 8ILD product includes a vacuum freeze that traps air in the latex, creating an open cell structure that adds durability, breathability and consistency. “It’s an engineering and manufacturing wonder,” says Marc Navarre, CEO of Talalay Global. “It’s not just the newness, it’s a new feel. We’re the only ones in the world doing that. What our customers expect us to do is the very best in this material and that’s what we champion. Launching the 8ILD definitely has made our customers very happy.”
At Lien ‘A’s booth, the Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam-based company displayed its unique products. “We are the only ones who can produce 6-inch continuous cores that make the natural latex cores pure and consistent in quality,” says Vincent Nguyen Thanh Vu, international business developer for Lien ‘A. The company uses its proprietary Lien ‘A Automatic System to produce 100% natural latex offerings in various heights.
“I think there is a tendency to think all Dunlop latex is the same,” says Karl Shevick, co-founder of Ingiriya, Sri Lanka-based Earthfoam Pvt. Ltd. “We hear that from consumers, but it’s not the case. There are a million little things in production that can determine the quality of the finished product.”
No matter the process used, some suppliers are sticking to more traditional latex, while others are toying with different additives. Radium Foam, the Dutch manufacturer behind the Vita Talalay latex brand, introduced its latest breakthrough at ISPA EXPO: graphite-infused Vita Talalay latex. “We are thrilled to bring this new product to global markets, showcasing our commitment to meeting customer needs,” says Lionel Bonte, chief commercial officer subsidiary of Vita Group, headquartered in Manchester, England.
Victor Garcia Hoogendonk, sales director for Vita Group’s Vita Talalay, says that the company has also been experimenting with copper and silver to make latex varieties that are cooler and have more temperature-regulating qualities.
Chatsworth, California-based Milkmen Foam began offering charcoal-infused latex to its customers in 2023. According to co-founder Edward Olshansky, it has been popular, thanks to the material’s inherent FR properties that can help mattresses containing the latex pass burn tests.
Fresh Faces in Latex: New Manufacturers Enter the Market
Over the past few years, several new latex companies have launched, including Milkmen Foam and Earthfoam. Olshansky co-founded Milkmen Foam in 2020 during the pandemic, fed up with long lead times and material shortages that impacted companies worldwide.
“Something that took about a week to make was now taking four or five months, leading to lost sales,” Olshanksy says, speaking about his motivation to start his own latex distribution company. Milkmen Foam’s certified organic facility specializes in latex cores, toppers and pillows, as well as finished products. The latex distributor sources raw materials from different manufacturers for its 100% natural and Global Organic Latex Standard-certified organic products.
Shevick said he also founded Earthfoam out of a desire to “take control of the supply chain.” “Quality is always an issue with natural latex,” he said. “There are always inconsistencies with it, and you need to work with a team that really knows what they’re doing. So, for us to be able to take control over the manufacturing was a huge advantage that we can be assured in the quality of the products we’re putting into the mattresses that we’re selling to consumers.”
In just a few short years, Shevick and his partner, Januka Karunasena, have built Sri Lanka’s largest latex factory, located in Horana, approximately 25 miles outside of the seaside city of Colombo. Supplying Earthfoam’s factory with raw materials is the company’s Fair for Life-certified network of organic rubber farmers that employ nearly 2,000 workers.
“We’ve been able to ensure fair wages and working conditions for all of them,” Shevick said. “We also are the first (and to my knowledge only) producer of fair trade latex foam.”
Latex Industry Trends: Shaping the Future of Sleep
With a variety of different products, processes and innovations on the market, what exactly are bedding producers looking for? Shevick says that he has been surprised by one trend since starting his company. “Historically, the U.S. market has gone for monozone foam,” he says, referring to the type in which all the holes in the latex are the same size and evenly spaced. Now, Shevick says, zoned mattresses and toppers, with different zones for different support needs, have seen an uptick in popularity.
Another notable trend is an increased interest in certifications. “I think what our customers want is pretty in line with what a lot of other latex manufacturers are finding too, which is consumers, especially those that are buying latex foam, are looking for products that are organic, or with other certifications,” Shevick says.
Karunasena chimes in with another trend. “Most U.S. customers are very keen on getting organic and fair-trade products. Now, we see a lot of European customers who want to buy organic latex,” something Karunasena notes is a departure from the region’s historical interest in synthetic latex.
“There’s been an increase in the amount of demand for organic around the world,” Shevick says. “I think once consumers and mattress manufacturers realize that it’s there and that there’s not that big of a premium to do it, a lot of them are attracted to doing it.”
Garcia Hoogendonk, who echoes Karunasena’s sentiments that customers are focusing more on using natural materials, highlights another trend in Europe. “The market has gone more toward sleeping softer, where in the past it used to be very firm,” something that Garcia Hoogendonk attributes to the trend of box springs in Scandinavia, not far from its parent company’s Manchester, United Kingdom headquarters. While Radium Foam produces pillows, toppers and mattresses in various firmnesses, Garcia Hoogendonk says customers are craving softness at the moment.
Although no matter one’s preference for plushness, Mark Lewis, managing director of Vita Group’s unfinished mattress business, remarks that in general, consumers are waking up to the importance of sleep from a health perspective.
“People are investing more money on mattresses to get a good night’s sleep,” he says. “And that’s helpful because they realize Talalay delivers that. Particularly, in the United States, we’re starting to see more and more use of Talalay latex.”
This dovetails with some of Talalay Global’s goals. According to Navarre, the company plans to expand its manufacturing footprint in the United States by adding another site (location to be announced), in addition to its existing facility in Shelton, Connecticut.
Sustainable Latex: Industry Commits to Eco-Friendly Practices
From products to processes, there are a multitude of ways for companies to approach sustainability. At companies like Earthfoam, certain sustainable practices are part of its business model, like fair wages for workers and its Global Organic Textile Standard, GOLS, Fair for Life and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifications. Love Home Fabrics, the parent company of Talalay Global, is working to reduce its environmental impact, with plans to be carbon-negative by early 2026. Radium Foam made history earlier this year when it became the first GOLS-certified Talalay latex. The company is also working to reduce the amount of energy it uses to create Talalay latex.
“It’s a companywide project, and we’re working diligently on it,” Navarre says.
In the last 100 years, latex has come a long way, and if history is anything to go by, it will continue to evolve for the better.
