High Resilience Foam vs. Latex

High Resilience Foam

High resilience is a polyurethane foam that has a much higher responsiveness than memory foam, which has a slower response. Because of this, those that enjoy more of a bounce in their mattress will gravitate towards this type of foam.

High resilience foams are much less popular than memory foam, but they make up important layers of many popular mattresses. Oftentimes the transitional layer or base layer of memory foam mattresses will contain high resilience foam at high densities. This provides a more even feel across the mattress, and less of a sinking feeling that memory foam alone would have.

Like all polyurethane foam, high resilience foam is made of a blend of polyurethane and has a tendency to off-gas. If you are susceptible to lung issues, please do additional research on the quality of foams before purchasing.

Pros: Quicker response than memory foam provides many mattresses with an even supportive feel.

Cons: Sagging and off-gassing problems with lower quality foams.

Latex

Latex is made from the sap of a rubber tree. Over generations, people have learned how to tap the trees without having to cut them down. This means that it is one of the most eco-conscious and sustainable ways to create bedding.

After the latex is harvested from the rubber tree, it is treated to create foam. The two most common ways of treating latex for bedding is Dunlop and Talalay. The result is a high response and heavy piece of foam that can be used for bedding. By changing the density, the latex can be more or less responsive.

Those that are used to a memory foam feel (a slow response) will be surprised to know that most latex is highly responsive, meaning that although it will react to ones body, it has a natural bounce. Some sleepers prefer this, though others not so much.

Recently, there has been an explosion in latex bedding with the higher demand for eco-conscious foam alternatives. Though latex is natural, there are some that mix it with memory foam. For those that are looking for pure latex bedding, be careful to do your research on the entire bed.

Pros: High response, differing firmness options.

Cons: High expense vs memory foam, some don't like the latex responsive feel.

Learn More About High Resilience Foam

Learn More About Latex

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Material Scores

Overall Score:
High Resilience Foam: 8.9/10
Latex: 9.7/10

Comfort:
High Resilience Foam: 8.8/10
Latex: 9.4/10

Softness:
High Resilience Foam: 8.7/10
Latex: 9.4/10

Cooling:
High Resilience Foam: 8/10
Latex: 8.5/10

Hypoallergenic:
High Resilience Foam: 8.1/10
Latex: 9.4/10

No Odor:
High Resilience Foam: 8.4/10
Latex: 8.9/10

General Support:
High Resilience Foam: 9.4/10
Latex: 8.8/10

Eco-Conscious:
High Resilience Foam: 8.5/10
Latex: 9/10

Price Value:
High Resilience Foam: 9.4/10
Latex: 8.4/10