The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) said on the 1st that harmful substances exceeding the standard were detected in some camping air mattresses sold on the market.
The agency said that after checking durability, safety, and labeling for seven popular brands, formaldehyde in the textile parts of Swiss Alpine Club (manufactured in Jan. 2025) and Kudi (sold from Feb. 2025 onward) products exceeded the safety standard (300 mg/kg).
Formaldehyde is a substance used in adhesives, detergents, and textile processing that can cause allergic dermatitis, chronic bronchitis, and damage to the ocular mucosa. Sales of the problematic products have been suspended, and exchange and refunds will proceed.
In durability tests, all products showed no deformation or breakage even under a 300 kg load, and no defects were found during air inflation. In particular, Nomad and Roticamp could be filled with air within 2 minutes with built-in pumps, making them relatively convenient. No issues were found in continuous pump operation and electrical safety tests.
However, in the labeling section under the electrical and household goods safety management guidelines, all products were rated "noncompliant" for omitting items such as the month and year of manufacture. Infant safety labeling was also inadequate. Green Nature, Naturehike, and Roticamp products lacked the phrase "Not for use under age 3" or had it only in English, requiring improvement.
Under textile product labeling standards, six products, excluding Swiss Alpine Club, were noncompliant, and only Roticamp accurately stated the warning that they are not for water play.
The products tested were all made in China: ▲ Green Nature (self-inflating mat camping car-camping foam air mattress) ▲ Naturehike (NHC25 air mattress) ▲ Nomad (Air Bed D250) ▲ Roticamp (auto pump air mattress queen 220) ▲ Rucus (balance air mattress double 25) ▲ Swiss Alpine Club (Atlas Twin Air Bed_Queen) ▲ Kudi (PVC air mattress 25). Weights ranged from 3.9–5.7 kg, and prices ranged from 69,000 won to 158,000 won, a difference of more than double at most.
The agency said, "Camping air mattresses differ by product in size, design, price, and pump performance, so it is necessary to compare carefully before purchase."