The Sleep Geek, aka James Wilson, talks about cutting through the chemical fog and why clarity matters more than ever.
Too often, mattresses get lumped in with “snake oil” products, thanks to the way claims are made, or mis-made, about what goes into them and what they can do. That’s why the NBF’s new guidance on the language we use to describe chemical content in mattresses is such a welcome move. It’s a step towards cutting through the fog. But, if you ask me, it needs to go further.
The truth is, standards in the sleep world have always been… well, a little soft. Not just in mattresses and pillows, but right across the sector. I’ve seen GPs with a couple of hours’ training decades ago calling themselves sleep doctors. I’ve seen brands claim an eye mask can “cure insomnia.” I’ve personally been thrown into challenging work supporting kids with behavioural issues in an education setting after just three days of training, no supervision, and then had to pay for extra courses just to do the job properly.
Standards matter, and too often, they’re missing.
That’s why the NBF clarification matters. When I was a retailer, we sold organic mattresses certified by the Soil Association. But the minute “organic” became a selling point, the label got abused. I saw mattresses with organic covers but chemical fire treatments inside. I even saw someone selling an “organic” memory foam mattress. Their logic? Foam comes from oil, oil comes from the ground, so technically organic! You couldn’t make it up.
This is where language and standards collide. If we don’t define terms, they get stretched until they mean nothing. “Gel” is a good example. A genuine gel layer is one thing. Blue-dyed foam pretending to be gel? That’s another. The same goes for the way foam is described. I’ve seen brands lean towards medical sounding terms to give products credibility they don’t deserve. That blurring of the lines does nobody any favours, not retailers, not manufacturers, and certainly not consumers.
What sleepers really want is clarity. They want to know what they’re buying, whether it’s truly organic, whether that gel really is gel, whether that “sleep doctor” has credentials or just a certificate from a weekend course.
Clarity builds trust. Trust builds value. And value builds an industry that lasts and consumers willing to pay the brands they trust.
The NBF’s step on chemicals is a strong opening move. But let’s not stop there. Let’s push for clearer standards on materials, clearer definitions of the words we use, and clearer rules around the claims that can and can’t be made. Because if we want to move away from the “snake oil” tag, we can’t just tidy up one corner—we’ve got to clean the whole house.
Done right, it makes life easier for retailers, gives consumers confidence, and helps all of us stand behind the promise that our products really do help people sleep better.
About the Sleep Geek
James Wilson (AKA The Sleep Geek) is a Sleep Educator & Practitioner and founder of kipmate. He is currently the sleep expert on ITV’s This Morning and has worked with the likes of Zurich, Budweiser, Under Armour and West Ham United helping their people sleep better. He offers training and certification for retailers, and a certification scheme for sleep products.
