Our Mattress Testing Method
Our promise: say exactly what was tested
The “Tested” badge signals a real test. It may refer to an in-store test or a long-term use period. The product page states the mode, context, actions performed, observations, limits, and confirmed duration whenever that duration is relevant.
There is no mandatory purchase and no universal protocol. The programme's product budget is €0. Existing confirmed durations stay attached to the relevant tests; they are not generalized across the whole site.
For the historically purchased Matelas Expert corpus, one published fact remains true: 0 products loaned by a brand — all purchased with our own funds. This documents those already published tests; it does not turn purchase into a universal prerequisite for every present or future test.
Editorial independence: Matelas Expert earns affiliate commissions when you click our links and make a purchase. This costs you nothing extra. Our reviews remain 100% honest and no brand can pay to appear at the top of our rankings.
Two real modes
In-store test
An in-store test documents the manipulations and observations that were actually possible on site. The page identifies that context and records what could not be evaluated, especially anything that would require extended use.
Long-term test
When a product was used over time, the page keeps the confirmed period and describes the observations gathered during that period. A duration confirmed for one product is never turned into a rule for every other one.
What we publish for a test
Each test page must let the reader identify:
- the author or tester already attached to the page;
- the context of the test;
- the actions actually performed;
- the first-hand observations;
- the items that were not evaluated;
- the confirmed duration, when it applies;
- the official sources used for product specifications or commercial terms.
A new score, pro, con, or verdict is published only after explicit editorial validation. A manufacturer claim, a price, or a trial-period promise never becomes a test observation on its own.
Guides and comparisons
Guides and comparisons may combine official, merchant, and editorial sources. Those sources must stay visible. A sourced page does not automatically receive the “Tested” badge, and no aggregate rating is manufactured from a single editorial score.
Our limits
We do not present an in-store observation as a durability test. We do not publish a measurement, manipulation, or result that was not actually recorded. When something was not evaluated, the page says so instead of inferring it from a technical sheet.
How we use artificial intelligence
Our content is written, edited and validated by human contributors: product recommendations, ratings, rankings and test verdicts are human editorial decisions.
We use artificial intelligence in two limited, clearly identified ways:
- the automated synthesis of verified Trustpilot reviews, shown on some test pages in a clearly labelled block (“What verified reviews say”). It aggregates public data; it replaces neither our editorial score nor our testing;
- occasional formatting and proofreading assistance when preparing some texts, always under human editorial review before publication.
No text is published without human validation.