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74 Comments

  1. Hi Irina, I recently checked with Jade and I was told nitrosamine was now removed from their yoga mats. It is difficult to feel confident about this. Linda

  2. Hi Irina

    Thank you for creating this helpful post. I have been on the hunt for a completely non-toxic yoga mat. I contacted Jade directly, because it didn’t provide full details of the composition or materials used in the manufacture of their yoga mats. They responded to me to say that the mats are made of open cell natural rubber and a polyester net of in the middle of the mat to stabilize the rubber mat. As you might know, polyester is a hormone disruptor and is associated with fertility issues (in both men and women). I found it quite alarming that this is not indicated anywhere on the website, but since this is from their own mouths, I thought I would share. I’m wondering if this is a mat I should now avoid.

  3. Hi,
    Thanks, Irina It is a great blog post. Helpful and Informative blog. Thanks for sharing this information with us.

  4. Hi,
    Thanks Irina for all this! I bottomed out looking for a non-toxic yoga mat a few years ago… nad have been dreading revisiting the topic. It’s nice to see there are a few more options available now. I’ve been fantasizing about buying a jade or manduka, and letting it air out for several months (because I’m really sensitive to latex smell). But after reading this, I’m wondering about the Bowern mats. Have you (or any other readers) noticed/heard whether they have a noticeable rubber/latex smell please? And what do you think about the micro-suede top layer? Does it provide any traction/grip? Thank you!

  5. Hi Irina!

    What thickness of cork mat do you have? I too like a cushion as you’ve indicated you like.

    Thank you!

  6. Hi Irina,

    How about the Manduka round mat? Says microfiber top with natural rubber core and base.

    Nancy

  7. Hi Irina,

    Thanks for your post. I bought a mat (and an expensive one) before I knew what PVC was. I asked the seller just today and this is what he said:
    The base layer is made from Polyester yarn, with a very light PVC coating on top, this prevents the mat from absorbing sweat and bacteria from growing on the surface.

    The mats come OEKO-TEX 100 certified before being available for sale, which is a must for us as a business. This in turn means you can be confident that every component used in the production of the mat has been tested for harmful substances and that the mat is therefore perfectly safe for human use.

    Furthermore, the mats are manufactured following strict environmentally friendly requirements. We have in place a permanent inspection of our processes with regard to environmentally relevant aspects of production.

    Does it seem okay to use? I use a towel over it anyway, would that help?

    1. Hi, Grace: it seems that this PVC mat is a bit better than other PVC mats. However, it is still PVC. As for whether it is okay for YOU to use it, well, it depends on your health, how much you have done to detoxify other areas of your life, even your diet, and whether buying a new mat would cause you undue stress. We can talk more about it all that in a consultation. ~Irina

  8. Hello, just wanted to first say thank you for doing all this research!! Its highly appreciated and reassuring amidst all the corporate greed out there.
    My question is about the Manduka GRP mat. I had a pro and from whit I could find it was hard to determine if the Pro was safe. I was lucky enough to trade it in for a GRP which is large enough for me and also designed for towel less hot yoga.

    Manuka says this about the material:
    “The GRP’s core and bottom layer are made with sustainably harvested natural tree rubber. Manufactured in a sustainable factory in Spain to ensure no toxic emissions are released into the atmosphere, the GRP is good for the planet and your practice.”

    I was just wondering if you have had the chance to research these claims or your opinion on this mat? Is it too good to be true or have I finally found a mat that meets all my needs?? Thank you in advance!!

      1. Hello,

        I have not ask. They describe it as a leather like top layer, open cell to absorb the moisture. Thank you for the reply.

      2. Hello Irina,

        Thank you for the prompt response. No I was not able to find out the top layer but I know they advertise the GRP mat with an open cell leather like top layer which is better for moisture absorption.

          1. I asked and here is their reply:
            Thank you for reaching out and I hope you are doing well! I’ve listed information on the composition of our mats below which should answer all your questions!

            B MAT Education & Sustainability:

            B MATs comprise a combination of both natural and synthetic rubber in order to provide optimal performance. B MATs do not contain known carcinogens such as PVC, and are manufactured in full compliance with air, water, and land emission requirements worldwide.

            The B MAT’s unique rubber compound provides unsurpassed grip, resilience and cushioning. Proteins that have been linked to possible skin irritation in some people are removed prior to producing the mats, meaning the B MATs are considered hypoallergenic.

            The small amounts of synthetic rubber used in the B MAT provides durability and excellent cushioning. The main component of synthetic rubber is a by-product (waste stream) of the plastics industry, providing a safe and beneficial outlet for those products. Thus, material that would have been otherwise waste has been repurposed and used for this synthetic component, ultimately reducing our overall impact and environmental footprint.

            B MATs are manufactured in a water based process which is deemed to be more environmentally friendly than other manufacturing methods. The B MAT is Oeko-Tex certified, meaning that the B MATs have been tested for harmful chemicals, dyes and finishes. Oeko-tex textiles and fabrics are certified free of harmful chemicals and are safe for human use.

            We always want to leave as small a footprint in this world as possible. This ties into our hand cutting process. One less machine. One more quality control checkpoint.

            The B MAT is biodegradable. We take pride in the fact that the B MAT will not last in a landfill for hundreds of years. As such, you will see natural wear and tear on a B MAT throughout the course of its life. Life span is dependant on a number of things, of note: 1) How often you practice, 2) Your style of practice, 3) How you store your B MAT and 4) How you care for your B MAT.

            Examples of common natural breakdown:
            Crumbling and peeling where your hands and feet are most heavily placed
            Scratches or nicks from hands and feet
            Light discolouration over the course of its 2-5+ year life span.
            Hopefully this information helps, but please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns. I’d be happy to help!

          2. It is better than a lot of others because of OEKO tex certification; however, I do not like the synthetic rubber aspect of it. ~Irina

  9. Dear Irina, you worry so much that some carcinogenic substance contained in the material of your yoga mat only comes into contact with your skin but you do not consider whether this substance will actually move into your body. In the meantime you do not realize that you drink and eat the most powerful carcinogens every day.
    Think about when you wash dishes and pots. You are using detergents that have the ability to dissolve fat mole and kill living cells.
    Are you used, as we in Italy do, to rinse the dishes in running water or you just dry them with a dishcloth that has been washed with detergents.
    How many of these detergents that you do not wash well or that you carry with the cloth remain on the surface of the dish and pots and end up in the food you eat every day.
    These detergents gradually dissolve the skin, make it loose and soft and destroy the internal structures of muscles and vital organs.
    I have seen things in England and America that we in Italy would never do: toasts heated in plastic bags, dishes washed in soap and dried with again the foam on top , people who rinsed dozens of dishes passing them once only in the same bowl. I believe you have lost the sense of reality and measure: you worry about a substance that is permanently contained in the product you are using and will never enter your body and you do not worry about eating and drinking in containers covered with detergent. In Italy a study had calculated that if we don’t rinse the dishes well we can ingest a glass of detergent in a year. if you drink it all at once you go straight to the cemetery. Think about it, Irina.

  10. Found this on Reddit:

    IMPORTANT UPDATE regarding Jade Mats (still waiting for a reply from Manduka):
    A blogger I have been discussing this with contacted Jade Yoga in regards to the study, and they replied with the following (edited to shorten it); “we (Jade Yoga) changed our production process approximately 2 years ago to eliminate all nitrosamines in our mats – so while the levels of nitrosamines in our mats were well below the stringent German requirements for baby pacifiers, we removed the precursor from our process (we did not add nitrosamines, but they were created from reactions of other substances in the manufacturing process) so that there are no nitrosamines in our mats now.”

  11. Great article and good comments by many people. Thank you Irina for taking the time to research and provide us with all this information related to health and yoga mats – it is super helpful. I wanted to check with you – would you rate the Jade mat as the least toxic (since they have lowered nitrosamine levels?) Also, do you still think the Scoria mat is still a good option? – Though it is made from natural rubber there is no indication where the rubber originates from. I’m also curious if that German report is available in English. Google translate doesn’t format the report very well. Thanks Irina!

      1. Hi Irina,

        I have not. I guess I was basing it on one of the comments above that showed a response from Jade’s customer service indicating that they had changed their production processes. I just ordered a Scoria mat.

  12. Hi Irina!

    I just really wanted to thank you for doing all of this research cuz I’m pretty exhausted and fed up with only doing about two hours of research myself. I’ve only just begun though and have just started to wonder about the toxicity of yoga mats while starting to search for a replacement for myself and new one for my boyfriend’s birthday so we can stretch together. Now I’m afraid of purchasing altogether…though I know that actually getting to do what makes us feel good (yoga/stretching) is very important as well. So I’ll eventually have to bite the bullet and compromise as I do not have a very large budget.

    1. Hi, Kim: You are right, the benefits of exercise outweigh the potential exposure to toxins. And remember stress is the biggest toxin of all. When we are stressed, our body becomes incapable of detoxifying. Please let me know which you mat you decided to buy (know that they have sales, too). Is there anything I can do to make you less stressed? Have a great weekend! ~Irina

  13. Hi Irena. I emailed Jade Yoga about the nitrosamines in their yoga mats, and they said that they have since revised their formula to remove all nitrosamines.

      1. Hi Irina. I did not ask for a report. That’s probably a good idea. I will ask them if they could send me a test. For now, here is the email they sent me:

        [email protected]
        May 1 (6 days ago)
        to me
        —–
        Hi Alex,

        First, the German test you mention is a number of years old. Even though, as discussed in more detail below, our mats have always been safer than baby bottles, we changed our production process several years ago to eliminate all nitrosamines in our mats. So that report is not correct as currently there are no nitrosamines in our mats.

        While not applicable to our mats, you might be interested to know that the potential harms associated with nitrosamines are related to ingestion (eating/drinking) or inhalation (through smoking and tobacco and specifically tobacco specific nitrosamines), not contact exposure. Further, the level of nitrosamines in our mats was found in that study to be .248 ppm which is 40 times below the level allowed in infant pacifiers and baby bottle nipples in Germany (which has very stringent health laws). You might also be interested to know that the average German ingests more nitrosamines in beer every year than you would ingest if you ate three of our mats.

        Thank you again for letting us know your concerns and please let me know if you have any questions.

        Namaste!
        Alanna

  14. Hi. I have emailed lifeforme as well as Bowern bc I’m in the market for a new mat. lifeforme sent me so much info that I can’t even dumb it down and understand it. I’d love to email it to you if you’re willing to help. This is Bowern’s Response: Certainly, we use recyclable tree rubber on the base and a micro-fibre suede upper to ensure the non-slip for you practise. There are no toxicities, PVC or harmful dies used in production.

  15. For those who have Latex allergies or have had many medical procedures ie. born a premature- you do not want to use natural rubber- it is latex. Many times too- people are allergic to the chemicals used to process the natural rubber and also the synthetic materials as well.

    1. Hi, Bridget: Could you send me an example of where you saw that a natural rubber mat is advertised as latex-free? Often, natural rubber mat have other synthetic materials added to it without a proper disclosure so this can make it hard to get comfortable with its safety. And some independent tests showed the presence of potentially harmful chemicals in them and they do smell pretty strong. So they are not bad but can’t really say with confidence that they are safe either. More transparency is needed. Does it help? ~Irina

      1. HI Irina
        This is what yogaeverywhere.com.au says
        WHY ARE YOGAEVERYWHERE MATS ECO-FRIENDLY?
        – Our mats are made of a biodegradable, recyclable 100% natural tree rubber base and microfiber top layer
        – They are free from latex, silicone, toxic glue, and phthalates

        And this is Bowern.com.au
        WHAT ARE BOWERN YOGA MATS MADE OF?
        3mm biodegradable & recyclable tree-rubber with a micro-fibre suede top. We’ve made sure there is no latex, silicone, toxic glue, PVC or other nasties.

        1. Hi, Bridget: It is possible that there is a process to remove latex protein but I do not think it is normally guaranteed 100%. Ask them if there is a process they use or is it a typo? It is also possible that there is so much synthetics on top that they use very little natural rubber. It is best to have a conversation with them ~Irina

  16. Hi Tayna
    Can you tell me why natural rubber latex mats are bad? And how can some companies say that natural rubber mats are latex free?
    Thanks

  17. I can not say Thank You enough! I am always wondering what is in products. I really appreciate you doing this work to help educate consumers. You are on the leading edge of a new wave, keep flowing!

  18. Hi Irina, Thanks for this post! But I was wondering if the Manduka Pro and Manduka Pro Lite have PVC in them? Not to be mistaken with Manduka’s Eko series of yogamats. I’ve been scouring the net to check if the regular Pro Mats have PVCs in them but haven’t found a source reliable enough. Let me know what you find! Thanks!

  19. Hi Irina!
    I found your site while searching to see if there is any form of a “Safe” PVC. I bought a Rody Horse toy for my son for Christmas that is made by this company. When I ordered it online, the site said nothing about PVC, it just said that it was BPA-free, Phalate – free and made of Latex vinyl. I never thought I would get it and see the PVC symbol on the box!! I am so frustrated as it is pretty much his ONLY Christmas present. I was wondering what you think of what this company that makes it says on their site about the PVC it is made from.

    http://www.gymnic.com/en/about-us/

    I look forward to hearing from you!

    Brianne

    1. Hi, Brianne: I understand your predicament. And I want to help you so much that I emailed them. Unfortunately, they did not provide more information than it is already on the website. It looks like their PVC is a safer one at least according to their claim. I understand that PVC can be made without phthalates and lead. However, I am puzzled by their claim that their PVC is made without chlorine because chlorine is a building block of PVC. When vinyl is made without chlorine it would be something else such as EVA. Since it is the only toy for your child for Christmas, I would give it to him. The factor of joy is important. ~Irina

  20. Hello Irina! This is great that you are researching on this. My interest for non-toxic yoga mat has led me to work with my partner to make our own yoga mat in Nepal which is made of wild hemp and cotton canvas (undyed and natural dyed)with nettle trimming. I use it all the time and we are now producing it to sell as well.

    1. Yes, if it is 100% natural rubber then I should include them in the list. It is a good idea to call and verify that it is in fact 100% natural rubber though. Let us know if you call them. ~Irina

    2. Update: They replied it’s not 100% rubber but rather that the rubber is 100% natural (misleading if you ask me but apparently that’s what all the companies do, it seems that all the so called natural mattresses contain hidden toxics).

      I think maybe I’ll just buy the Nike’s mat which came up fine in the German test.

      1. Hi, Brian: I could find the Nike yoga mat listed in the German review. The Nike yoga mats I am seeing are made of PVC. Let me know if you find it. That’s why I always to talk to the companies instead of relying on the website description. I had made that mistake a few times. 🙂 ~Irina

      1. Hi Irina,

        I’m considering the Manduka eKO Lite, so I’d be interested to read your update on the eKO!

        I’m just wondering how you found out about the materials of the mat and if you have any thoughts on the polyester that’s in the mat. Do you reckon that’s hazardous either to your health or to the environment when the mat meets to be broken down?

        Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

        1. I notice you did not respond to this latest post Irina. I am too looking to purchase a new mat and found this article and had concerns with the Manduka eKO. I would really like to buy a new mat this week, but I first want your opinion on this mat. Thanks so much, and I too look forward to reading your thoughts

          1. Hi, Tim, to answer your question I would need to get a hold of them and ask a few questions. I am stretched thin right now. I’ll try to do as soon as I can. Thank you for the reminder. ~Irina

    1. I just want to add something here about the Maduka Eko. I had very high hopes for this mat after deciding to replace my Jade Harmony mat with it. I wasn’t never thrilled with the Jade Harmony because it never stopped smelling quite strong of rubber, even 5 years later. But, whew!, the Manduka smell blows my Jade Harmony out of the water. I left my new Manduka Eko outside on our screened porch for 3 weeks to air out, and it still smells just as strong. As in, when I left it in my bedroom with the door closed for a few hours and came back, the smell was overpowering. I am very sensitive, but sheesh! So bummed about this, since I’d pretty much determined this was the best option out there. Rethinking that now…