ZINUS 12 Inch Ultra Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress, Queen, Cool-to-Touch Soft Knit Cover, Pressure Relieving, CertiPUR-US Certified, Mattress in A Box Review (2026)

Construction

This is a 12 inch all-foam mattress built in layers, topped with cooling gel-infused memory foam for pressure relief and backed by firmer support foam infused with green tea for freshness. Zinus wraps the whole thing in a cool-to-touch soft knit cover designed to feel cool the moment you lie down, before the foam layers themselves have a chance to respond to body heat. All the foams used are CertiPUR-US certified, meaning they are independently tested for substances like heavy metals and formaldehyde, and the cover is OEKO-TEX certified as well. The mattress ships compressed in a box and needs time to fully expand once unboxed, so plan to unroll it in the room where it will be used rather than trying to move it after unwrapping.

Cooling performance

The combination of a cool-to-touch knit cover and gel-infused foam gives this mattress a noticeably cooler first touch than a basic memory foam bed without either feature, which matters most in the first minutes of lying down. That said, this is still an all-foam mattress, and dense foam by nature traps more body heat over a full night than a hybrid design with coils and airflow channels running through the middle. Hot sleepers who run warm through the night, rather than just at the moment they get into bed, may still notice some heat buildup by morning compared with an innerspring or hybrid mattress. Breathable, moisture-wicking sheets can help offset this, and the green tea infusion in the support foam is aimed at freshness rather than active cooling.

Support and feel

At 12 inches, this mattress has enough total depth to give side sleepers real cushioning at the shoulders and hips while still resting on a firmer support core underneath, rather than bottoming out. Couples and combination sleepers who shift positions through the night generally do well on this kind of layered foam build, since the top layer contours to different sleeping positions without losing the supportive base beneath it. Zinus does not remove or wash the knit cover, and doing so is discouraged since it can affect the mattress's fire barrier and voids the warranty, so spot cleaning is the practical option for spills. The mattress needs roughly three days to fully expand and off-gas any new-foam smell after unboxing before it reaches its full comfort feel.

Warranty and trial

Zinus backs this mattress with a 10-year limited warranty covering manufacturing defects, plus a 100-night home trial that lets you sleep on it and return it within that window if it is not working out. That combination of warranty length and trial period is fairly standard for a bed-in-a-box mattress at this price point, and it gives buyers a real window to judge whether the foam feel and cooling cover suit their sleep style before committing long term. Because the mattress is made in the USA from a mix of domestic and globally sourced foams, Zinus positions it as a value option relative to fully premium domestic mattresses, without sacrificing the CertiPUR-US and OEKO-TEX certifications that matter for indoor air quality and material safety.

Who should buy it

This mattress makes the most sense for shoppers who want a cooler-than-average all-foam bed without paying hybrid mattress prices, and who are comfortable with the bed-in-a-box unboxing and expansion process. Side sleepers and people who like a contouring, body-hugging feel will likely get along with the 12 inch layered foam construction better than back or stomach sleepers who prefer a firmer, more buoyant surface. If nighttime heat is your main concern and you tend to sleep hot throughout the night rather than just at first contact, it is worth comparing this against a hybrid mattress with coils, since no all-foam bed fully matches the airflow of one with a coil layer. For most other shoppers, the CertiPUR-US certification, 10-year warranty, and 100-night trial make this a reasonably low-risk way to try a cooling foam mattress.

Frequently asked questions