No, and we'd be skeptical of any brand that makes that claim.

"Chemical-free" is one of the most common phrases in mattress marketing, and one of the least meaningful. Everything is a chemical. Water is a chemical. Organic latex is a chemical. The claim has no regulatory definition, no third-party verification process, and no enforcement mechanism. A brand can print it on a website without any evidence, and many do.

At Avocado, we don't make that claim. What we make instead is a more specific, verifiable, and honest one: every Avocado mattress has been independently tested and certified against some of the most rigorous substance screening standards in the world. Here is exactly what that means.

No single standard catches everything — which is why we hold six simultaneous finished-product certifications, each testing for different substances through different methodologies.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
Prohibits synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and hazardous chemical inputs from the farm through the finished product. GOTS certifies the entire mattress as it arrives in your home — not individual components. Every Avocado mattress holds this certification.

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, Class I
The highest OEKO-TEX category is designed for products intended for babies and toddlers. Tests the finished product against strict human-ecological criteria for harmful substances — including formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals, and pesticide residues. Every Avocado mattress and crib mattress is certified at this level.

MADE SAFE®
Screens finished products against thousands of substances known or suspected to harm human health, aquatic life, and wildlife — including carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and reproductive toxins. Requires complete ingredient disclosure.

EWG Verified®
Requires full ingredient transparency and finished-product screening against strict health-based criteria, with publicly accessible product listings.

GREENGUARD Gold
Certifies against chemical emission limits for bedrooms and living spaces — the air you actually breathe while you sleep. Every Avocado mattress and furniture piece is certified.

UL Formaldehyde-Free
Independently validates that our products contain no added formaldehyde or formaldehyde precursors.

As a result of these certifications, every mattress we make is built without:

These are not marketing choices. They are certification requirements, independently audited and annually renewed.

PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, sometimes called "forever chemicals" — are among the most studied threats to human health, linked to immune disruption, hormonal interference, and certain cancers. They are called forever chemicals because once they enter soil and waterways, they do not leave.

We test for 320 PFAS substances at parts-per-billion sensitivity across our core materials, including latex, coir, cotton, wool, and waterproof protectors. No detectable amounts have been found. We were among the first mattress brands to publish comprehensive PFAS test results — full substance list, methodology, and findings — publicly in this Help Center.

You can review the full results here.

Our certifications are designed to overlap. OEKO-TEX tests the finished product against harmful substance thresholds. MADE SAFE screens against a broader hazard list, including substances OEKO-TEX doesn't cover. GREENGUARD tests what enters the air. EWG requires us to disclose every ingredient. GOTS governs what goes into the supply chain in the first place.

No single standard catches everything. Together, they leave fewer gaps unchecked — and every one of them is verified by an independent body, not self-reported by us.

Transparency means naming the limitations, not just the certifications.

Every Avocado innerspring mattress contains polypropylene coil encasements — a petroleum-derived component that is food-grade, non-toxic, and approved under GOTS as a functional accessory where no certified organic alternative currently meets our structural and durability requirements. We are evaluating pathways to reduce it. We don't have a timeline yet.

Our waterproof mattress protectors contain a thin plant-based polyurethane membrane derived from cornstarch — approximately 5% of the product — that makes the protector waterproof. The remaining 95% is organic cotton, and the finished protector is GOTS certified. We designed it as a separate, removable layer so the certified organic mattress surface beneath it remains uncompromised.

We name these because honesty that skips the uncomfortable parts is not honesty.

We don't claim chemical-free. We claim something more specific, more verifiable, and more useful: every mattress we make has been independently certified against the substances that research and regulatory standards identify as harmful — and we publish the results so you don't have to take our word for it.

A sustainability promise made without verification is not a promise. It is marketing.