Latex, Memory, Or Polyfoam Mattress?

Memory foam is easily the best-known mattress foam, but latex and polyfoam also have a place among the best mattress ranges.

There are differences in how these foams feel – memory foam conforms to and retains your shape, latex foam conforms but bounces back, and polyfoam is a more rigid foam.

Based on these characteristics, you might already favour one or the other, but hold your horses – all is not as it seems:

• Polyfoam is the cheapest of the bunch, but it’s easily the best material for a very firm sleep surface.
• Latex foam is superior to memory foam for motion isolation and edge support because it has resistance.
• Memory foam is unbeatable for pressure relief because its confirmability wraps around every curve of your body.

We provide more colour below.

How they feel

Memory foam is soft and squishy, slowly returning to its original form – hence the name’ memory foam’ because it retains shape. It’s softer than latex, giving the sensation of sinking into the mattress rather than laying on it.

Latex foam is firmer and bouncier with elastic properties, absorbing less energy than memory foam but isolating motion better. It springs back immediately, making it easier to move around in bed and get comfortable.

Polyfoam is the firmest foam, with very little ‘give’, making it a fantastic material for extra-firm mattresses. Most mattresses with polyfoam don’t have springs since the foam is firm enough to act as a support system.

How they are made

Latex foam can be natural or synthetic. The natural version is made from the sap of the rubber tree, which gets heated and pressed by a machine to remove moisture and elasticate it into a formable product suitable for a mattress.

Synthetic latex is a polyurethane foam—that’s also what memory and polyfoam are made from. The difference is whether they are high resilience, high density, or standard-grade foams, which dictates their performance.

Polyurethane foams contain di-isocyanates and polyols from crude oil, although some versions also contain natural oils from renewable sources like cane – the presence of natural ingredients also reduces the need for chemicals.

How they are priced

Natural latex foam mattresses are the most expensive because the raw material needs to be cultivated at the source. Polyurethane foams are a manufactured product, so they benefit from economies of scale.

Polyfoam is the cheapest mattress material because it’s fast to produce and doesn’t require any special density ratings, unlike memory foam.

Memory foam is a little odd in that you can get really cheap and expensive foams. Standard closed-cell foams are cheaper than open-cell foams, and graphite memory foams and charcoal bamboo ones are more expensive.

Mattress recommendations

Latex foam

• Silentnight Lift Renew 1200 Latex Mattress: Medium, 1,200 pocket springs and medium-density latex foam.

• Giltedge Beds Hampshire 2000 Mattress: Medium-firm, 2.5 cm of latex foam and 5 cm of firm polyfoam.

• Giltedge Beds Pinnacle 2000 Mattress: Soft, Geltex layer (gel-infused latex) to reduce heat buildup.

• Silentnight Lift Replenish 2000 6FT Superking Latex Mattress: Medium, over 3 cm of latex foam with open cell structure.

Polyfoam

• Giltedge Beds Flex 150 Firm Mattress: Firm, a great choice for bunk beds.

• Giltedge Beds Cellflex Mattress: Medium-firm, cool-touch fabric reduces heat.

Memory foam

• Sleepsoul Space 2000 Mattress: Medium-firm, 35 cm depth for max support.

• Dormeo Octasmart Premium Plus Mattress: Medium, 5 body support zones.

• Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 800 Mattress: Medium, hydrophilic fibres to promote body temperature regulation.

• Shire Beds Pennine Pillowtop 1000 Mattress: Medium, 5cm of memory foam and 4cm of soft foam.

Summing up 

Memory foam is squishier than latex foam, while latex foam is more responsive. The question is, how much do you want to sink into your bed? If the answer is not at all, then polyfoam is probably the better bet.