NATURAL LATEX

What is Talalay Latex?

Latex is defined as: Any of several natural or synthetic colloidal polymers suspended in an aqueous solution. Basically: rubber particles in water.

Harvested from rubber trees much like maple syrup is harvested…

Latex is rubber, NOT plastic.

• 2 types of rubber
• NR = Natural Rubber provides contouring feel
• SBR = Styrene Butadiene Rubber (man-made) provides durability

All mattress components and pillows from Talalay Global  are 100% Talalay latex. We use a proprietary blend of natural and synthetic latex to provide the optimal balance of comfort and durability.

Made in USA

Our products are manufactured with pride in the USA, ensuring the highest product quality standards throughout the manufacturing process.

Environmentally Friendly

At Talalay Global WE are RESPONSIBLE:

ENERGY: Our control systems and state of the art automation allow us to optimize energy usage at every step of the Talalay process.

EMISSIONS: Our manufacturing facility does not emit any harmful elements into the air. Our finished products don’t emit harmful vapors. Our Talalay, unlike memory foam, does not off-gas any harmful chemicals.

SUSTAINABILITY: Talalay Global uses millions of gallons of natural latex each year. Natural latex is harvested from trees that help “scrub” excess carbon from our air.

All of our Talalay products are made with Natural Talalay Latex Rubber, which starts as sap from the Havea brasiliensis tree. These rubber trees have a 25 year productive life and a strong positive effect on the environment as they quickly absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help reduce greenhouse emissions.

Our Talalay process features natural, biodegradable ingredients that come from renewable resources and water-based raw materials: natural latex, air, and water. Our process does not use solvents and does not damage the ozone layer. Our clean and green approach carries through to our end products: Talalay contains no toxic chemicals while standard Poly Foam and Memory Foam (visco) can contain as many as seven toxic chemicals*

*Poly Foam and Visco Foam may contain up to seven toxic chemicals: Tetrachoroethane, acetone, and dimethylformamide, Methyl benzene, Methylene dianiline, toluene-neoprene and Vinilideine chloride, one non-toxic chemical – diphenyl diisocyanate, and one natural material (water.) Synthetic Latex has 5 non-toxic chemicals (2-chloro-1–3-butadiene, diphenyl diisocyanate, metallic oxides, Phenol-melamine resins, sulfur, Tellerium) and 1 natural material (water.) 100% Natural Latex has 6 non-toxic chemicals (acrylate resins, diphenyl diisocyanate, Phenol-melamine resins, Phenol-urea, Polyvinyl acetate and waxes styrene- butadiene copolymer) and 3 natural materials (fats, hevea brasiliensis milk, and water.)

Breathable

Our Talalay breathes up to 7x better than other latex or foams for cooler sleep. One of the fastest growing concerns with bedding today is sleeping hot. This is a legitimate concern because not only is it uncomfortable, sleeping too hot interrupts the quality of our sleep as we continuously move to find a cooler spot. This can occur from both mattresses and pillows. The heightened awareness of sleeping hot is primarily due to increased use of Memory Foam in mattresses. Memory Foam has a collapsible cell structure that traps body heat and radiates it back at us resulting in uncomfortable perspiration.

Talalay is sometimes confused with Memory Foam because of extensive Memory Foam advertising. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Talalay rubber cell structure resists collapsing and allows air to circulate. This breath-ability whisks away our body heat preventing mattresses and pillows from becoming an oven. Talalay Global has gone one step further and developed Talalay Celsion which is a unique formulation of Talalay with special phase change properties. Talalay Celsion actually helps regulate the consistency of body temperature for a temperature neutral sleeping experience.

TALALAY HEALTHY

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 (link to oeko website) is the leading global testing and certification process that ensures textile materials and home furnishing products do not contain harmful substances or pose a health risk to consumers. Very few latex or foam producers in the world meet the standards of this independent, third-party certification.

All our Talalay Latex products are certified OEKO-TEX Class 100.

This means that our products do not contain allergenic materials that form carcinogenic arylamines of the MAK-groups III A1 and III A2 (see the Oeko-Tex website for a list of chemicals included in these groups, link to oeko), pesticides and chlorinated phenoles, heavy metals or formaldehyde.

Our Talalay also meets the standard for skin friendly pH and is free from chloro-organic carriers and biologically active finishes. In other words, our Talalay is the healthiest material you can sleep on.

Hypoallergenic

Our Talalay is inherently resistant to Mold, Mildew, bacteria, and Dust Mite resistant. Most people don’t consider their mattress as a contributing source for respiratory problems and allergic reactions. We think of our bed as a “safe haven”. The reality can be much more disturbing.

We shed millions of microscopic skin cells and perspire nearly 1 pint of water every night. The microscopic skin cells and water vapor fall through the weave of our linens and mattress cover landing on the cushioning layers below where they become a food and water source for mold, mildew, bacteria and dust mites- it can’t be avoided, and it’s gross.

Whether your “landing pad” cushion layer is hospitable to these infestations is the controlling factor to the amount of hazardous dust created from your mattress & pillow. Foams such as Memory Foam & Polyurethane Foam are environments where these contaminants thrive, so if they compose the top cushion layers of your mattress you may have a problem. Independent testing shows that our Talalay is inherently resistant to mold, mildew & bacteria proof- these organisms simply won’t grow on it. Furthermore, it’s dust mite resistant so these critters will prefer to be elsewhere, not right next to your face as you sleep. Zero cases of allergic reactions to Talalay Global products have been reported. Talalay Global has been making Talalay pillows and mattress components for over 35 years. Every year millions of products are sold using Talalay Global Talalay. The FDA tracks allergic reactions to latex products in the USA. Not once has there been a report of an allergic reaction attributed to any of our Talalay products.

NO ODOR

Talalay Global offer an odor free product. Unlike memory or polyurethane foam Talalay does not off gas.

MAKING LATEX – MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

LATEX MANUFACTURING PROCESSES:

The terms “Talalay” and “Dunlop” refer to the two different methods of manufacturing Latex Rubber for sleep products. The Dunlop process was developed in 1929. It was the first method used to produce latex material for bedding.

As technology progressed, the Talalay process was developed by the Talalay family during World War II. The Talalay process for producing latex is significantly more complex and costly, resulting in softer, more buoyant and luxurious finished products.

MAKING LATEX – LATEX FORMULAS

Both Talalay and Dunlop processes start with a formula mixture of liquid latex.

Note: there are small amounts of other materials required for processing liquid latex into solid form which are necessary for all latex production. (ingredients & amounts are proprietary)

Talalay Global – Talalay is produced using only 100% Natural or Blended formulations to meet optimum quality standards.

Latex Processes:

TALALAY

1. Liquid latex formulation is poured into a mold and sealed closed
2. Vacuum is created to disperse liquid latex throughout mold
3. Liquid latex is flash frozen
4. Frozen latex is flash heated to “gel” into permanent solid form
5. Cooled solid latex is removed from mold

DUNLOP

1. Liquid latex formulation is poured onto a long conveyor belt
2. Liquid latex is slowly heated to “gel” into permanent solid form
3. Cooled solid latex is removed from conveyor belt

THE DIFFERENCE IN PROCESSING ARE THE TWO ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT OCCUR WITH TALALAY PROCESS – #2 VACUUM & #3 FREEZE.

#2 Vacuum – This allows any amount of latex to be evenly distributed throughout the mold creating precise and varied firmness with the finished latex. The more liquid latex that’s poured into the mold the firmer the resulting solid latex. Therefore, if less liquid latex is used, a softer more supple piece of latex results. This differs from Dunlop in that Dunlop process has very little ability to vary the firmness or feel of the finished solid product while maintaining its structural integrity. The liquid formula is poured onto a belt and you get the same, dense piece of latex every time. The only way to soften the feel of Dunlop latex is to add “fillers” into the liquid latex formula which result in solid latex that is flaky and breaks down quickly.

#3 Flash Freeze – This provides Talalay with its uniquely consistent characteristic. Liquid latex is a suspension of rubber particles in water, like a shaken snow globe. Flash freezing prevents the latex particles from settling to the bottom while gelling into a solid product. This means that the resulting piece of solid Talalay latex has the same consistent feel from top to bottom.

This differs from Dunlop because Dunlop process does not utilize a freeze step. Therefore, the rubber particles settle to the bottom while the liquid latex is gelling into a solid form, like a snow globe, resulting in a variation of feel from top to bottom. This is not recognizable if the Dunlop latex is used as a bottom layer of a mattress but can cause problems if Dunlop pieces are used for pillows or as top layers of a mattress.