The Nectar vs Layla mattresses debate is just getting hotter. These are bed-in-a-box style mattresses with a lot to go for.
The original Nectar mattress has been around since 2017. It commands massive followership due to its generous use of high-density memory foam and the ability to accommodate sleepers across a wide weight range. As such, it’s a bit hard to go wrong with it, especially when you aren’t sure what to look for in a memory foam mattress.
On the other hand, the original Layla mattress is a unique entrant in the world of memory foam mattresses. What makes it unique is its flippable design that offers a medium-soft feel on one side, and a firm feel on the other. This means a lot for individuals who don’t know what firmness level they’ll like.
If you’re on the fence, trying to compare Nectar vs Layla, this side by side comparison post is yours. Here, we’re going to evaluate how the two mattresses compare in terms of construction, feel, and edge support, among others.
Nectar Mattress 
Layla Mattress
Key Similarities
The reason why most people find it difficult to choose either Layla or Nectar is that the two have several things in common. Here are a few easily noticeable similarities;
- Both of them employ memory foam in their construction.
- They are among the most affordable memory foam mattresses in the business.
- Each mattress has a way to prevent heat buildup and heat retention.
- Both of them accommodate all sleeping positions.
Key Differences
- While you can flip the Layla mattress, you can’t do the same for the Nectar.
- The Nectar has a single firmness feel of 6 on the 1-10 firmness scale. The Layla feels like a 4 on the medium-soft side and a 7 on the other.
- The Layla mattress is $100-$200 pricier than the Nectar across all sizes.
- While the Nectar mattress relies on gel-infusion technology to dissipate heat, the Layla uses copper-infusion and ThermoGel.
Layla Mattress Construction
The Layla is an interesting 10-inch, 4-layer mattress that comes compressed and squeezed in a box. After shipping, you’ll only need to set it up on a flat base and give it a few minutes (sometimes hours) to achieve its intended height and firmness levels. This mattress comes with a 120-day in-home trial period and a lifetime non-prorated warranty. Here’s an overview of its build:
- Cover– a standout feature of the Layla mattress is the contrasting colors of its cover. While it adds to its overall look, these colors signify the different firmness levels on either side. The darker side has a firmer feel while the brighter side is soft.
This cover features an incredible blend of three materials: polyester, viscose, and Lycra. Without getting too much into the details, this cover has several strengths, including being able to breathe and not trapping body heat and sweat. This cover is mildew-resistant also, and it’s able to retain its shape for long because it stretches.
Importantly, this cover also has ThermoGel. This is a concentrate that prevents the sleeping surface from heating.
- Comfort layer– this mattress has two distinct comfort layers depending on which side is up. With the medium-soft side up, for instance, the comfort layer will be a 3-inch 10 ILD memory foam block. This layer feels super-soft and offers above-average sinkage and hug that allows you to sleep IN the mattress.
When you flip the mattress, the comfort layer will be a one-inch thick 10 ILD memory foam that lets you feel the firm base layer beneath it almost instantly. As such, this side has a firm feeling of around 7 on our 10-point firmness scale. Both of these layers have copper-infusion technology that is known to have thermal regulating properties.
- Transition– you’ll experience the comfort of the transition layer only when using this mattress with the medium-soft side up. This is a 2-inch 30 ILD memory foam with grooves that promote air circulation. The transition layer is denser than the comfort layer but less dense than the base layer that has an ILD rating of 36. That’s to say that the transition zone will allow a little bit of sinkage while being supportive at the same time.
- Base layer– Layla has a single base layer that serves both sides of the mattress. This is a 4.5-inch HD poly foam block with an Indentation Load Deflection (ILD) rating of 36. This layer is what offers you even support when sleeping on this mattress. It also holds the other layers together besides stabilizing them.
Read our analysis of this bed in our Layla Mattress Review here.
Nectar Mattress Construction
The Nectar is a trendy 4-layer mattress on the market today too. This 11-inch mattress will be shipped right to your doorstep. The manufacturer also offers an option to add White Glove Service to your purchase, in which case the delivery personnel will do all the set up for you and take your old mattress away. Nectar offers a 365-day trial period with this mattress and a prorated Forever warranty. Be sure to check out more about it in this Nectar Mattress review. Meanwhile, let’s dive into its construction.
- Cover– the Nectar mattress features an irresistibly soft cover fabric made from cotton and Tencel lyocell blend. Cotton fiber has a reputation for being soft to the touch, but Lyocell is much softer. Besides being smooth, this cover has excellent breathability, which tends to interest people who sleep hot. Its selling attribute, however, is the fewer number of chemicals that it uses.
- Comfort layer– this mattress has a two-layer comfort system. The first is a one-inch 4 PCF memory foam that is quilted in the cover itself. This layer is slow-responding and will give in to your body heat and pressure to let you sink it for a comfortable cradle.
Right beneath the quilted layer is another 3-inch memory foam with a PCF rating of 3.5. This layer has a slightly lower density than the first layer. It further increases the classic memory foam feel that the Nectar mattress boasts.
- Transition layer– Nectar employs yet another 1.75” block of high-density memory foam for this layer. This brings the total thickness of memory foam used in the Nectar mattress to around 5.75 inches.
- Base foundation– the last layer of the Nectar mattress is what brings all the support required to make this a medium-firm bed. This is a 5.25-inch of 2.2 PCF poly foam. It’s now a trend among manufacturers to use high-density poly foam as the base in mattresses. This cuts on production cost as well as the price that you get the mattress at.
| Component | Nectar | Layla |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | Cotton and Tencel Lyocell blend | Polyester, Viscose, and Lycra. Fabric has thermogel-infusion |
| Comfort System | 1-inch 4 PCF Gel memory foam quilted in the cover 3-inch 3.5 PCF memory foam | Soft side up: 3-inch Copper-infused 10 ILD Memory Foam Firm side up:1-inch Copper-infused 10 ILD Memory Foam |
| Transition Layer | 1.75-inchHigh density memory foam | 2-inch ILD 30 Convoluted Poly foam |
| Base support | 5.25-inch 2.2 PCFPoly foam | 4.5-inch 36 ILD High-Density Poly Foam |
| Thickness | 11” | 10” |
A word on construction differences
If you’ve gone through the construction sections above, we believe this Nectar versus Layla maze is becoming easier to solve now.
The differences between these two mattresses are evident right from the cover. The Nectar mattress uses a blend of cotton and Tencel Lyocell, while Layla combines polyester, viscose, and Lycra. The difference between these two covers is pretty much the origin of the materials only.
A large percentage of the materials that go into Nectar’s cover is from natural sources. To clear any doubts, Lyocell is a man-made fiber derived from eucalyptus wood pulp. Although it isn’t a naturally-existing fiber like cotton, experts don’t classify it as a synthetic either.
On the other hand, a big part of the materials that go into Layla’s cover is synthetic. Both polyester and Lycra are synthetic fibers while viscose is partially man-made in that it’s derived from wood pulp.
Despite the difference in the origin of the materials, both of these covers are very soft, breathable, and comfortable. All in all, if the percentage of natural and manmade fibers means a lot to you, we bet Nectar has the upper hand here.
The other thing that we need to consider in this Nectar or Layla debate is the heat management technologies that these mattresses use. The Nectar mattress employs gel on its comfort layer. Gel-infusion is a popular technology in foam mattresses today as it helps in drawing heat away from the sleeping surface. Worth noting, gel does not dissipate the heat completely, rather it absorbs it until when it can’t take in more heat. Upon reaching this point, it may start sleeping hot.
On the other hand, the Layla has ThermoGel on its cover and copper-infused comfort layers. ThermoGel is a food-grade concentrate that is steadily gaining popularity in mattresses credit to its cooling capabilities. Copper infusion is also showing up a lot in mattresses today. Experts say that it helps in dissipating heat and boosting blood circulation, which may lead to better sleep.
Firmness and Feel Differences
For most people, the easiest way to compare the Nectar mattress versus Layla mattress is by considering their firmness levels. Actually, this is where these mattresses differ the most.
As we mentioned in our Layla mattress review, the key selling point of this mattress is its dual firmness levels. On one side, the Layla is medium-soft and feels like a 4 on the 1-10 firmness scale. When you flip the mattress, you get a firm bed (7), although it has an initial soft feeling.
On the other hand, the Nectar mattress has only one firmness level that feels like a medium-firm (6) to us.
Layla’s dual firmness design is a superb idea, and we appreciate it a lot at SleepSharp. However, we believe you can only use one side once you get this mattress. So, this will boil down to whether or not the two firmness levels will match your needs. The soft side tends to favor most lightweight combination sleepers weighing 130 lbs and below. On the other hand, the firmer side will interest average-weight back and stomach sleepers.
Medium-firm mattresses tend to accommodate both lightweight and average weight individuals across all sleeping positions. This is one of the reasons why the Nectar mattress is so popular.
Motion Transfer Differences
All-foam mattresses are incredible performers in terms of isolating motion to one side of the bed. So, it’s not surprising that this is one of the areas that both the Nectar and Layla mattresses score a lot of marks. Both of these beds score 5/5 in their respective reviews. This means that either the Layla or Nectar should fit the bill if you are basing your comparison on the ability to neutralize motion disturbance.
Edge Support
Edge support is one of the areas that memory foam mattresses struggle the most. However, the Nectar and Layla mattresses tend to perform above average and quite better than most of their competitors. SleepSharp mattress review team gave each of these beds a score of 4.1/5 on this aspect. This is a very impressive rating for a memory foam mattress, and it’s an assurance that sleepers in the indicated weight ranges shouldn’t have a problem sleeping on the entire bed.
| Layla | Nectar | |
| Firmness (out of 10) | Firm side: 7Soft side: 4 | 6 |
| Edge support (out of 5) | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Motion isolation (out of 5) | 5 | 5 |
Who should buy Layla Mattress?
- Lightweight individuals below 130 lbs– with the soft side up, we believe the Layla is going to offer enough comfort and pressure relief to lightweight combo sleepers.
- Average weight stomach and back sleepers– most individuals weighing 130 lbs to 230 lbs should get enough support and comfort by using this mattress on the firmer side. Side sleepers who prefer a firmer feel might enjoy it too.
- Growing children– the dual firmness levels of this mattress makes it an incredible option for developing children who may need to switch from a soft to a firmer bed in a couple of years. This makes more sense considering that Layla might last up to seven years.
Who should buy Nectar Mattress?
- Couples– even with its dual firmness levels, the Layla may fail to meet the needs of a couple with varying mattress firmness needs. On the other hand, with its medium-firmness level, the Nectar is very likely to be a good match for people who bed-share.
- People who want a mattress for back pain and pressure-relief- with its medium-firm feel, the high-density comfort foam of the Nectar mattress is able to contour to your lumpy bits for a comfortable and relaxed cradle. This should help a lot in relieving pressure points.
- Those on a budget– despite being one of the best memory foam mattresses in terms of support, comfort, pressure relief, and sleeping cool, it’s amazing that the Nectar is still one of the most affordable beds across all sizes.
Our Verdict – Nectar Mattress or Layla?
That should be it for this Nectar vs Layla mattresses review and comparison. In our opinion, there’s no winner or loser between these two beds. If you are lightweight and prefer a soft mattress, the Nectar may not suit you, but the Layla will.
The Layla mattress also shines if you want to buy a mattress that will grow with your children. On the other hand, if you want a mattress that will accommodate your sleeping needs and those of your partner, go for Nectar. This also applies to average weight sleepers looking for back pain and pressure relief.
