The new designation aims to help consumers identify sleep-related goods that align with the organization’s evidence-based guidelines.
Key takeaways:
- The National Sleep Foundation has launched SleepMark, a designation program for consumer sleep products.
- The program evaluates products against objective criteria based on NSF’s published standards, peer-reviewed guidelines, and scientific principles.
- SleepMark is not a certification of manufacturers’ product performance or health benefit claims.
- It aims to provide a trusted resource for consumers in a rapidly growing and crowded sleep market.
- Designees must attest they can support their product claims and will share NSF’s educational messaging.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has launched SleepMark, a new designation program designed to help the public identify consumer products that align with its science-backed principles and evidence-based guidelines.
The program was created in response to queries from consumers and industry to provide context for making informed choices about sleep-related goods and services in a rapidly expanding market.
“The size and speed of growth in the sleep market can leave consumers overwhelmed or skeptical,” says John Lopos, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, in a release. “In the public interest, we encourage any product or service claiming to help sleep to align with the principles we teach. Still, we understand there are going to be several products that haven’t yet met or won’t meet the criteria we’ve set to achieve this designation.”
To earn the SleepMark designation, companies apply and have their products evaluated by NSF staff against objective criteria. According to the NSF, these criteria are based on its authoritative publications, peer-reviewed guidelines on sleep duration and quality, and expert-driven consumer sleep product standards developed with the Consumer Technology Association.
The NSF clarifies that the SleepMark program is not intended to certify manufacturers’ claimed product features, warranty performance, or guarantee user outcomes. It is positioned as an earned designation based on alignment with NSF principles, not a “pay-to-play” endorsement or a substitute for regulatory requirements.
Companies that receive the designation attest that they have designed, evaluated, and can support their product claims to meet the program’s criteria. They will also be required to share NSF’s educational messaging to help advance the organization’s mission.
