The Greatest Sleep Ever Invented®
10 years ago, GelFlex Grid® changed the game for good – from a rocket scientist's brain, to medical breakthrough, to the best sleep of your life.
Our origin story: from medical care to mattresses
Back in the '80s, brothers and literal rocket scientists Tony and Terry Pearce had an idea that boiled down to this: "a little bit of science applied to overlooked places can be transformational in people's lives."
A couple prototypes, a Kickstarter campaign, and 200+ patents later, the GelFlex Grid stands (and sleeps) above the rest.
The GelFlex Grid made an instant impact in wheelchairs, and other recovery surfaces, where it's superior airflow, blood circulation, and pressure point reduction provided immediate relieve to those who needed it most.
From there, it found it's way to hospital beds across the US, where it's cooling, contoured support continued to facilitate healing, rest, and recovery.
The Pearce brothers took their tech public, founding Purple Innovation LLC, and expanding the GelFlex Grid into pillows, cushions, and more.
Our first viral moment: Goldilocks puts our mattresses to the test
With over 200+ million views on Youtube, Goldilocks made Purple a household name and broke the internet with the very real and still shocking "egg test", highlighting the unmatched pressure relieve of our mattress innovation by dropping 1400 lbs of glass onto an egg, onto our mattress. Spoiler Alert: the eggs survive. Your move, Memory Foam...
"Tell me more about GelFlex Grid" you ask?
It's our proprietary, innovative, structural layer, and it's unlike anything you've ever laid on. With different thicknesses, grid size, and number of stacked layers, it's what dials in each product's individual comfort and supportive feel, and what sets us apart from the pack.
Gel for cooling
Gel for cooling
The airy structure and properties of the material itself work together to pull excess heat away from you, so your body can initiate it's natural sleep cycle quicker and easier.
Flex for comfort
Flex for comfort
The Grid is designed to instantly flex under acute pressure points like shoulders and hips to relieve pressure without the 'settling in' that memory foam requires.
Grid for support
Grid for support
The Grid structure stays supportive across the broader parts of your body, like back and legs, to help align your spine regardless of your sleeping position or how much you move.
Shop Purple product featuring the GelFlex Grid
Once you try Purple, you can't stop telling your friends. Don't take our word for it.
Tia | Health Department Director
Tia | Health Department Director
“It’s a life changing experience to be able to participate in my life feeling restful instead of restless and tired.”
Godfrey | Registered Nurse
Godfrey | Registered Nurse
“It was a game-changer. It made me feel like I was lying on a cloud, but got so much support for the areas I was hurting in.”
Holly | Graphic Designer
Holly | Graphic Designer
“I didn’t have back pain. No joke. I still to this day can’t believe it. It changed my life.”
Try it to believe it
Stop by one of our 3400+ locations to feel the GelFlex Grid in our mattresses and discover why we make the best mattresses for pain reduction and cooling.
Other ways to connect
Frequently asked questions
The GelFlex Grid is our proprietary technology. It’s a mattress layer at the top of the mattress — the one you feel most — that unlocks easier, better, change-your-life sleep. With Gel for cooling, Flex for comfort, and Grid for support, our patented innovation delivers deeper sleep—without any trade-offs. Participants in 2025 study performed by SleepScore Labs reported a 90% improvement in sleep quality on their Purple mattress when compared to their original mattress.*
*Survey results from a 2025 SleepScore Labs study with subjects sleeping on a Purple Restore Collection mattress for 4-weeks compared to their original mattress.
The GelFlex Grid is made of an adaptive material that flexes beneath the concentrated weight of pressure points such as hips and shoulders. By cradling your body’s natural curves while supporting everywhere else, the GelFlex Grid relieves pressure precisely where you need it most. Participants in 2025 study performed by SleepScore Labs report 4x more pressure relief on a Purple Restore Collection mattress compared to their original mattress.*
*Survey results from a 2025 SleepScore Labs study with subjects sleeping on a Purple Restore Collection mattress for 4-weeks compared to their original mattress.
We like to say “try it to believe it,” because it’s really unlike anything you’ve slept on (in a good way). But if we had to put it into words: buoyant, cradling, supportive, and soothing. While the additional layers in each of our mattresses make some a little softer or firmer than others, they all feature the GelFlex Grid, which we consider “soft where you want it, firm where you need it” as a result of its instantly adaptive nature. Come try it in person! Find your nearest store here.
Yes! All Purple mattresses are made with non-toxic, hypoallergenic materials that are certified Clean-Air Gold. Additionally, Purple only uses CertiPUR-US® certified foam. Rest assured, no fiberglass here.