Which is the best type of mattress topper?
Before I give my opinion on the best mattress topper, I’ll give an explanation of the four main types of mattress topper:
Natural fibre mattress toppers
These are made from wool, feathers, duck down or goose down. Duck down and goose down is good for keeping cool and is super soft, but isn’t good for allergies unless it is specially treated and sealed. Wool is better for allergies but isn’t quite as soft as goose or duck down. Prices range from about £50 to £300.
Synthetic mattress toppers
These are made from polyester. They are often called things like ‘microfibre’ toppers. Prices start from about £20.
Memory foam mattress toppers (also called visco elastic)
Memory foam moulds around you so some people don’t like the sinking feeling and it can also make you feel hot. The price depends on how thick it is. Cheap memory foam toppers start at about £30.
Latex mattress toppers
These last for ages and are made from natural materials (rubber). They are expensive though (prices from about £100 upwards).
Which is the best type of mattress topper?
Most people agree that natural fibres are better than synthetic fibre mattress toppers.
Memory foam v natural fibres is a personal preference, it depends whether you like the feel of memory foam.
Latex is a posh alternative and it is natural, but it’s not to everyone’s taste.
What the science says about mattress topper depth
Researchers in China attempted to take an academic look at the question of mattress toppers in a study which was published in 2020 by Yu-Chi, Chih-Yun and Mao-Jiun. They searched for the best ‘combination of thickness and hardness’, specifically for people who sleep on their back.
After looking at things such as ‘body pressure and temperature distribution’ they recommended that a mattress topper which is 30mm is ideal and that it should be ‘a soft topper’.
What’s the best mattress topper made from microfibre synthetic materials?
If you’re on a tight budget or just want something cheap for a guest bed then here are a couple of decent synthetic mattress toppers:
1. Silentnight Airmax Mattress Topper – £47 (king size)
Silentnight is probably the best known brand in the UK mattress market. This cheap mattress topper is polyester, but it gets great reviews and it is machine washable. As an overall brand, Silentnight scores well with customers, averaging 4.1/5 on TrustPilot. This particular mattress topper scores 4.4/5 from 14,000+ reviews. The mind does boggle rather at the thought of 14,000 people all writing a review of a mattress topper.
You can choose from three versions called Standard (5cm deep), Deep (8cm deep) and Extra Deep (10cm deep). This sort of material does tend to compress so it is unlikely to add a full 10cm depth to the height of your mattress. However, you do need to keep in mind that adding a lot of depth to your mattress might mean that you need to upgrade to deep fitted sheets. Typically, mattresses range from 20-30cm deep and standard sheets go up to about 30cm. Deep fitted sheets tend to be stretch to 40cm deep – although it does vary.
It comes with four elasticated corners to help it cling onto your bed at night. I find this sort of fixing is adequate for keeping a topper in place, particularly if you also use a fitted sheet.
Pros: big name brand, low price, thousands of positive reviews, machine washable, available in four sizes and three depths
Cons: synthetic materials are less breathable
2. Sealy Deeply Full Mattress Topper – £45 (king size)
This cheap mattress topper from Sealy is pretty similar to the Silentnight Airflow Topper. They could well appear on Private Eye’s letters pages as a lookalike.
It has a microfiber cover (which just means it is very finely woven) and it has something called ‘DuPont silk like fibres’. Essentially, it is a synthetic fibre but the manufacturers say it has ‘all the legendary smoothness of silk’. That might be pushing it but it gets good reviews and it’s hypoallergenic. Sealy claims to be the world’s biggest bed brand.
There is some ambiguity online about the depth of this topper. However, after employing an elite team of investigators over several months I have concluded that it is either 4cm or 5cm deep. That puts it on a par with the cheaper version of the Silentnight Airflow.
Pros: available in four sizes, huge bedding brand, good value, hypoallergenic
Cons: synthetic material, relatively thin
What’s the best memory foam mattress topper?
There are loads of memory foam mattress toppers to choose from, but here are three to consider:
1. Panda Mattress Topper – £159 (king size)
The Panda Mattress Topper is worth a look as it comes with a 30 night home trial period. If you don’t like it, they’ll collect it for free and give you a refund (see the Ts and Cs). Home trials are quite common with mattresses but less so with toppers.
“But is it any good?” I hear you cry.
Reviews for the Panda brand on TrustPilot average 4.7/5 after 3000+ reviews whilst it scores about 4.8/5 from 14,000+ reviews on the Panda website.
Some people find memory foam makes them a bit hot in bed. However, this one aims to keep you cool by mixing the memory foam with a gel. The cover is made from bamboo that is ‘naturally antibacterial’ and ‘highly breathable’, according to the official blurb. It is 5cm thick, which is pretty decent when compared to some cheap mattress toppers.
Pros: the trial period is unusual with a mattress topper and the product gets very positive reviews. Memory foam is very good at spreading out your weight on a mattress topper.
Cons: it’s more expensive than some toppers and it is made from mostly synthetic materials.
2. Silentnight Impress Memory Foam Mattress Topper – £89 to £129 (king size)
Silentnight is a big brand and they offer this well-reviewed memory foam topper in a couple of thicknesses. The 2.5cm version is about £89, the 5cm version is £109 and the 7cm version is £129. Personally, I’d get the deeper one if you can afford it.
Memory foam offers consistent support. Some people don’t like the sinking feel, whilst others say memory foam smells a bit at first (though that does tend to go away). It’s had 3500+ customer reviews and scores 4.4/5.
The main downside is that you don’t get a trial period, which is offered with a lot of foam mattresses nowadays. I wouldn’t worry too much about that if you are already familiar with the feel of a memory foam mattress. However, if this is your first toe-dipping into the memory foam market then I would be tempted to visit a showroom where you can get an idea of how memory foam feels. It doesn’t have the same bounce that you get from a sprung mattress. Most people like it, but the feel of memory foam isn’t for everyone.
Pros: memory foam does a good job of spreading out weight, choice of thickness levels and sizes, lots of positive reviews, popular brand
Cons: some find memory foam makes them feel too warm, ‘offgassing’ is common from new foam
3. Emma Flip Topper – £269 (king size)
Emma launched itself into the mattress market about 10 years ago with its predictably-named Emma Mattress.
Since then, it has become a hugely popular brand and has added other products including a couple of of mattress toppers. The idea is that you get some of the Emma design but without changing your old mattress.
This Emma Flip Topper costs more than most toppers but it has the nice innovation of being double-sided. One side is firmer and one side is softer, so there’s a decent chance of finding it comfortable.
It’s worth mentioning that Emma is rather keen on creating its own jargon for its products. This particular topper has ‘Point Elastic Airgocell technology’ (a softer version of memory foam) and ‘High Resiliency Extra’ (a firmer type of memory foam).
The Emma Flip Topper is 6cm deep. They also do a ‘Premium Topper’ that is 9cm deep and is medium-firm but isn’t double-sided.
Trial and warranty
The Emma Flip Topper is particularly appealing because of its trial period and warranty. You get a 100 night returns window, so you can get your money back if you don’t like it. You also get a 10 year warranty, which is somewhat better than the two years offered by Silentnight on toppers.
What’s the best mattress topper made from natural materials?
We’ve picked out a natural fibre mattress toppers that gets positive reviews and offer good value. Prices are correct at time of writing.
1. John Lewis Natural Duck Feather and Down Mattress Topper – £120
John Lewis sells a couple of mattress toppers that use natural materials, rather than the synthetic materials you’ll find in all the toppers we’ve mentioned so far.
There are two versions, each of which comes in single, double, king size and super king size.
The most popular version is the cheaper of the two, which is the John Lewis Natural Duck Feather and Down Mattress Topper. This one is 85% feather and 15% down.
The more expensive version is called the John Lewis Duck Feather & Down Dual Layer Mattress Topper. The King Size version is an extra £35. This version is designed differently so that the top layer is a mix of down and feather, whilst the bottom layer is all feathers.
What’s the difference between feather and down?
You may be wondering what I’m blathering on about. Equally, you may be an exact on ducks. Feel free to skip this section.
Ducks provide both feathers and down. Feathers are the bit you can see on top whilst ‘down’ is the softer feathers underneath.
Feathers are heavier and denser than down and they are also cheaper for manufacturers. As a general rule, a more luxurious duvet or topper will use more down than feathers.
However, there are very few products that are 100% down. This is because manufacturers thinks it works well to include at least a few feathers to give a product some substance and robustness.
The idea of the dual layer topper mentioned earlier is that you get the softer material against your body with the more solid support from the feathers underneath.
Is it machine washable?
Hmm, there is a snag with natural materials like feather and down toppers.
They aren’t nearly as robust as synthetic materials. This particular topper says it can’t go in a washing machine, and is only suitable for ‘spot cleaning’. That’s the case whether you go for the cheaper or more expensive one.
Slightly confusingly, it says it can be tumble dried at a high temperature. I’m not sure why this would be necessary after a bit of spot cleaning.
Anyway, my point is that you may not get as many years out of it because you can’t put it in a washing machine if it gets stained.
Pros: John Lewis & Partners reputation for quality, natural materials are breathable, good reviews
Cons: Fairly expensive, can’t go in a washing machine
Which are the best latex mattress toppers?
There aren’t all that many latex mattress toppers on the market but here are a couple worth a look:
1. Rymix Latex Mattress Topper – £229 (king size but super king size is also available)
I think of latex as offering the best of a memory foam and a feather and down topper.
It’s a natural material that is less likely to cause you to overheat than memory foam. However, it has a more solid and consistent shape than feather and down toppers.
The material is harvested from the rubber tree and lots of people rave about it as a a mattress material. However, it remains a pretty niche choice partly because it is expensive.
This Rymix topper comes in two thickness options – 5cm and 7.5cm.
Pros: natural material, consistent support, keeps you cooler than memory foam
Cons: costs as much as some new mattresses
Which retailers are best for buying best mattress toppers?
- John Lewis & Partners has a small, high-quality selection of mattress toppers. Prices range from about £50 for a cheap double mattress topper made from synthetic materials, through to an £800 topper designed for Vispring mattresses. The only thing missing is a latex mattress topper (at the time of searching)
- Amazon has a vast selection of mattress toppers. There are loads of cheap memory foam and synthetic mattress toppers (£20+), although there are some £200+ latex toppers if you are after something higher quality.
- Very has a small but decent range of mattress toppers, with memory foam, synthetic and natural feather and down mattress toppers.
- Mattress Online has a small selection of mattress toppers, most of which are mid-priced memory foam toppers
Why should I buy a mattress topper?
There are two advantages to buying a topper to sit on top of your mattress.
- Hygiene – toppers collect all the sweat, grotty bacteria and other unpleasantness which would otherwise end up on the mattress (best not to think about such things when you stay in a hotel…). As a result, you can just replace the topper and keep the mattress going for a few more years. Some mattress toppers have covers which can be removed and washed.
- Comfort – you won’t notice a lot of difference with a cheap topper, but more expensive toppers add a decent layer of comfort. It’s a bit like putting a new carpet down – it won’t cover up holes in the floorboards and you won’t notice much improvement if you get the cheap stuff they use in schools…
Does it matter what my mattress underneath is made from?
Some people get a mattress topper that matches the material of the mattress. So, if you’ve got a memory foam mattress you’ll get a topper which is also memory foam. However, there’s nothing to say you can’t live life on the edge and use a memory foam topper on a pocket sprung mattress.
In fact, this is the exact design used in a huge number of mattresses on the market. They are usually known as ‘hybrid’ mattresses.
What’s the advantage of an expensive mattress topper?
A cheap mattress topper made from polyester is perfectly adequate but a feather and down or latex topper is better if you are inclined to get too hot in bed (ooer missus).
Memory foam and latex are good if you have problems with allergies. There’s also an argument that memory foam and latex offer good all over support in a mattress.
What’s the difference between a mattress pad and a mattress topper?
A topper is thicker than a mattress pad.
I can waffle on for a while about the history of bedding or the 94 types of mattress pads if you like, but that’s the gist of it. Perhaps I should draw a diagram of someone lying on their side to help illustrate it?