What is a Hybrid Latex Mattress?

Latex Mattress Production

Natural latex is the product of rubber trees, which produce a milky-white "sap". Through simple but carefully engineered processing techniques, this liquid can be transformed into a highly sought-after premium natural bed with singular resilience and pressure-free support.

Synthetic latex can also be chemically produced in a lab using man-made formulations. These synthesized products can be reasonable imitations of natural latex, but none reaches the level of performance that has catapulted latex beds to the forefront of the luxury bedding market. Natural latex has an unmatchable spring, loft, and responsiveness that are unique to the plant-based product.

Hybrid Latex Mattresses

Hybrids may be built in a variety of ways, with either natural or synthetic latex components:

• With a polyurethane core under several inches of latex;
• With traditional coils or springs under a thick latex layer;
• With polyurethane layers under only a few inches of latex;
• Or with traditional coils under a few inches of latex.

Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses the greatest strength of the thinner pads is that they're more affordable. In the long run, the more latex you can afford, the better. A thick pad of latex will form to your body overnight and spring back into shape in the morning for years of performance.

A thin pad can "bottom out" when you lie down, so that you are being supported by the underlying polyurethane or innersprings which means you'll lose that contoured, pressure-point-free support for which you paid. Thinner pads also exhibit wear and tear more quickly, since they're being compressed each night between the weight of your body pushing down, and the resisting firmness of the core.

Hybrid Hi-Jinks

When you buy a "100% natural latex mattress" you know that your bed is comprised of real latex produced by a real rubber tree plant. When you buy a "100% latex mattress", though some or all of the latex may be synthetic, you at least know that your bed is made of latex through and through.

When you buy a "hybrid latex mattress" it can be far more difficult to determine exactly what's gone into the construction of your bed. What's in the core? How was it produced? How many layers are in your mattress, and what components are in each of them? The label leaves a great deal of wiggle-room.

All you know for certain is that your mattress has at least a small amount of latex, probably as a top layer or integrated mattress topper.

Blended Latex

Any mattress represented by the term "blended latex", is not 100% botanical latex. Rather, in contrast to the purely botanical 100% natural latex, blended latex incorporates a mix of synthetic, lab-derived latex compounds with natural botanical latex.

Synthetic latex can be produced under laboratory conditions using artificial chemical components. Despite a century of attempts, the synthetic latex versions have not managed to match the "real thing" for bouncy, springy support that cushions and supports the body at night while returning to its original shape so consistently.

Blended latex mattresses usually offer a sleep surface of natural botanical latex over a synthetic latex core. These blended options can approximate the comfort of natural latex mattresses quite nicely.

Hybrid Latex Mattress vs. Blended Latex Mattresses

A mattress that's billed as a "hybrid latex mattress" instead of a "blended latex mattress" is not an all-latex mattress. "Hybrid" denotes a mattress built partially of latex and partially of non-latex components.

"Blended" mattresses, on the other hand, are derived from a mix of synthetic and natural latex but they are 100% latex mattresses. They may not be all natural, but you still know that you're getting the premium mix of comfort and support that sets latex mattresses apart from their competition.

Hybrid Latex Pros

• More affordable price point.
• Potentially longer life than the softest Talalay latex mattresses [link to internal Talalay page here] (if the non-latex components are well constructed).
• Firmer support for back sleepers.

Hybrid Latex Cons

• Not a 100% latex mattress.
• Not an all-natural bedding option.
• Chance of "bottoming out" and losing the characteristic benefits of sleeping on latex.
• More confusion in determining what components comprise the mattress.

If you choose to invest in a hybrid latex mattress, please take the time to understand enough about mattress construction to ensure that you're getting a good value. Remember the simple rule of thumb: the thicker the latex, the better the value. Still, it's important to understand what lies under or inside the latex as well, so that you can understand how long your mattress will last. If your hybrid mattress "bottoms out" in two years so that you're plagued with back pain and restless nights, your cozy investment will quickly become a nightmare. Buy from a trusted source and be sure to understand exactly what lies under your mattress cover.