The Una Organic Latex Mattress
Disclaimer: This is my unbiased review of my Una Mattress. The mattress was supplied to me for free for review purposes. Una organic have made no requirements as to what I can and cannot say in my videos. I have not entered into any agreement of any kind in return for this free mattress.The Company: Una Organic Ltd
The company is owned by Roger van der Matten and they have been around since February 2017. They are based in Brighton, UK, and were originally called Una Mattress Ltd.The Una Organic Mattress Headlines:
Bed-in-a-box, 100 night trial, natural latex, organic, chemical free, configurable, GOTS, GOLS, Fair Choice, FSC, eco institute and TÜV certified, 10 year warranty, naturally hypoallergenic, free pickup if you don’t want to keep your mattress!Regional Mattress Differences
The UK version is different to the international Una mattress version in that it has up to 20% organic graphite (natural carbon) added to the latex layers in order to comply with UK fire laws, the graphite making the latex fire retardant. Graphite is said to possibly improve the durability overall of latex which already has excellent durability. It also helps further with preventing heat build up something that latex is already way better at than polyurethane mattresses and memory foam mattresses. International versions of Una are 100% natural latex without the added graphite.Stores
Una can only be bought online.The Una Organic Mattress – Overview
The Una Organic Mattress is a 100% chemical free latex mattress. Latex is an often bandied about description so I think it’s worth quickly summing up the different ways latex can be described.
Latex can be synthetic made from petrochemicals or natural made from the sap of a rubber tree.
A Latex mattress could be either synthetic or natural or a blend of both along with other constituents. You would need to clarify how much Latex it actually contains.
If described as blended latex it normally contains 30% natural latex.
100% Latex could be either natural, synthetic or a blend of both.
Only 100% natural Latex is fully natural. 100% natural Latex however can include 3%-5% of non-latex constituents which are added as part of the curing process and indeed this is normally the case.
Natural Latex means 80%-85% natural latex, the rest can be synthetic latex or non latex constituents such as graphite.
Graphite latex is usually a 70% blend of latex (natural or synthetic) and 30% graphite.
Organic means the Latex is both natural and the rubber trees grown without the use of chemicals.
So now it becomes clearer that the Una Mattress being organic and natural is 100% chemical free. In the UK it is described as natural Latex because of the 20% Graphite (organic) added for compliance with the UK fire laws. International versions of the Una Organic Mattress are indeed 100% natural Latex.
It is also worth pointing out that the latex Una uses is Dunlop (as oppose to Talalay) and made using the original Dunlop technique. It is rarer to find organic Talalay due to the extra steps involved in the process which often use chemicals as part of that process. The Dunlop traditional process is a more natural and organic friendly process. Most organic latex you will find is Dunlop for this reason.
Una:
The Una mattress itself comes in 2-3 boxes depending on the size you purchase. For doubles and larger the layers will be in halves. That is to say each complete layer consists of it’s two halves for left and right side of the bed. This is partly a requirement given the weight of these high density latex layers. It also means you can arrange the soft, firm and medium layers different for each side. For example one side could have two softs and a medium for a soft feel while the other half where you partner sleeps could be two firm layers and a medium layer for a much firmer feel. The top surface is completed with a single pillow top layer so the mattress remains seam free down the middle. Note the single mattress does not have this pillow top layer.
All mattresses are delivered by DPD in the UK which means you not only get the day to expect your mattress but the time too.
Una say the mattress does not come vacuum packed. By this they mean fully vacuum packed with the foam being flattened to its maximum potential. It does actually come with a light partial vacuum packing, enough to ease transportation but the latex is not fully compressed.
You have 100 nights to try your Una Organic Mattress and you can return the mattress within this timescale for a full refund. Any returned mattresses are either donated to charity, sold by other sellers who clearly offer them as second hand, or professionally recycled.
Ethical Company
Each Una Mattress is Fair & Social Choice certified plus 5% of your order value is invested into a community project in India or the UK. You can choose which project to support at the check-out.
Being certified by CU Fair Choice is a guarantee that companies are committed to sustainable development and the improvement of social conditions.
CU Fair Choice criteria is based on the following principles:
Social – compliance with ILO conventions and national legislation.
Environmental – natural resources, water, waste and biodiversity management.
Fair Trade and management systems (optional).
Economic – transparency.
The organic certified Hevea trees used for the latex in the Una mattress have had a long life during which they have absorbed tonnes of carbon dioxide, enough to make the Una mattress carbon negative. Una also plant trees for all independent reviews (such as this one) posted on platforms such as Trustpilot, Google Business, Facebook and Youtube.
Una Unboxing Instructions:
Start with box 1 which will contain the Una mattress cover and also the firm layer. Unbox the cover and inside you will find full instructions on setting up the mattress. The Cover is placed on your sleeping area first and then the other layers laid inside the covers. When all layers are in place and configured to your liking you can zip up the mattress.
latex vs polyurethane foam
Latex is a higher density foam. While high density polyurethane foam may come in at around 50 kg/m3 Latex will typically come at up to 95 kg/m3 which means much higher durability. Memory foam does come in densities also up to 95 kg/m3 but still wouldn’t be considered as durable as latex. Again there is no natural polyurethane foam or memory foam while Latex does come in totally naturally form. It is also naturally hypoallergenic and far better at heat dissipation than polyurethane foam or memory foam.
Certifications:
GOTS: The Global Organic Textile Standard is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres.
GOLS: Global Organic Latex Standard products must contain more than 95% of certified organic raw material.
CU Fair Choice: A guarantee that companies are committed to sustainable development and the improvement of social conditions, meeting the demands of a growing number of environmentally conscious consumers.
FSC: Allows businesses and consumers to identify, purchase and use wood, paper and other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests and/or recycled sources.
eco institute: Pollutant-tested latex mattresses made from 100% natural latex.
TUV certification: Samples of the product have been tested for safety and found to meet the minimum requirements of the German Equipment and Product Safety Act
Layers:
One of the great advantages to the Una is how you are free to configure the layers any way you wish. Una themselves say 80% of customers use it with the medium on top, soft below that and firm on the bottom. Each layer is clearly labelled as to it’s firmness. So talk of the layers on this review will be about the soft, medium and firm layers rather than layer 1, layer 2, base layer etc. One big difference between the Una and a conventional online mattress that comes with an integrated base layer is that the Una mattress will have noticeably more bend to it when being maneuvered than you may be used to. This will also be partly due to the fact that the doubles and larger have effectively two separate halves that will move independently as the mattress is raised say onto its side. Una also offer what they call their Comfort Exchange whereby you can exchange a single layer type for a different firmness level one time.Cover:
The Three Layers:
Una Mattress Overall:
Total height with cover: 24.5 cm Total height no cover: 24 cm Average density: 85 kg/m3 It is worth taking note of that high average density when comparing to a polyurethane foam or memory foam mattress. It in terms of actual foam you have two to three times the amount of firm of a typical online mattress. This translates into longer life out of that mattress.
Una Mattress weights:
Based on weighing my own Una Organic mattress (with cover) the weights would be:| UK single | 39 kg |
| EU single | 41 kg |
| UK double | 60 kg |
| EU double | 65 kg |
| UK king | 70 kg |
| EU king | 75 kg |
| UK super king | 83 kg |
Tests and Analysis:
Edge support:
This is something that often correlates with overall firmness, but not always. Being a softer mattress overall never plays well with edge support but in this regard the Una Organic mattress is inline with what I expect from online offerings these days. About the same support on the edge as the likes of Simba, Leesa, Casper and Emma Original. A little behind the likes of Nectar and Otty and the best I have so fat tested, The Leesa Luxury Hybrid Mattress.
Firmness (how far it sinks for a given weight):
I break all my mattresses in before coming up with a firmness score. This allows me to adjust for likely softening in the first few weeks. Some mattresses can soften by 1-2 cm within that period, that means for my 20/30kg tests I get an extra 1-2 cm of local sinkage over and above the same test on day one. Una was very good in this regard with only 0.4 cm of local softening. Of course one of the big deals about the Una mattress is that you can configure it several different ways by swapping out the layers. However no matter how you configure it I found that Una was never on the firm side. Ranging from a 5.5 to a 6.5/7 in its firmest configuration (firm, soft/medium). You could of course go firm, medium and soft but i found the feel was still quite similar and firm/soft/medium made more sense to me. This means you can configure the Una to feel like Casper, Simba, Leesa and Nectar which have a range of firmness levels. No matter what you do I found likes of Emma Original, Otty and Eve to be firmer than Una in any configuration. Still that’s a lot of flexibility. You also have the option of a single comfort layer exchange which would again increase the firmness level range.
Cooling:
Una is an all natural latex foam mattress bar the 20% of graphite in the UK. This is a prime foam for sleeping cool. Superior to synthetic latex, polyurethane foam and memory foam. The pincore holes across the latex layers again aids air flow and cooling so Una is a good option if you are sensitive to heat build up.
Spot Relief (point elasticity):
A measure of how much foam outside the area being compressed is affected. All foam mattresses are good in this regard. Una was about average (which is good) in this test.
Mattress for Sex/Bounce:
To score well for sex a mattress in my opinion needs to have a good combination of both comfort and bounce. While Una isn’t a particularly bouncy mattress it does have a pleasant spring to it. This combined with the medium firm configuration gives a decent option for a good mattress for sex.
Weight Capacity:
Tested for a 130 kg (20 stone) capacity per person. Above average for maximum recommended wright.
Motion Transfer:
One thing foam mattresses are noted for is being good for not transferring much movement across the mattress. of course they will vary and memory foam is always best for minimising motion transfer. Although on the softer side which helps reduce motion transfer the Una Mattress does have a pleasant springiness which negates that to some extent. In line with natural latex mattresses there is more motion transferred across the mattress if say your partner moves heavily than many of the mattresses I have so far tested. That is not to say you will feel all movement, you wont, but compared to non latex mattresses the amount transferred is a little higher. In soft configuration (soft/medium/firm) Una is inline with the likes of Otty and Leesa Hybrid and just behind Leesa Original, Casper and Simba. Ergoflex is one of the best I have tested so far for motion transfer. In firm mode Una will be further behind those mentioned mattresses.
Type of sleepers this mattress suits:
Because of the various ways you can arrange the layers of the Una Organic Mattress there are a greater range of sleepers that this mattress will suit no matter your sleeping style. Only those requiring a firmer feel, such as heavy tummy sleepers, might not find Una totally on point.
Price:
The Una is one of the more expensive mattresses that I have tried. It must be judged in context as a premium organic latex mattress and you can certainly pay more on the high street for less. I think Una justifies its price by truly delivering a 100% chemical free mattress using 100% natural latex albeit the UK version requires 20% organic graphite to comply with the UK fire laws. The cover is also fire retardent achieved naturally using natrual wool.
Materials/Design:
For an online mattress it is hard not to admire the package Una brings to the table. 100% chemical free while still complying with UK fire laws, natural latex with configurable layers in a reasonably priced package given the product. 100% Organic in all materials used.
Off-gassing/Smell:
Simply no chemical type smell at all. The latex itself has a sweet vanilla smell which is quite pleasant. The cover had an initial sour type of smell that soon dissipated to leave no smells at all. I should make clear that even on day one there was no room filling smell at all, none. The smell is what you I was finding if i sniff the material directly.
Comfort:
The fact that you can go from quite soft to a medium firmness feel means a lot of people will be covered in the comfort area. However I do have to point out that comfort is highly subjective and doesn’t necessarily relate directly to how well you will sleep for 8 hours. I find soft mattresses very comfortable but often I will wake up with a sore back because the support just wasn’t enough. Conversely I can sleep on a mattress that feels too firm for me but I will wake up refreshed as the support was spot on.
Zoning:
There is subtle zoning across each Una mattress layer. The pincore holes that latex is made with are made a little larger or little smaller in certain areas (hip, shoulder) to offer slightly more give in these areas.
Summary:
| Item | out of 10 |
|---|---|
| Edge Support | 7.5/10 |
| Firmness | 5-7/10 (soft to medium soft) |
| Cooling | 8.5/10 |
| Spot Relief | 7.5/10 |
| Sex/Bounce | 7.5/10 |
| Motion Transfer | 6-7.5/10 |
| Back Sleepers | 8/10 |
| Side Sleepers | 8.5/10 |
| Stomach Sleepers | 7.5/10 |
| Price | av: £1236 |
| Materials/Design | 9.5/10 |
| Smell/off-gassing | 9.5/10 |
| Zoning: | none |
Prices:
| Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Single | £850 |
| EU Single | £875 |
| Double | £1250 |
| EU Double | £1275 |
| King | £1350 |
| EU King | £1450 |
| Super King | £1600 |
General Mattress Notes:
Una organic Mattress Wrap-up:
I had a good experience with the Una Organic mattress. I swapped between soft/medium/firm and medium/soft/firm configurations. For me something between the two would have been just right for the top layer. However I think this is because overall Una is on the softer side no matter the configuration. The Medium for me was just not quite contouring enough as a comfort layer. I tried the soft layer on a firmer bed so basically it was a topper and this was the best sleep I had for a long time. So perhaps a soft/firm/firm configuration would have been perfect for me. I am someone who has a preference for memory foam so for me this was a great result. I have not liked latex mattresses or toppers in the past because the pushback was too much, Una strikes a better balance between memory foam and latex for me and as someone with lower back issues and shoulder pain issues.
Lets remember the main selling point of the Una Mattress is absolutely zero chemicals. It is 100% natural and organic and for many this alone will be the reason to buy. Know what you to expect though, latex is has way more spring than memory foam and polyurethane foam so if this is your first experience of latex know what to expect. Latex offers a way better option for sleeping cool as well and at the densities used in the Una offers a longer life. Indeed it is not uncommon for high quality natural latex to last 20 plus years. Compare that the 1-8 years expectancy of memory or polyurethane foam mattress.
Bear in mind the substantial weight of the layers and the need to arrange them yourself, this is a physically taxing job so two pairs of hands will certainly be better than one. Of course this is part and parcel of being able to arrange the layers to your own preference and indeed for each half of the bed. A pillow top cover will make sure the middle of the bed is seamless.
Strangely less bouncy than I expected with only 3-4 bounces for my tennis ball test compared to 9 for Bruno and 8 for Eve. They being very firm mattresses of course. But strange in a way because Una still has plenty of spring, there is certainly noticeable pushback. Graphite is said to lessen any heat build-up as it is more conductive and helps any heat build-up dissipate faster. It is also claimed to add durability to lower density layers such the soft layer used by Una. One flip side is that is might affect the amount of bounce which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference. For me it was a good thing.