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Connor Mycroft

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has urged residents to thoroughly test mattresses before buying them after finding that only about a third of vetted products were suitable for people who sleep on their sides.
The Consumer Council shared its findings on Monday and said the price of a mattress was not directly tied to its overall performance, with the watchdog rating both a HK$2,499 (US$321) Ikea mattress and a HK$8,260 Simmons product four out of five.
The Ikea mattress also outperformed a HK$9,328 product from Sealy, the most expensive item in the study, which scored 3.5.
“A suitable double mattress not only enhances quality of sleep, but also promotes spinal health,” the watchdog said.
“While most mattresses provided good support for back sleepers, performance varied for side sleepers, and inferior models might not provide adequate body support.”
The council tested 14 products from brands such as Ikea, Muji, Skyler and Simmons. The prices ranged from HK$2,299 to HK$9,328.
The assessments were conducted in Europe using test dummies intended to match the proportions of medium-sized Asian men and women.
The watchdog also evaluated the products’ body support performance based on whether users slept on their backs or sides, as well as factors such as firmness, pressure distribution and flammability.
The watchdog found that while most of the products it tested could provide good support for people sleeping on their backs, only five were considered adequate for those who slept on their sides.

The five models included a pocket spring mattress from Ulfenbo, two interlocking spring models from Sweetdream and Sealy, as well as two foam mattresses from Sinomax and Skyler.
In terms of overall body-support performance, a HK$6,299 foam mattress by Sinomax scored the highest, while a foam Sea Horse model priced at HK$2,655 scored the lowest.
The Sea Horse model was also the only mattress rated as “very hard” and also scored the lowest in pressure distribution, which the council warned could cause discomfort and pain.
The product had the lowest overall score among all the tested mattresses.
The council also checked the products’ flammability, with a HK$5,460 Skyler foam mattress the only assessed item to fail a small flame test.
The product and all the other tested mattresses passed a smouldering cigarette assessment.
The council noted that passing the mainland Chinese and internationally adopted smouldering cigarette test was considered “sufficient” by Hong Kong customs, but the department still encouraged manufacturers to improve their products’ fire resistance.
A representative from Skyler said that its model had passed a required US test for mattress flammability and had submitted the relevant report to the council.
Overall, seven mattresses scored four out of five, including all of the tested pocket spring models from Ulfenbo, Serta, Ikea, Muji and Simmons.
An interlocked spring model from Emmas and the Sinomax foam model also scored four points. None of the mattresses achieved five points.
The council found that pocket spring mattresses generally outperformed interlocking spring models.

The watchdog recommended that consumers conduct sleep trials, such as resting on their back or side, for as long as 15 minutes, before selecting a mattress.
The council also asked traders to provide clear warranty information for buyers after discovering that most of the tested models failed to provide free repair or replacement throughout the entirety of the warranty period.
It found that the pocket spring model from Muji, going for HK$4,280, was the only product that did not come with a warranty.
While the other 13 tested models had warranties ranging from 10 to 20 years, only five included free repair or replacement services for problems caused by quality or production issues throughout the entire warranty period.
The five brands that provided warranties throughout the allotted periods were Sea Horse, Sweetdream, AirLand, Hekura and Simmons.
The remaining models from Ulfenbo, Serta, Ikea, Simmons, Emmas, King Koil, Sealy, Sinomax and Skyler were found to only provide free maintenance in the first instance or during the first one or two years of the warranty. Maintenance would be subject to a fee after that period.
“To protect consumers’ right to information, the council urges traders to proactively explain to consumers the warranty terms and conditions, calculation of repair costs, on-site inspection fees, transportation fees and registration requirements, et cetera, during the sales process,” the watchdog said.
Only Skylar and King Koil replied to the council’s findings.


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Consumer Council says price is no guarantee of mattress performance, and warns only about a third of tested products suit side sleepers


Consumer Council says price is no guarantee of mattress performance, and warns only about a third of tested products suit side sleepers.


Consumer protection in Hong Kong