I bought and tested non toxic yoga mats, and I’m sharing the best one, plus how to find the right one for YOU. The best non-toxic yoga mat is made with natural rubber or cork and is free of questionable or harmful materials.

Why Choose a Non Toxic Yoga Mat

What you practice on and in matters not only for your yoga workout but also your health and the environment. Even if you’re using it as a regular workout mat for stretching, ab exercises or pilates, our heated sweaty bodies come into direct contact with the mat.

• Healthier and eco-friendly: Nontoxic yoga mats are free of PVC, phthalates, and other synthetic chemicals. Instead they’re made of materials like natural rubber, cork or GOTS-certified cotton that are biodegradable.
• Better for sensitive skin: No synthetic coatings, questionable additives and chemical residues that can cause skin irritation. I can place forehead to mat with peace of mind throughout my flow.
• Longer lasting and more durable: Natural rubber and cork hold up to heavy use without breaking down or flaking the way cheap foam mats do.
• Naturally antibacterial: Materials like cork and natural rubber resist bacteria and odor buildup on their own without added chemical treatments
• Better grip: Cork actually gets grippier the wetter it gets, so there’s no slipping or falling out of poses. If you think you’re bad at yoga because you keep slipping out of positions, it might just be your yoga mat’s fault! For advanced yogis doing long hold poses that require lots of traction, this is a must for safety.
• No gross chemical smell: Synthetic foam and PVC mats have an off-gassing odor that’s annoyingly disruptive to my yoga practice

What to Avoid

Most workout and yoga mats are made with harmful and synthetic materials, feel slippery or have a yucky chemical smell.

Avoid greenwashing mats because they’re usually made mostly of PVC with just a small amount of said natural material (sharing which ones further below). Also, most mat companies aren’t fully transparent and don’t disclose the additives present in the mat’s base polymer (in layman’s terms, polymer is the main material a product is made from).

Your typical yoga mat contain synthetics and additives like:

❌ PVC (polyvinyl chloride): You might see PVC just labeled as “vinyl” and it’s the most common and harmful material used in conventional yoga mats. PVC can contain chlorine, heavy metal stabilizers like lead and cadmium, phthalates, PFAS, BPA and formaldehyde. PVC mats also off-gas that new chemical-y mat smell, which is no bueno and means volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are evaporating. These types of workout mats don’t biodegrade at the end of its life.

❌ Polyurethane (PU) coatings: the “foam” used in non-slip budget mats and is a petrochemical-based polymer that off-gases VOCs, is inherently highly flammable, usually treated with flame retardants, and doesn’t biodegrade.

❌ ADA (Azodicarbonamide): gives plastics a foamy, spongier texture aka the nice springy cushiony feel of typical yoga mats (became popular in the 80s since the foamed structure grips smooth studio floors well). It’s the “yoga mat chemical” that Subway came under fire for and had to remove from their bread, with McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Chick-fil-A all following suit.

❌ PER (Polymer Environmental Resin): a less toxic option but still a plastic derived from PVC. Skip if you’re looking for a genuinely non-toxic mat.

❌ TPE (thermoplastic elastomer): often marketed as “eco” but is still a synthetic plastic blend, commonly linked to phthalates and off-gassing VOCs. This is better than your typical yoga mat, but not the best option out there.

❌ Phthalates: chemical plasticizers added to soften synthetic mats, tied to hormone disruption with prolonged skin contact

❌ Azo dyes: harmful synthetic dyes that can break down into carcinogenic compounds. Look for OEKO-TEX certification to confirm a mat’s dyes were screened for these.

❌ Synthetic rubber sold as “natural”: some budget mats blend in SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) which is derived from petroleum.

Materials Used in Non Toxic Yoga Mats

• Natural rubber: most common non-toxic material used that’s grippy and cushiony. Avoid if you have a latex allergy.
• Cork: Cork is the most sustainable option because it’s harvested from living cork oak bark without killing the tree, and cork mats are naturally antimicrobial, more durable and biodegradable. It also gets grippier the more you sweat so there’s no slipping during yoga poses. Cork feels non-slip to me!
• Natural latex: a rubber-based material processed into a denser base layer. The best ones are GOLS certified. Avoid if you have a latex allergy.
• Organic cotton or jute: natural fibers that are great for anyone with a rubber sensitivity but don’t have the same cushion or grip. I only like using this mat type for yin yoga, slow flows or beach yoga.
• Hemp: another great natural fiber yoga mat but without the grip and cushion you might need. Also best for yin yoga or yoga on the beach.
• Sugarcane-based bio-foam: a plant-derived alternative to petroleum foam, used as a base layer under materials like cork
• Wool felt: sometimes used as a backing layer on handwoven cotton mats, for grip and cushioning

Natural Yoga Mats to Watch Out For

Closed Cell vs Open Cell Mat

Non toxic yoga mats are made either closed cell or open cell, so it’s important to look out for this term when choosing one that’s best for YOU.

• Closed cell: Non-porous mats with a sealed surface so sweat and bacteria sit on top rather than soaking in. They’re easier to wipe clean and more durable over time, but get slippery once you’re sweating. (Example: Manduka eKO natural rubber mat)
• Open cell: absorbs moisture into the material itself, so grip actually improves when sweat transfers onto the mat. Great for hot yoga and hot pilates, but be sure to clean them more often since they trap bacteria more easily.

Quick Guide to Yoga Mat Certifications

Certifications are a quick way to know if a mat can back up its claims and for peace of mind, but they’re not an end all be all either. I’m breaking down what each one actually means.

Ananday Yoga Mat (My Top Pick as a Yoga Teacher Trainee)

I bought my Ananday Yoga Mat during my 200-hour yoga teacher training and wish I had swapped out my plastic Lululemon mat sooner. I thought I’d have to be forgiving in certain areas, but it’s just as grippy, non-slip, stable, and supportive as a conventional workout mat. Ananday’s mat is plastic free and chemical free with a 100% plant-based cork top and natural tree rubber base that’s bonded without any adhesives or dyes.

Grip Performance: Both the dry grip and wet grip performance is fantastic. I love that cork gets grippier with sweat instead of slipperier, which is the most annoying thing to deal with when using a workout mat. I personally prefer using the cork side most of the time, but it’s also reversible to the rubber side for extra traction.

I need good traction when my hands get sweaty and when my sweat transfers onto the mat because I don’t want to be slipping and sliding during planks, back bends, balancing poses or inversions.

Cushion and Support: It’s 4mm and thicker than my Lululemon mat. 4mm may not be as thick as the cushiony foam workout mats you might be used to, but it’s the industry standard. I find that it’s adequately thick to provide support and doesn’t compress underneath me like the cheap foam mats would. My wrists and knees feel supported when I’m holding long poses.

Stability: It rolls out completely flat and actually stays put throughout my flow, whether I’m doing hatha, vinyasa, restorative yin yoga, pilates, yogilates or a hot yoga class. The natural rubber side is excellent and staying flat and doesn’t shift, bunch, or curl up at the edges during practice.

Don’t get the cheap Amazon plastic foam mats because they offer zero performance and stability, don’t stay flat, shift around as you move and curl up at the ends.

Texture and Feel: The cork side is perfectly smooth even though it doesn’t look like it at first glance! The bottom natural rubber side has ridges and texture, which gives it that great grip and traction. I noticed the rubber side clings onto dust particles more easily but not anymore than conventional mats.

Size and Weight: The mat is 72″ x 24″ with adequate space for all types of mat workouts. It’s just a tiny big longer than my Luluemon mat and two inches narrower in width. It’s definitely heavier than the cheap $10 amazon yoga mats, but about the same weight as a Lululemon mat.

Smell: When I first opened and used my cork mat, I smelled no off-gassing or strange odors, yay! My Lululemon STILL has a subtle plasticy smell that won’t go away years later, while my natural mat doesn’t give off any smell.

I love that they’re Woman-owned and Climate-Neutral certified, with a 30-day guarantee while other companies only allow unused returns.

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I love bringing a healthy, natural choice to my yoga practice and workouts. For me, yoga isn’t just about the physical fitness aspect, but the connection of mind, body and spirit, and being able to connect with nature in this small way feels meaningful and intentional. It’s an easy swap that makes a difference.

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