Essentia
| I'm new here. I've spent a few hours poking around but haven't found any information on the mattress I'm considering: the Classic 8 by a company called Essentia (www.myessentia.com). They are a Canadian company that makes what is billed as the world's only natural memory foam. Has anyone heard of them? Thanks for taking the time to answer. -Michelle |
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MichLee wrote: I'm new here. I've spent a few hours poking around but haven't found any information on the mattress I'm considering: the Classic 8 by a company called Essentia (www.myessentia.com). They are a Canadian company that makes what is billed as the world's only natural memory foam. Has anyone heard of them? Thanks for taking the time to answer. -Michelle Mich: I can not help you as I have never heard of them. But I would not take them to seriously when they engage in such terminology as a company that has the, "world's only natural memory foam." What is "natural memory foam"? It is my understanding that all memory foam, in all of its different varieties, is all made from petrochemicals. I believe they are simply engaging in sales hyperbole! I believe I would look elsewhere. |
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| tho i did read somewhere that they are one of the very very few companies in north america that makes their own latex ... |
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Memory foam and latex are two quite different products, though. North America's largest latex manufacturer is Latex International: http://www.latexinternational.com/index.php |
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| i just thought they probably have some weird memory foam made from latex lol i was going to contact them myself and ask them that |
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| just looked on their site.... ''The Only Natural Memory Foam Mattress Essentia is the only manufacturer of natural memory foam in the world. Our cutting-edge Natural mattresses deliver a level of comfort, performance, purity and durability never before seen in mattresses. Made from 100% natural latex rubber, Essentia's natural memory foam has all the benefits of memory foam without the toxic ingredients.'' and since they make their own latex, i would think this is good stuff |
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I have been searching the Internet for six months now as regards mattresses. Never in any of that time have I ever come across the term, "natural latex rubber memory foam". Visco-elastic polyurethane foam is the proper name given to memory foam, it is manufactured from petrochemicals, not natural rubber (IE taken from the rubber tree). There are all kinds of people making all kinds of "memory foam" from all kinds of petrochemical sources. It is the hot buzzword in mattress material, alongside the word latex. These words are meaningless today unless there is more descriptive information given. This is quite unfortunate, but quite common in this day and age of 24/7 advertising. Anything, and everything, is being done in order to make a sale. Until the federal government steps in and requires a strict stipulation about what the various terms mean, as applied to bedding, the customer is going to have to do a lot of reading and researching in order to not get scammed. Any time, any company, implies that they have "the best in the world" a red flag should go up and a siren sound! This message was modified Dec 17, 2009 by eagle2
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Hello Michelle; I read through your thread and there is something very, very wrong with their advertising statement. MEMORY FOAM and LATEX are two very different foams with different qualities. They are NOT one in the same. One is open cell, one is closed. One is a collapsible foam(pressure makes it sink, it does not have any rebound) the other has possibly the most rebound of the foams used in beds(very boing-y). They are saying that they are one in the same which is not possible. Just remember, any advertiser can claim anything they want to to make their product seem unique. You have to be a smart, educated buyer or else you'll fall into their hype. I personally would steer clear simply on the fact that their advertising claim sounds like complete baloney(or BS). JMO, as per usual, Kait |
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I agree the term "natural memory foam" is quite misleading. I think in using the term, the company was simply trying to make the link to Tempurpedic. There is actually quite a bit of educational information on their Web site. Here is how they describe their memory foam: Our petroleum-free foam was developed in-house and is the only natural memory foam manufactured in the world. Similar to natural latex foam, our natural memory foam is also made from rubber tree sap but organic essential oils, plant extracts and water are added into the foam composition to give it a memory foam like feel. Has no one heard of this mattress? I was hoping someone could tell me if it lives up to the company's comfort claims. -Michelle This message was modified Dec 28, 2009 by a moderator
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This company has only been around for about three years now. Being a Canadian company they cannot be checked out Through the Better Business Bureau. At least I don't know how to do it. They make some claims that sound quite fishy to me and I would not trust them with my money. That's all I can tell you. But I would be very leery of them. By the way, do you live in Canada? If you live in the United States there are a lot of good companies you can do business with here that are quite legitimate, well tested, and trustworthy. FloBeds has been in business for 30 years. There BBB rating is A plus excellent. They have not had any negative complaints in well over seven years. There are many other companies mentioned in these forums that are respected and people have had excellent results with doing business with them. One statement they made that is very misleading. And I quote. "Sourced from Indonesia, our 100% natural Dunlop Latex is collected from Rubber Plantations where acceptable working conditions are maintained and there is no practice of child labour" You cannot collect 100% natural Dunlop latex. It would seem to me that they are implying that they collect Dunlop latex from the rubber tree. This is impossible. Dunlop is a process that is applied to latex to make a certain type of latex. They also make many other claims that sound very bogus to me and I have never, ever, read anywhere else that you can make "natural memory foam" from latex rubber. No matter how many chemicals are additives are added to the natural rubber. Let's get one thing straight about memory foam ( I mean real memory foam) some people love it, and a lot of people hate it! Many people find that it sleeps hot. The reason that tempurpedic mattresses are so expensive, and a lot of people swear by them, is that they have their own formulation of petrochemical based memory foam. Do your research on this forum and you will find many posts regarding these facts. This message was modified Dec 28, 2009 by a moderator
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Thank you. I do live in the United States and will look at the US companies mentioned quite frequently on this forum (FloBeds, PureRest, SavvyRest, Sleep EZ, etc). I was just curious about this company as they seem to offer the best of both worlds: memory foam like comfort without drawbacks such as chemical outgassing and heat retention. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond. -Michelle |
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Michelle said: "Thank you. I do live in the United States and will look at the US companies mentioned quite frequently on this forum (FloBeds, PureRest, SavvyRest, Sleep EZ, etc)." You have made a wise decision.  Though I do not recommend their mattresses due to the fact that they are so restrictive on choice, still Habitat probably has one of the best websites from the standpoint of educational videos about the subject of latex. My personal preference is FloBeds due to the fact that they have such a liberal exchange and return policy. SleepEZ would probably be the next best choice though there exchange policy is not as liberal as FloBeds. My next choice would be Savvy Rest. I think they have one of the best choices as far as Dunlop and Talalay latex goes, but they have no return policy, and they get quite a bit for shipping cost for there exchanges. There are other very legitimate companies that have varying exchange and return policies that you can check out. Any company that you're going to do business with, first check the Better Business Bureau and see how they rate. You have my best wishes. This message was modified Dec 17, 2009 by eagle2
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been a while since I have posted here....so long in fact my account was wiped lol. there are many things mentioned about their product that makes me question just exactly what goes into their products....much of the information given is incredibly ambiguous and vague. which in my experience is really just something done by marketing. "Latex: Milky white sap of the Rubber tree, collected much like Maple tree sap, which coagulates upon exposure to air. Sourced from Indonesia, our 100% natural Dunlop Latex is collected from Rubber Plantations where acceptable working conditions are maintained and there is no practice of child labour. We only use Oeko-Tex® certified Dunlop latex foam, the most expensive and finest quality natural latex available. It's also allergy-free because it's free of proteins which cause allergic reactions." This seems quite bizarre as although real allergic reactions to the latex used in mattresses is exceedingly rare you cannot claim it to be allergy free. Green Sleep makes the purest natural rubber in the world and they still get on occasion a latex allergic reaction. But more so than this....what bugs me about it is that if you are considering buying a latex bed for some of the 'hypo-allergenic' benefits you should be made to know that it is precisely because of the proteins found in natural rubber which make it resistant to dust mites and bacterial growth in the product (not just the mattresses ability to breathe). So removing the proteins kinda defeats one of the main reasons of buying a natural latex product in the first place. Also latex is not collected even remotely the same way that maple syrup is collected, it is also not technically sap, it is actually the 'milk' of the tree. Its one thing if someone outside of the industry called latex sap but when a manufacturer doesn't even seem to know exactly what it is just makes me shake my head. Other things they claim like having the only natural memory foam in the world kinda bugs me too....Magniflex has been making "natural" varieties of memory foam for years and years....although as mentioned I am incredibly skeptical as to whether this (or Magniflex) is truly an all natural product. This message was modified Dec 28, 2009 by a moderator
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| ummmm, try www.bbb.org/canada/ |
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| not that i can find them on the bbb, just saying, Canada is not a third world country to be suspicious of, it's exactly like the states only if you get your head cut off they'll try to sew it back on for free.... |
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Hi Everyone, I see there's a lot of confusion over our product. I thought i'd help answer a few questions. We invented a latex memory foam and manufacture it ourselves. Yes, It's a latex foam that feels like memory foam. It's not Dunlop or Talalay, it's our own process. So it has the properties of memory foam..delayed response, pressure relief etc but it's made from rubber tree sap. We call it natural memory foam because most don't know what latex foam is. Other latex mattresses are topped with wool or cotton to soften the surface, we use our natural memory foam. The mattress ends up being more comfortable than latex alone as it's far more pressure relieving. It's also much more breathable than memory foam....night and day. Breathability is just not as issue with us. Yes we are relatively new but our product is outstanding and we're doing very well because of it. Keep your questions coming ;-) |
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essentia wrote: Hi Everyone, I see there's a lot of confusion over our product. I thought i'd help answer a few questions. We invented a latex memory foam and manufacture it ourselves. Yes, It's a latex foam that feels like memory foam. It's not Dunlop or Talalay, it's our own process. So it has the properties of memory foam..delayed response, pressure relief etc but it's made from rubber tree sap. We call it natural memory foam because most don't know what latex foam is. Other latex mattresses are topped with wool or cotton to soften the surface, we use our natural memory foam. The mattress ends up being more comfortable than latex alone as it's far more pressure relieving. It's also much more breathable than memory foam....night and day. Breathability is just not as issue with us. Yes we are relatively new but our product is outstanding and we're doing very well because of it. Keep your questions coming ;-) For starters I have been unable to locate your company on the Better Business Bureau Website. I checked both your New Jersey and Connecticut store references and all the BBB could give me was that the zip code you had listed was inaccurate and could not give me any information. Then you make statements like this on your website, and I quote, "Memory foam mattresses are far more comfortable than latex mattresses. They outperform natural latex mattresses by a land slide. It’s not even close. Making the healthy choice (natural latex) or comfortable choice (memory foam) is a dilemma for many consumers." And then there is this message from Jack, and I quote. "I never thought I’d be in the mattress industry. It all started when a family member was diagnosed with cancer. Physicians made me aware of the toxins in every day items like TVs, microwaves, couches and dashboards. My family had been in the latex foam business for years and supplied most major brands. I studied the industry and realized that mattresses were manufactured with poor quality components, filled with toxic foams treated with harsh chemicals and layered together with glue. In looking for alternatives I realized there weren't any. I decided to research and developed something different, a foam made from natural ingredients. I tried offering this foam to major mattress brands but most weren't interested because of the high cost. Those who did buy it only integrated an insignificant amount in order to promote the foam's natural qualities. As I evaluated brand after brand I realized the industry wasn't overly concerned about consumer health or product quality, just catch phrases and profit margins. That's when I founded Essentia, more than a brand; a commitment to comfort and quality, without compromise. Come see what mattresses are like in the future, when the world is GREEN again." Your website is making claims, and statements, that make no sense to me. Unless, and until, I can see some ratings by the Better Business Bureau I will consider your website nothing more than an attempt at Internet Salesmanship. This message was modified Dec 20, 2009 by eagle2
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I’m still intrigued by Essentia and thank the company for taking the time to post more information about their product. I think what would be really helpful is to have actual Essentia customers post about their experiences with the mattress. I assume Essentia likely has a database of people who have bought their mattresses since they sell direct. Perhaps the company should consider sending a quick email to their customers, asking them to post their experiences, both good and bad, on this site. -Michelle |
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MichLee wrote: I’m still intrigued by Essentia and thank the company for taking the time to post more information about their product. I think what would be really helpful is to have actual Essentia customers post about their experiences with the mattress. I assume Essentia likely has a database of people who have bought their mattresses since they sell direct. Perhaps the company should consider sending a quick email to their customers, asking them to post their experiences, both good and bad, on this site. -Michelle More and more this thread is beginning to sound like a complete sales job. Every day the Internet is becoming more like television. Some programming, and useful information, overlaid, and completely enveloped in commercialization. |
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Sorry. I'm not sure what you mean. I can assure you I have nothing to do with Essentia. I'm just a regular old person looking for a new mattress. I've had a horrible one (my husband picked it out) for the past 10 years and can't wait to get something new. I am leaning toward SleepEz right now, but am still undecided as to which configuration to go with. I like pretty firm mattresses so I'm thinking of very firm / very firm / medium. I was initially considering a Temperpedic and am thankful to this forum for giving me some more "earth friendly" choices. -Michelle |
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MichLee wrote: Sorry. I'm not sure what you mean. I can assure you I have nothing to do with Essentia. I'm just a regular old person looking for a new mattress. I've had a horrible one (my husband picked it out) for the past 10 years and can't wait to get something new. I am leaning toward SleepEz right now, but am still undecided as to which configuration to go with. I like pretty firm mattresses so I'm thinking of very firm / very firm / medium. I was initially considering a Temperpedic and am thankful to this forum for giving me some more "earth friendly" choices. -Michelle Michelle: You have my sincere apologies if I have mistakenly assumed that you are promoting a company, that from everything I have been able to find out, is not as trustworthy as you seem to feel they are. I have still not been able to find anything on them either at the Canadian Better Business Bureau or the United States Better Business Bureau. The information they give on their website does not compute with the Better Business Bureau. Unless, and until, the Better Business Bureau has a rating for this company I would recommend that everyone leave them completely alone. Particularly if you live in the United States since they are a Canadian company. Although they list two locations in the United States neither one of those locations would register at the Better Business Bureau either. I know what it feels like to be wrongfully accused of " shilling" for a company. Even when that company has an excellent Better Business Bureau rating and has been in the business for 30 years. But your post requesting that this company go through their database of customers and e-mail them to all come here and post their results somehow to me sounds quite inappropriate. The likelihood that they are going to e-mail any customers who have had disputes with them is highly unlikely. They are much more likely to only e-mail folks who are quite pleased with them. That is not what this board wants. What is needed here are honest people who really examine their mattress experience and report on that experience with as much accurate detail as they can. As you're finding out when your are searching for an item like a mattress that cost several thousand dollars, and in many cases you are going to be purchasing it off of the Internet, you want some assurance that you're not going to be taken for a ride, or greatly disappointed for whatever reason. Your inquiry into SleepEZ is a good one. Savvy Rest is another company that is highly respected on this board, they also have the benefit of providing both Dunlop and Talalay as does SleepEZ. My personal preference is for FlowBeds because they have the best exchange and return policy that I'm aware of on the Internet. They have excellent customer service and I have been very satisfied with them, as have many other board members. But there are other companies, and there are many reports that you can glean through and come up with more information. It's just that I have never heard of this company that you ask about, their claims seem over the top to me, and do not square with any other information that I have ever read on the Internet in my extensive six months search for the perfect mattress. The fact that they have no BBB rating leaves them out in the cold as far as I am concerned. Good luck in your search for the perfect mattress. This message was modified Dec 21, 2009 by eagle2
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Eagle, Why don't you just request a sample of their product in order to give your "expert" opinion to the forum? Philip |
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Hello Philip: How is the Savvy Rest working out for you? In churning through the Internet I came across this interesting piece of latex from Latex International. It seems that when this product first came on the market that it was quite a hot property with high expectations from the mattress industry. Evidently it has not worked out nearly as well as it was promised. It is called NuFORM. Here is the link. http://www.latexfoam.com/index_nuform.php This message was modified Dec 21, 2009 by eagle2
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Eagle, going on a year and a half.........couldn't be happier Philip |
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Philip wrote: Eagle, going on a year and a half.........couldn't be happier Philip I am glad! Savvy Rest makes a good mattress. Good customer service. This message was modified Dec 21, 2009 by eagle2
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essentia wrote: ... Welcome to the forum! & N.M. the H.'s. H./'s gonna H. Latex-Visco hybrid huh? Latex "Memory FOam" hybrid? I've only thought of those as mutually exclusive products. petro visco thermo responsive foam vs. straight latex foam either synthetic or natural, which doesn't compress any more or less when it heats up. So you kind of had me, then you lost me, as far as "latex memory foam", because i think "if it's latex, it's not memory foam!', but i'm still researching (i.e. i'd love to learn more)! t.t.y.l., Jason Ratky. eagle2 wrote: More and more this thread is beginning to sound like a complete sales job.
Really? Really, eagle? I mean, REALLY?! |
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| Hi everyone- I wanted to update you on my mattress choice. I decided to go with the SleepEZ 8500 blended talalay. Soft top layer, medium middle, and firm bottom. I decided to go this route after talking to someone at SleepEZ (Shawn, I presume) and trying out an Englander Nature's Finest all natural latex mattress. Although Flobeds seemed to have a slightly better product (labeled latex and unlimited layer exchanges) I couldn't justify the extra $1,000 for their mattress. I am still curious about Essentia, but was a little nervous about purchasing from them since I couldn't find anyone who has tried their mattress. Anyway, thank you for the help. I can't wait for my new mattress. -Michelle |
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Michelle: It is my understanding that SleepEZ makes a good product. Good luck with your choice. Let us know how it works out. |
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I realize I might sound slightly biased as I am in the industry. But I was wondering if Essentia might be able to answer a few questions since they do have an account on the forums. http://www.myessentia.com/research/glues-toxic-components This page lists that they use styrene butadiene in their foam. Here is where I have some issues/concerns. You claim that your product is petroleum free...however styrene butadiene is a petro chemical product. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene-butadiene as a matter of fact, you also do NOT list this chemical under the content for synthetic latex. Although synthetic latex quite literally IS styrene butadiene. This is exactly what the abbreviation for synthetic rubber stands for...SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber). You also for some wierd reason list this ingredient under "Natural Latex". Although Natural latex (if you are not misleading people) quite literally means it would not be blended with synthetic latex (styrene butadiene). The page goes on to explain: "Waxes styrene-butadiene copolymer is used to add resistance and longevity to natural foams. This component has excellent abrasion resistance when properly blended. This component is most commonly used in blends of natural latex. This component is considered a thickening agent and gelling agent and contains vegetal based waxes." I don't want to get into a debate about whether or not blended latex (natural and synthetic rubber) is more durable than all natural latex (sans styrene butadiene). However I find it very misleading to basically call natural latex a blend when basically every other latex manufacturer in the world is incredibly specific on what they are blending into the mix and are far more honest about what IS 100% Natural Rubber or what is a blend of natural and synthetic. |
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If you think the manufacturers of natural latex are honest when they say 100% natural, you're clearly not at the back end of the industry, and in fact probably in the front line (SALES). All salespeople in the industry that I've met have a limited knowledge of contents that actually are in the components of a mattress. They pass on what they've been told by the mattress assembly company's marketing department, who passes on what he's been told by the component supplier's marketing department, who passes on what the foam manufacturer has told him based on European standards and industry regulations which indicates that 85% natural can be marketed as 100% natural, since 100% is not achievable. I am curious to know, which branch of the mattress industry chain the writer is from, and who he works for. He should not be upset that we are transparent, he should take this opportunity to learn all he can from us, as we are actual latex foamers. |
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im in the sales aspect of it but deal with companies that have something called 3rd party certification. yes it is technically impossible to have 100% natural latex foam because there will always be residual vulcanizing agents and soaps. however when something is certified 100% natural they are talking about the polymer content of the material. the ratio of NR to SBR, this is why I ask about your styrene butadiene content. I have actually seen the test sheets by Eco Institut of other latex foamers listing the polymer content, one of which I even posted on this site in another thread. Adding styrene butadiene is hardly necessary and does reduce the natural content. if you feel you are not being misleading by calling your product all natural when it is not as "all natural" as possible that is your decision to market the product as being so. if your argument is solely going to consist of declaring the obvious differences in pointing out that I am in sales and you are on the manufacturing end but not back up anything with facts then your point is really quite invalid. I am asking legitimate questions. And I am not so naive to believe every ones claim on 100% natural....precisely why I am questioning you all the same as any other person who has tried to sell me something they thought was natural but really isn't. This message was modified Jan 27, 2010 by budgy
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budgy wrote: im in the sales aspect of it but deal with companies that have something called 3rd party certification. yes it is technically impossible to have 100% natural latex foam because there will always be residual vulcanizing agents and soaps. however when something is certified 100% natural they are talking about the polymer content of the material. the ratio of NR to SBR, this is why I ask about your styrene butadiene content. I have actually seen the test sheets by Eco Institut of other latex foamers listing the polymer content, one of which I even posted on this site in another thread. Adding styrene butadiene is hardly necessary and does reduce the natural content. if you feel you are not being misleading by calling your product all natural when it is not as "all natural" as possible that is your decision to market the product as being so. if your argument is solely going to consist of declaring the obvious differences in pointing out that I am in sales and you are on the manufacturing end but not back up anything with facts then your point is really quite invalid. I am asking legitimate questions. And I am not so naive to believe every ones claim on 100% natural....precisely why I am questioning you all the same as any other person who has tried to sell me something they thought was natural but really isn't. hello budgy: what do u think of latex mattress from Costco that some bought? is it any good for people with low back pain. This message was modified Jan 27, 2010 by lowbacpain
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Our findings are based on some european eco certified latex foamers that we have worked with first hand in their labs and directly on their foaming departments, and know their content and certifications. We cannot comment on any other foamers since we have not worked directly with their product, which is the only true certification for us. Our disclosures are intended for in depth information and not a sales pitch. We would simply say 100% natural (like everyone else does), and not actually disclose that it is not all natural. |
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I appreciate the list nonetheless. But listing an ingredients list doesn't really tell us the quantities of anything either. Which in the interest of full transparency and disclosure the amounts of those materials to some people (you can read all the other threads on this website and see that people are concerned greatly about the actual content) would be considered vital to back up your claims. Kind of like how when a company says their latex is blended, lets say they claim 30% Natural content and 70% synthetic. They are usually referring to the polymer content, because of residual agents left in the foam I agree that even saying the product 30% natural is some what off the mark, in reality it could be 20~25% natural. Really kind of hard to tell without actually testing the product thoroughly, which no consumer has the ability to do. But at least in this scenario we do know the ratio of the polymer content which is probably the most important aspect. What is the actual polymer content in your 'natural latex' cores, and your 'natural memory foam' top layers? ie; how much actual Styrene Butadiene is used vs natural rubber content? Because in contradiction to your last post you mention in several place on your website that your latex cores are 100% natural and yet list styrene butadiene as a component as well. |
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Quantities is something you won’t find latex foamers disclosing as it’s the secret to their formulation. This is why there are only a handful or so of us worldwide. To label latex foam as 100% natural you need to have more than 85% natural content in your foam, which both our natural Dunlop latex and our natural memory foam do. Let me know if anything. |
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here is the beautiful thing about 3rd party certification. http://greensleep.ca/pdf/rubber.pdf this is an actual test sheet proving in this particular suppliers latex foam sample that there is zero styrene butadiene content. and that based on their criteria for something to get certified as natural rubber would have to be less than 5% filler and 5% styrene butadiene. in other words at least 90% puritiy, although in this case this company is really somewhere around 95%. There is no 'secret' to the formula any of these companies use, they all use the same basic stabilization chemicals during transport (ammonia, sometimes naturally derived), and vulcanizing agents (ash, and zinc oxide). This company fits my description of 100% natural rubber, primarily the absence of styrene butadiene, pending residual foaming agents this is the purest possible rubber you can get. Please don't tell me you meant that there are only a handful of latex foam makers in the world in any literal way? If by handful you mean like a dozen handfuls or more then sure, I agree with you. |
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| Hi All, Just want to let Mich know that I did get a chance to try the Essenia mattress at a Costco in Canada ... and while it was priced well ... I found it uncomfortable. At 6'5" and 210 lbs, I hit the bottom when sitting down into it and it didn't provide me with any support. My wife liked it ... but it wasn't a good choice for me. Of course, everyone needs to try a mattress and it is a very individualistic decision but it just didn't work for me. Too bad, I remember waiting until it came to the Costco closest to me and excited about trying it out. Here is a listing from Google.com when I typed in Essentia and Costco ... to back up my efforts. http://www.myessentia.com/blog/tag/memory-foam/ |
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| Mitch, if the Essentia mattress is a viable choice for you based on your location, you might want to see what firmnesses they offer before you reject it out of hand. The mattress you tried was undoubtably too soft. You probably need a much firmer latex, and perhaps Essentia makes their mattresses in firmer variations. I know I am tall and heavy, and my latex mattress is very firm - about 9" of 36 ILD with a 2" soft convoluted topper. I do not bottom out on this mattress, and get the proper comfort and support. |
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Budgy Don't forget, third party certification is on the final product. It does not tell you the quantities of liquids used to make it. This is where companies mislead everyone. If it was all measurable you would be able to know the exact formulation of everything. No more secret recipes ;-) If you're referring to tires, latex gloves etc...then yes there are many more latex manufacturers. When it comes to mattress latex foam there are only a handful or so of us worldwide. Many, many resellers..asian...indian.. pretending to be manufacturers btw. Jazzsinger777 We had 2 products at Costco. 1) Our Classic 8 (entirely natural) 2) PureFoam (not entirely natural) Today all Essentia models are natural, solely made from natural Dulop latex and our natural memory foam. |
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yes I realize that we only know the final residuals, but if there was any styrene butadiene used in the making of it, it would show up on the testing of the final product, it is the content of the final product that I am interested in the most anyway as a salesperson myself. and no, I am not talking about tire manufacturers and latex glove makers, if we throw those into the mix the number jumps much much higher. There are atleast 15 or 20 certified latex foam makers in SE Asia alone, and quite a few others that make some very questionable product. I am sorry but I really don't see how they could be posing as manufacturers simply 're-selling' the product , if you have ever been to India and tried to buy a latex mattress you would realize how dirt cheap they are over there, no way that they are buying them from the US or a European maker and selling them for what they are worth in that marketplace, granted they also don't use nice coverings over there, but still, very cheap). Why would anyone buy from a re-seller located in China that would have to re-sell the product for more than the original manfucturer would have to charge in order to make a product when they can purchase it direct? It's cheaper to buy it from China because they are probably in most cases cutting corners on the product, and also saving on the labour costs, especially if they are located a lot closer to the plantations, they are probably saving a lot on shipping costs as well. There are about a handful of makers that are currently making latex foam in North America as well. Foamex, Carpenter, LatexCo, Latex International, Sealy also makes their own latex (100% synthetic though to my knowledge), and apparently you guys, this is just the ones that I know of personally. |
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I think I should take the time to say something positive here though, because I feel like I might be being a little too hard on you guys. I think you make a really interesting product. I actually watched one of the owners on Dragon's Den a while back, I know you guys are definitely hoping to open a bunch of Essentia only stores (not sure if this is still the plan), because you were thinking maybe normal retailers wouldn't want to carry the product because you are saying it is a healthy alternative to some of the potentially dangerous chemicals found in standard mattresses. I personally think if the product stands on its own merits that it could do just fine. This is actually precisely what I do, I carry a range of 'normal' cookie cutter types of mattresses, as well as a very large selection of healthier alternatives. I flat out tell people about the off-gasing issues with standard mattresses, sometimes I think it hurts our sales temporarily, but our integrity remains intact and in the process we will probably convince a fair number of people to spend a little more money on a much better mattress. And at the risk of giving away what makes us successful I know that us actually carrying the standard well known brands only reinforces the truth in what I tell peoeple about the product. If I was a natural beds only store, and didn't carry any of the major brands I would most certainly come across as being biased. I simply provide truth and options, most of the smarter people that come in can see this. I do think it is somewhat misleading to say the product is all natural if you are using styrene butadiene, however you do have a completely unique breed of memory foam so for all I know maybe it was a necessary step to get to those properties. I don't consider it a bad thing, I think its a great thing because you are probably making the cleanest memory foam type of material around, and you are giving people an option in that type of feel that is genuinely healthier. Plus its really great to see a Canadian company doing something like this. But as we can see here even from the first couple of pages (outside of my own responses) that there is a lot of confusion and skepticism when people first see this product, and this is from the kind of customers that clearly do more research than the average mattress buyer. I personally think that if the product was even just called the "cleanest" or "most natural" or "naturally derived" memory foam would just sound a lot more accurate and you might have some stores interested in carrying your product based on that info. This message was modified Jan 28, 2010 by budgy
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Re: Essentia
| Essentia .... I was sincerely looking forward to buying your mattress, and was greatly disappointed when I sat on it as it just didn't support me well. My wife loved it ... just not me. Doesn't mean it isn't a good product. If I remember, you were offering it at a GREAT price. |
Re: Essentia
| great price? Where? looksa like almost $3,000 USD for Classic 8 including box spring......US dollar...where is the price great? |
Re: Essentia
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There are lots of claims being made in the marketplace, most unsubstantiated. One of the biggest laughable claims is Essentia's claim of having a natural memory foam. They make a latex mattress. Latex is rubber. There is no such thing as natural memory foam. It is just a marketing term. There is memory foam, which is a process of mixing chemicals and petroleum based oils. The chemicals react and rise up into a foam. Then there is latex rubber, taken from a rubber tree. There are a minimum of chemicals used in the making of latex. Essentia is an overpriced marketing machine in Canada where US laws on truth in advertising do not apply to them. Stick to companies based here in the US. |
Re: Essentia
| lol, your laws in the US are no more protective of false advertising and/or exxagerated claims. what Essentia is selling is a slow response latex foam that mimicks the feeling of normal memory foams. kind of what Latex International (US company) called NuForm. I agree that their product shouldn't be advertised as natural, heck I even see they are now calling it 'organic' which is a joke....but still....there are Essentia stores in the US using this language...it would be nice if there was a more strict standard on what you can legally call natural or organic. 3rd party certification is still the biggie there... |
Re: Essentia
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budgy wrote: lol, your laws in the US are no more protective of false advertising and/or exxagerated claims. what Essentia is selling is a slow response latex foam that mimicks the feeling of normal memory foams. kind of what Latex International (US company) called NuForm. I agree that their product shouldn't be advertised as natural, heck I even see they are now calling it 'organic' which is a joke....but still....there are Essentia stores in the US using this language...it would be nice if there was a more strict standard on what you can legally call natural or organic. 3rd party certification is still the biggie there... I could not agree more that what is desperately needed is for the Congress of the United States to write a very clear law stating that all manufacturers of latex must label there product in accordance with a strict set of disclosures that really tell the buying public everything about there product, in very plain language. So that there could be no more of this, "you guessum" approach to selling mattresses. Mattresses are just too big of a purchase. Many people, many many people, have a very difficult time scraping together $2000, let alone $3000 or more. And given the fact that 4 huge banks in the US control, I believe my figures are correct, two thirds of all credit cards issued therefore having almost no competition, and charging between 25 and 30% interest is absolutely scandalous. So needless to say a mattress can be a very large purchase indeed. So thank you again for your valuable assistance. Don This message was modified Apr 27, 2010 by eagle2
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Re: Essentia
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I wanted to resurrect this thread because I was curious if anyone (other than the one poster in this thread) had tried this mattress. I am still very skeptical that they manufacture their own "latex memory foam" as in all my research I haven't seen them mentioned as a manufacturer. Nuform from Latex International was mentioned in this thread but it didn't seem like anyone connected it with Essentia. I would guess that Essentia is using Nuform and calling it their own. Either that or they may be some kind of hidden subsidiary of LI ... but I doubt that. In any case, in spite of the fact that their mattresses are horrendously expensive, I am thinking that it would feel like nuform and there are some mattresses out there that are using Nuform that are significantly less. So has anyone actually experienced either an Essentia mattress or a mattress with a few inches of Nuform on the top and if so how did it compare with both latex and with decent memory foam? Thanks Phoenix |
Re: Essentia
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Hi-- I bought an essentia classic 8 on Feb 1. I tried this mattress at their store in Toronto and I really liked it. So far is taking forever to arrive, they told me to expect it delivered at the end of this week. I’ll come back to this forum for updates once I get to sleep on it :) |
Re: Essentia
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I got the mattress 5 days ago (a week later than promised), opened it up and put it together. It smells like rubber which it doesn't bother me. Unfortunatelly this bed is VERY hot for me. Furthermore, I'm waking up every morning with a backache. Essentia has another bed with more support (ca$3763+tax) but I can not afford it :( and still it would be too hot to sleep on.
The positive thing is that I can return it and I'll have to pay only a 2% recycling fee, arround $200. BUT I'm still dissapointed..
AnnaLucia wrote: Hi-- I bought an essentia classic 8 on Feb 1. I tried this mattress at their store in Toronto and I really liked it. So far is taking forever to arrive, they told me to expect it delivered at the end of this week.
I’ll come back to this forum for updates once I get to sleep on it :) This message was modified Feb 27, 2011 by AnnaLucia
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Re: Essentia
| I recently went to the Essentia store in Santa Monica because i was curious if their memory foam would sleep hot. I like some Tempurpedic beds but did not like the heat retention. The Essentia memory foam does not really strike me as a true memory foam. It springs back right away and does not leave an impression that lasts any length of time. It does succeed in giving a little less pushback than my Flobeds natural Talalay latex. I think somebody going to Essential and expecting a Tempurpedic experience will be disappointed. I found it difficult to descern any difference between the Essentia "memory foam" and a normal latex mattress. |