Material questions

Yes, it is. Looking at the end result the product is most of the time even more natural, but as long as there are no artificial additives or fillers used you will usually get to an end result of more than 95% natural. Look for the Eco-Institut certification with latex that analyses a product to be made out of pure natural latex.

There are companies and retailers that call products with 85% natural latex already a natural product. We don’t do that. It has to be as pure as possible. We guarantee.

Yes definitely. There are many good ecological reasons preferring Vita Talalay over any other comfort material.

No, Vita Talalay does not contain fire retardants. The Natural FR which is specially made for UK legislation does contain a natural flame retardant that is in line with REACH legislation, and is Cradle-to-Cradle Gold and Eco-Institut certified as well.

For somebody with latex allergy, Vita Talalay is safe. We have never received any feedback from consumers with regards to latex allergy linked to the proteins that cause the allergy. The reason is that the proteins are washed out during the production process and the latex is tucked in the mattress.

For people with dust mite allergy, Vita Talalay brings an added benefit as the Talalay process makes such an airy product that it gives no ground for dust mites to live in.

Yes, they are. If they are reclaimed by the mattress retailer or given to a recycling point, the latex can be reused for underfloor or insulation.

Vita Talalay is used being part of many mattresses, toppers, and pillows. It is tested to be more durable than memory foam or Dunlop latex. However the brands we use to decide on the warranty terms they can offer. In general bedding brands love Talalay because they get very little complaints on durability exceeding the recommended consumer replacement times of a pillow (3 years) or mattress (7 years) by far.

All Vita Talalay products have been washed well with pure, clear water, that is only used one single time,  washing out soaps and left over proteins. Comparisons (analysis) with other latex suppliers have shown that our washing process is very thorough.

All Vita Talalay made products are 100% made at Radium Foam in The Netherlands in the city of Maastricht. Radium foam produces latex since 1932.

Tenemos varias certificaciones: todos nuestros productos tienen certificación Oekotex 100 Clase 1; Natural Vita Talalay tiene la certificación Cradle to Cradle Gold y Eco-Institut. Todas las certificaciones muestran que nuestros productos son seguros. Para el Reino Unido tenemos el certificado FIRA, que demuestra que el Natural Vita Talalay FR es ignífugo de acuerdo con la legislación del Reino Unido.

Natural Vita Talalay está hecho con látex natural puro. En el proceso de producción, necesitamos una "pasta de vulcanización" que ayude en el proceso de horneado. En el resultado final, el 97% es látex natural y el otro 3% son restos naturales del proceso de producción. El proceso de lavado elimina las proteínas y los jabones utilizados durante el proceso.

The latex used is either a combination of natural and synthetic or made fully with natural latex.

• Superior: A mix of 40% natural latex and 60% synthetic
• Natural: 100% natural latex.
• Embrace: A visco latex with a mix of 30% natural latex and 70% synthetic latex with a viscose supplement.
• Intuition: A mix of 60% natural and 40% synthetic with a supplement of phase change material.
• Natural FR: A flame-retardant latex made up of a mix of 50% natural latex and 50% synthetic latex with a supplement of fire-retardant material.

Synthetic latex is obtained from crude oil. During World War II, there was a shortage of natural rubber. Synthetic rubber was developed as an alternative to natural latex for making tyres, among other products. It is a very stable product and easier to produce than natural rubber, and this is why this is added to most rubber compounds. Even now, many natural latex products contain a certain quantity of synthetic materials.  In addition to our pure natural Vita Talalay® without any synthetic latex, Vita Talalay® also offers a combination of synthetic and natural latex products.

Natural latex comes from the Hevea brasiliensis tree that grows in Asia. The milky-white rubber sap from this tree is used in our product. We use a mix of natural and synthetic rubber in our products. However, for our Natural Vita Talalay® latex, we do not use synthetic latex. The Natural Vita Talalay® latex is made from pure natural latex.

El látex Dunlop se fabrica según el proceso de Dunlop. Se puede hacer en un molde o con un proceso de vertido continuo. Para ambos métodos Dunlop, se usa un agente espumógeno químico para dar al látex una sensación de aireación. Con el proceso Talalay haces eso con una combinación de aspirar, crear burbujas redondas y congelar, para crear apertura. Puede encontrar más información sobre Talalay vs Dunlop aquí.

La espuma de memoria es un tipo de espuma de poliuretano que tiene propiedades viscoelásticas, dando a la espuma sus propiedades de respuesta lenta. Esto te hace hundirte en tu colchón. Sin embargo, Talalay proporciona una suavidad de levantamiento que le permite dormir en su colchón en lugar de en él. Puede encontrar más información sobre Talalay vs Memory Foam aquí.

La mayor parte de nuestro látex proviene de Tailandia en el sudeste asiático.

El látex natural utilizado es de base biológica y también biodegrada. Sin embargo, ¡no existe una espuma que sea biodegradable! No es una espuma de memoria, no es un látex Dunlop y no es un Talalay. Las afirmaciones como "biodegradable como una hoja de roble" son engañosas. De hecho, la goma de látex natural líquida golpeada es biodegradable, pero el producto final no lo es. La razón es que en el proceso los enlaces cruzados están hechos de moléculas que no pueden deshacerse fácilmente. Esto es algo bueno, porque de lo contrario su cama se estaría degradando mientras duerme en ella.

La comida puede ser completamente orgánica. Pero con un colchón de látex natural que no tiene sentido. El látex orgánico cosechado siempre necesita una adición de algunos materiales inorgánicos para procesarlo en un colchón, cubrecama o almohada de látex. Las certificaciones orgánicas hacen cierta trazabilidad del látex en sí, pero no rastrean si los materiales inorgánicos añadidos (necesarios para pasar del líquido a un material sólido) son seguros.

Todos los Vita Talalay tienen certificación Oekotex 100 clase 1. Con Natural Vita Talalay tenemos incluso dos certificaciones más que confirman que el producto final es seguro. Además, los químicos de Cradle to Cradle han analizado no solo el látex, sino también los aditivos inorgánicos. Muestra que el látex y los aditivos contienen cero materiales dañinos para la salud de los humanos y el medio ambiente.

Proceso de producción (9 pasos)

Vita Talalay

1. Mezcla

2. Moldes de relleno 30-60%

3. Vacío

4. Congelar

5. Gelificación

6. Vulcanización

7. Lavado

8. Postvulcanización

9. Redondeo / control de calidad

Proceso de producción (5 pasos)

Dunlop latex

1. Mezcla

2. Relleno de moldes 100%

• Sin vacío

• Sin congelación

• Sin gelificación

3. Vulcanización

4. Lavado

• Sin poste vulcanización

5. Redondeo

Más sobre el proceso de producción aquí.

Durante el proceso de producción de Talalay, usamos moldes con alfileres. Estos tienen una funcionalidad durante el proceso. Se necesitan para la transferencia de calor y frío. Esto crea una estructura abierta de celdas abiertas. Las características de ventilación de Vita Talalay son el resultado del proceso de producción, y no como algunos fabricantes de espuma dirán porque ha sido "perforado".

The aging of the foam is caused by thermal and UV factors. Over time, this will result in a yellow discoloration of the foam, which is normal. To counteract this, we add an harmless antioxidant to our compounds. If there is no high thermal or UV influence (unlikely in a mattress), the Vita Talalay® product will be more durable than any other product in a mattress.

Yes! There are many ecological reasons for Vita Talalay® preference over any other comfort material.

Yes, you do. Tests show that the resistance to the heat (and moisture, which is produced by the human heat, which can sweat) with Talalay is much less than with memory foam. See also the illustration below where Talalay compared with memory foam. 
Test by Custom8 2013. 
This shows that the vertical penetration much less (in cm) in the latex of heat and humidity is compared to a generally-known memory foam.

We test the synthetic latex for pH, dry matter and viscosity. We involve the product of European manufacturers who provide a complete product specification and we make sure they work according to European legislation. For natural latex we test pH, dry matter, mechanical stability and chemical stability. Radium Foam uses its own method of measuring chemical stability and connections are tested on a daily basis.

Vita Talalay® is absolutely non-allergenic, all products meet the Ökotex 100 Class I standard. This means that our products are also safe for babies. The washing process of the Vita Talalay® method ensures that all proteins and soaps are washed out. People sometimes link the allergic reactions to latex gloves with latex beds, but the material can not be compared. Latex allergies are available in different forms. A very rare form is hypersensitivity to latex. In this case, the allergic reaction can be caused by exposure to particles in the air. These particles can be derived from inexpensive unwashed latex. Frequent but still rare is the allergic reaction of the skin to latex, caused by long-term intensive contact with the skin. An allergic reaction may occur. Causes can be chemical substances in the latex or the protein in the natural latex. Since the production start in 1961, Radium Foam has never heard that our products have caused an allergic reaction. There are various reasons for this. The high quality of the latex used. That each product is thoroughly rinsed and washed and that the residues of proteins and soap are removed. Or because there is no direct contact between the skin and Talalay. But a reason may also be that Vita Talalay® products are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 product class I certified, which means that they are free from harmful substances and even safe for the baby's skin. But also because Vita Talalay® is permeable, which means a lower accumulation of dust mites and fungus. Much more often people are sensitive to house dust mites or have an asthma allergy. That is why Vita Talalay® is recommended to people who are prone to allergies.

Surprisingly, that is not the case. From information we have received, some Talalay producers do not wash their latex. Do not wash Talalay is a choice made by a number of manufacturers, especially to reduce costs. It improves the margin of the Talalay manufacturer, but it delivers a significantly less qualitative product, which is not in the interests of the consumer.

During washing, soap, ammonia and any water-soluble residues have been removed which have served their purpose and are no longer necessary or desired. If the latex is not washed, the product deteriorates more quickly. The remaining additives can, for example, reduce the sustainability and contribute to discoloration or cause odor. The end result is that Vita Talalay® is certified both Oeko-Tex Class I (safe for the baby skin) and Cradle-to-Cradle Silver (safe for health and the environment). The waste water then goes to a processing plant and is then drinkable again.

That's the clean-up of the latex blocks. The washing machines in our production hall are equipped with 4 pairs of rolls (8 rolls in total). Water is added in a decreasing volume of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd pair of rolls. Each time the block is soaked with water and the water is repeatedly pressed again. The last few rolls squeeze out the rest of the water, so we need less energy to dry the mattresses. All the residue is washed out of the Talalay latex and tests show that rinsing and washing takes place completely and thoroughly.

Once you have slept on Vita Talalay® you will not want anything else. Consumer research has shown that Talalay consumers have the largest product loyalty (based on repeat purchases). Vital Talalay® is made of millions of air cushions interconnected. This makes the product extremely ventilating and highly resilient. That's why it's supportive, soft and comfortable at the same time. If you like the feeling of memory foam then you can also try the Vita Talalay® Embrace. This is the best-ventilating memory foam in the market and with more pressure than any other (known) memory foam. Pressures have shown this.

With standard latex, the mold is filled 100% than baked (or vulcanized). The dense structure leaves no room for air, so the ventilation possibilities are a lot less and no open open cells result, which makes it much less elastic. At Vita Talalay® the mold is filled for about 30-60% and the product is evenly distributed due to the vacuum that develops. Then the product is frozen and vulcanized. As a result, Vita Talalay® gets the unique, open, round cell structure as opposed to the closed structure of the Dunlop latex, which is comparable to coral. For more details about the process please click here.

The Vita Talalay® production process is composed of freezing, vulcanizing and gelling / oxidation (air is applied in the latex compound to create a unique open cell structure) of the purest latex that end up providing the best product inside mattresses toppers and pillows. Years of market research and product development have shown that there is no higher-quality production process than the Vita Talalay® latex.