Soy Memory Foam Mattresses not Healthy

Soy memory foam mattresses or biofoam mattresses are all the rage these days. This article will break down what soy memory foam mattresses or plant based memory foam mattresses are all about.

Only 5-20% of the mattress is actually made up of soy. This would be fine if companies marketed them as eco-friendly mattresses which contain x% of soy. However companies mislead the public, calling them soy memory foam mattresses or soy based mattresses and claiming they're healthy.

Misleading the public into thinking products are green, natural or eco-friendly is called green washing. There is no monitoring of these claims.

Essentia is the only company to have invented a natural memory foam mattress that's hivea milk based instead of petroleum based.

No Benefits to Soy in Mattresses

There is very little benefit to putting soy in a mattress.

In fact the company behind soy-based ingredients, called BiOH® polyols, is Cargill.

Cargill is widely known for environmental and human rights abuse and was voted Corporate America's 2nd worst polluter by Portfolio magazine's Toxic 10.

Cargill is also the world's largest soybean processor and trader. Their soy based ingredients are genetically engineered. Genetically modified foods are still banned in Europe and more than 40 countries now require GM labels. USA and Canada are not among them.

3,800 barrels of oil are saved when 100,000 mattresses are manufactured with soy-based foam. You'd expect considerable savings for the consumer right? Nope. Soy-based memory foam mattresses or bio foam mattresses are actually more expensive than regular memory foam even though they cost less to produce. Companies overcharge since they can promote the “eco-friendly” characteristics.

Replacing a portion of the chemicals in foam makes it 5-20% healthier. Is 5-20% good enough?

Are Bio Memory Foam Mattresses Environmentally Friendly?

No. The expansion of soy plantations in countries such as Brazil and Argentina means that rain forests are being completely slashed and burned, eliminating critical habitats for many plant and animal species. Every day 86,400 football fields of rainforest are cut down to mainly make room for livestock, soy, palm, corn.

Genetically modified soy accounts for 93% of all soy grown in the United States as of 2010.

What’s that Chemical Smell from my Soy Foam Mattress?

People who’ve purchased soy memory foam mattresses are experiencing strong chemicals odors, smells or off-gassing. Soy does not produce this odor, the odor derives from the harsh chemicals used to make these synthetic foams. Green tea leaves or industrial perfumes are often added as an attempt to mask the odor.

Are Bamboo Mattress Fabrics Eco-friendly?

Soy memory foam mattresses are often wrapped in bamboo fabric. Once again they neglect to mention that the percentage of bamboo is anywhere from 20-60% bamboo.

Bamboo fabrics are also far from eco-friendly. The final product is considered man-made, so they aren't biodegradable.

According to the OTA, Organic Trade Association, "bamboo may be a more ecologically sensitive source of feedstock for rayon production, the rayon itself is not distinguishable from rayon produced from any other feedstock, and uses a lot of toxic chemicals in the process. So while the bamboo itself may be considered environmentally friendly, the production of rayon is not, and the public should not be misled into thinking that the bamboo derived fiber can be considered "natural" - it is clearly synthetic. There are a lot of misconceptions about the "natural" label too, whether it is related to food or textile products."

Where to Buy Soy Memory Foam Mattresses?

Soy memory foam mattresses have been seen on QVC in the U.S. and The Shopping Channel in Canada. Many brands sell soy memory foam mattresses. Chances are your local store probably has a bio memory foam brand. It may also be marketed under plant-based mattress, biofoam, eco foam mattress or eco-friendly memory foam mattress.

The foam industry is very small. There are only a handful of companies in the USA making polyurethane foams and memory foam. Almost all mattress companies buys from one of these manufacturers or import foam from Europe or China. The rest is marketing.


If you made it this far, well done. You’re now a little more equipped when the mattress salespersons says to you “it’s a soy memory foam mattress”. You can always just buy an Essentia natural memory foam mattress.

People who read this article also read:

- Essentia vs Memory Foam Mattresses
- How to choose a memory foam mattress
- Spring mattress or memory foam mattress?

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