Mattress materials, especially if it’s fiberglass, have been under the spotlight lately. Everyone is talking about health or contamination problems associated with them and you are naturally feeling concerned about choosing a mattress that poses a health risk.
You’ve been looking at Purple mattresses and you want to feel reassured about the materials inside it before you buy. Do Purple mattresses have fiberglass? I asked them directly so you can have the correct information.
Unfortunately, the answers Purple have given me are not clear. I had one Purple customer service agent tell me that yes they do use fiberglass last year, then just today I had another tell me that they do not. And they were not helpful with their answers.
Here’s everything I found out about Purple, and everything you need to know about fiberglass (and mattress fire barriers).
Understanding Fiberglass in Mattresses
In the USA, all mattresses are required under federal law to have some sort of fire barrier or fire retardant in it. Mattresses are made from highly flammable materials and it’s believed the introduction of this fire barrier requirement saves thousands of lives and injuries every year.
Fiberglass is a popular choice of fire barrier because it’s low cost and it’s very effective. The fiberglass is encasuplated in an inner cover of the mattress so that under normal circumstances, you never come in contact with it.
In the event of a fire it will melt in on itself (like liquid glass) without releasing toxic fumes. I’ve seen videos of a mattress on fire that has a fiberglass fire barrier (I’ve included one further on so you can see too), and it pretty much just snuffed itself out.
While fiberglass is nontoxic, (we use fiberglass all through our houses for insulation, etc), it can cause problems if it gets into places it shouldn’t.
Material Composition of Purple Mattresses
Purple mattresses are known for their innovative Purple Grid comfort layer, which is an extremely comfortable memory foam alternative. Their mattresses are built using quality materials and are overall quite nice. However, questions remain about the safety of the materials they use.
Purple mattresses are safe in that they do not contain any chemicals. They have CertiPUR-US certification to back that up, which is great to see.
Another concern with mattresses is VOC (volatile organic compounds, released into the air). Purple claims on their website that their mattress is low VOC, but there is no certification to back this up. GREENGUARD Gold is the certification I’d like to see from a mattress brand stating a low VOC claim.
With regards to the fire barrier and what it’s made of, I just don’t know. Here’s everything I’ve been told by Purple:
- In 2022 I asked Purple in their chat on their website if their mattresses contain fiberglass. The answer was “Yes”.
- I asked again in December 2023 and the answer was “No”. But the customer service agent would/could not tell me what they use instead and continually skirted around the issue to the point of being condescending to me. I was really not impressed with the service.
This leaves you with two unanswered questions when it comes to the safety of Purple mattresses: How low VOC are they really? What’s the fire barrier made of?
There are plenty of other mattress brands around that happily share this information with you so I don’t understand why Purple would skirt around the issue. It makes then look like there’s something to hide. I don’t like this, so I’d therefore recommend you buy elsewhere.
Health and Safety Concerns Related to Fiberglass
As long as the fiberglass inside the mattress cannot escape, there will be no problem. However, there have been instances where in cheaper brands, fiberglass has come out of a mattress, causing contamination to the area and also health problems.
Health problems can arise if the fibers become airborne and are inhaled or come into contact with the skin. Here are some potential health implications:
- Respiratory Irritation: Inhaling airborne fiberglass particles can irritate the respiratory system, leading to symptoms such as coughing, throat irritation, and difficulty breathing. Individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma may be more sensitive to these effects.
- Skin Irritation: Contact with fiberglass can cause skin irritation, redness, itching, and discomfort. The tiny glass fibers can embed themselves in the skin, leading to irritation that may persist until the fibers are removed.
- Eye Irritation: Fiberglass particles can cause irritation to the eyes, resulting in redness, tearing, and discomfort. It is essential to avoid rubbing the eyes if fiberglass particles come into contact with them.
- Allergic Reactions: Some individuals may be allergic to fiberglass, and exposure can trigger allergic reactions such as hives, itching, or a rash.
Unfortunately, Amazon, Reddit, and other places around the internet where people talk about mattresses are FULL of people who’ve been hit with having to deal with fiberglass escaping from their mattress. One of the biggest memory foam manufacturers in the US, Zinus, is even facing a lawsuit about fiberglass in their mattresses.
Consumer Reports and Feedback
I searched through the 42,990 reviews on the Purple website and not one of them mentioned fiberglass.
If you look at reddit forums, where people spend a lot of time discussing mattresses, you will see reports of people having issues with fiberglass in their mattresses. However, the threads are old and I could not find any recent reports from people who have bought a Purple mattress.
Comparison with Other Mattress Brands
Purple is not alone in using fiberglass in its fire barrier. As you now know, it’s cheap and highly effective. As long as the fiberglass cannot escape it’s actually a very safe fire barrier.
Popular brands that have run into trouble with fiberglass include Zinus and Linenspa. These are very cheap mattress brands. The reason that cheap mattresses are often the culprits for fiberglass contamination is that the cover may not be of good quality, and rips easily thereby exposing the fiberglass.
Another reason why cheaper brands can pose a higher risk of fiberglass exposure is that the fiberglass containing fire barrier is sprayed onto the internal cover rather than being woven into the fabric. If the fiberglass is woven into the fabric it’s harder for it to leak.
Tempurpedic is a good example of a premium brand that uses fiberglass in its mattress but it poses little to no risk to consumers. In my personal opinion, the fiberglass in a Tempurpedic can’t escape. The outer cover is very high quality, and the fiberglass is a woven part of an inner sock. I’ve pulled back the outer cover on many Tempurpedic mattresses with no issue.
However, just knowing that fiberglass is present can be enough to put you off. After all, why risk it when there are fiberglass free alternatives?
Alternatives to Fiberglass in Mattresses
Mattress companies actually have a lot of options for their fire barriers. Given the bad press and great distrust of fiberglass I find it surprising that anyone still uses it. Here’s a look at what other mattress brands are doing for their fire barriers.
As I’ve just explained, Helix uses an inherent rayon as their fire retardant barrier. Because it’s cheap to make, requires no toxic chemicals and does not pose other risks like fiberglass does, you’ll find it in lots of memory foam mattresses. Here are some other brands that use this material, just like Helix:
- Amerisleep
- Bear
- Titan
Another plant based fire barrier is thistle pulp. Saatva use this in their popular mattress range. Salt is yet another fire barrier mattress companies can use, so far I’ve only seen Tuft and Needle use it (in their Mint and Original mattress lines only).
Wool
- Brentwood Oceano
- Natural latex mattress brands such as PlushBeds
These fiberglass-free fire barriers all meet the federal flammability standards.
Final Assessment and Recommendations
Now you understand why fiberglass is used in mattresses, but you’ve also seen there are a lot of good alternatives. My personal recommendation to you is to choose a fiberglass free mattress, that way you will never go to sleep worrying if the fiberglass is going to get out one day.
While Purple mattresses certainly have a lot of things going for them with their innovative designs, it’s a real shame they can’t put the same effort into consumer information about the details of the fire barrier and getting more safety certifications for your peace of mind.
