Nectar and Douglas are two of the most well-known direct-to-consumer mattress brands, with both brands having built up a loyal customer base. So, what are the backgrounds of these two popular mattress lines?

Nectar

Nectar Sleep is based out of California and owned by Resident. Initially founded in 2017, Nectar opened their first showroom and began selling their mattresses on Amazon in 2019. Nectar mattresses are manufactured in the United States with foams made in China and Mexico. After achieving success in the United States, Nectar expanded and started selling mattresses in Canada in 2022.

Douglas

Douglas was introduced in 2017 by Canadian bed-in-a-box company GoodMorning.com. Douglas was manufactured as a single-firmness mattress, designed using eight years' worth of engineering data and customer feedback. GoodMorning.com designed the Douglas to be a value-packed, Canadian-made mattress at an unheard-of low price. They offer the same level of customer service for the Douglas as they do across their growing catalogue, along with a 365-night sleep trial and a 20-year warranty.

Delivery, Trial, Returns	Nectar	Douglas
Shipping cost:	Free shipping	Free shipping
Shipping time:	3–10 days	3–10 days
Sleep trial length:	365 nights	365 nights
Return ease:	Company picks up	Company picks up
Refund:	Yes, full refund	Yes, full refund
Additional fees:	Remote shipping fees for select locations*	Remote shipping fees for select locations*

Please reach out to retailers directly for more information*

Thanks to modern compression methods and the rising popularity of the bed-in-a-box, mattresses can now be shipped far more efficiently and conveniently than ever before. Customers no longer need to take a day off work to accept a delivery. Boxed beds are now delivered with the same convenience as most Amazon orders. Some bed-in-a-box companies even offer same-day delivery to certain areas.

Nectar uses UPS and FedEx to deliver their mattress. Douglas uses FedEx. Both mattresses are delivered directly to customers’ doors throughout most parts of Canada. In some cases, the mattresses can even be left on a porch or deck while the customer is away from home.

Shipping times for Nectar and Douglas are roughly the same. Both bed-in-a-box mattresses will be delivered within 10 days.

As with any other bed-in-a-box brands, Nectar and Douglas heavily promote their in-home sleep trials. Douglas and Nectar both offer a 365-night sleep trial. If a customer wishes to return their Nectar or Douglas mattress within the sleep trial, both companies will arrange to pick the mattresses up and issue a full refund. There are no additional return or restocking fees for the Nectar mattress or the Douglas mattress.

Customers should be aware that Nectar states that mattresses which haven’t been opened within 90 days of delivery are “misused and are ineligible for warranty claims and returns.” The mattress we received for our Nectar review spent nearly nine months in its box before being shipped to us. Customers on Reddit, Trustpilot, and the Better Business Bureau have reported receiving mattresses that were in the box for several months before receiving them and other customer service issues.

Unlike Nectar, Douglas mattresses are made fresh to order. Douglas also has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau. 

Out of the Box	Nectar	Douglas
Delivered in a box:	Yes	Yes
Box dimensions:	17" x 17" x 41"	17.5" x 17.5" x 44.5"
Box opening:	Scissors required	Scissors required
Box/mattress fitting:	Tight	Tight
Protection layers:	2	2
Expansion time:	2 minutes	2 minutes

Both the Nectar and the Douglas mattress were delivered to us within the expected time frame. Both mattresses were well protected by heavy-duty plastic layers within the boxes to protect the mattresses during shipping.

The boxes for both mattresses were sealed with heavy-duty tape. Customers will definitely need scissors or a knife to open the packaging. To prevent potential harm to yourself or your new mattress, remember to be extra careful when using sharp objects to open the box.

Once opened, the compressed mattress is easy to remove from the box. We recommend a ‘tip-and-pull’ motion to slowly slide the mattress out of its cardboard packaging. Simply tip the box from a vertical position down onto its side, and then pull the lightweight box away from the bundled mattress. It’s most practical to complete this process in the room where you intend to use the mattress.

The Nectar mattress and Douglas mattress are both protected with multiple layers of heavy-duty plastic – an inner layer to compress it in a vacuum seal, and an exterior layer to keep it tightly bound in a cylindrical shape. Some helpful advice at this stage is to place the rolled-up mattress onto the designated bed frame. Next, like the end of a roll of tape, find where the outer layer of plastic begins and start peeling it back.

You can use the momentum of unrolling the compressed mattress along the bed frame to help remove the rest of this layer, which could be up to a few meters long. After completing this process, the mattress will rest unrolled before you.

Next, cut and remove the final layer of plastic. With the vacuum seal now broken, the new Nectar or Douglas mattress will begin to decompress. A bed-in-a-box mattress should expand to its full height within a few minutes, but some may require a few days to fully expand. The Nectar and Douglas mattresses both expanded to their full height within a couple of minutes.

The Nectar and the Douglas are both combination foam mattresses. Both are available only in one firmness option, and each comes compressed, rolled, and shipped in a box.

Some of the major differences between the Nectar and Douglas mattresses are the types of foam used for comfort and support. Each mattress contains comfort, transition, but support layers, and these layers vary slightly in height and density.

Each mattress has a unique top cover which showcases its brand’s design aesthetic and personality. Despite advertising a machine-washable cover on the mattress tag and designing a removable one, customers should know they can only spot-clean their Nectar mattress cover. Nectar’s warranty clearly states: “This Mattress Warranty does not cover: Any Mattress that has had the cover removed for any reason (removing the Mattress cover will void this warranty).” On the other hand, Douglas has a machine-washable cover made with plant-based Infinitex™ fibres.

Nectar vs Douglas Mattress Layers

Nectar Mattress Layers

The Nectar mattress contains three layers of foam:

• The first layer of the Nectar mattress is 2″ of gel-infused memory foam. This top layer is designed to be a soft foam that contours to your body as you sink into the mattress.

• The second layer of the Nectar mattress is 3″of conventional foam. This layer is designed to offer bounce and be responsive to pressure, but the third-party engineer testing we commissioned implies it might not be super effective.

• The final layer in the Nectar mattress is 7″ of conventional foam. This is the support layer that acts as a base for the mattress. 

Douglas Mattress Layers

Douglas uses three layers of foam in the construction of its Canadian-made mattress.

• First layer: 2 inches of ecoLight® cooling gel foam. This cooling gel encourages a restful sleep by ensuring that the mattress doesn’t trap heat. The ecoLight® foam has the durability, responsiveness, and comfort of memory foam, but it has a lower carbon footprint. Foam density: 2.5 lbs/ft³.
• Second layer: 2 inches of Elastex® foam. This transition layer is designed to provide spring and support. Many mattresses use latex for similar reasons. Elastex® is free of the allergy-causing chemicals found in latex.
• Third layer: 6 inches of motion isolation support foam. This thick bottom layer greatly reduces motion transfer between sleepers, and it also enhances edge support.

Nectar vs Douglas Mattress Cover

Nectar Mattress Cover

The Nectar mattress has a simple two-tone cover.  The cover is made out of polyester, nylon and polyethylene. The bottom and sidewalls of the mattress are a solid charcoal colour with navy blue piping that goes around the top section of the mattress. This is a nice contrast to the white top cover. One limitation of the Nectar mattress that stands out is its mattress cover and related warranty. Whether it’s misleading or simply an oversight, there appears to be conflicting information from Nectar on how to care for your purchase.

The tag on the front of the mattress includes a picture of a washing machine that says, “washable cover.” However, Nectar’s warranty clearly states: “This Mattress Warranty does not cover: Any Mattress that has had the cover removed for any reason (removing the Mattress cover will void this warranty).” You’ll have to meticulously spot-clean the mattress cover when needed, as stated in the care instructions.

Douglas Mattress Cover

With its mountainscape stitching to its red and white colour profile, Douglas’ Canadian-centric cover shows the brand's homegrown roots. Cut from a single piece of fabric and woven together, the design is almost seamless. The red zipper running the entire length of the side wall and the red Douglas badge are the only elements that break up this impressive white canvas.

As for upkeep, the top half is machine washable, a bonus for anyone who can't stand the thought of spot cleaning their bed by hand. Douglas' cover is enhanced with moisture-wicking Infinitex™ fibres. This proprietary fabric is stretch-knit and very soft, but also extremely durable. The cover is great for staying cool and breathable through the night, so you won't wake up in a pool of sweat.

Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious when making purchases. Retailers both in and out of the mattress industry have been incorporating more eco-friendly and ethical policies when selling products and choosing suppliers.

GoodMorning.com Inc. carried out a survey in February 2017, discovering that almost 50% of Canadians are willing to spend more money for more environmentally friendly products. Therefore, in every review on Mattress-Reviews.com, we will highlight each mattress company’s green philosophy, as well as how prominent their policies are on their websites.

Feel & Firmness	Nectar	Douglas
Feel:	Medium-soft	Medium-firm
Firmness:	3.4 / 10	6.7 / 10
Edge Support:	1.9 / 10	7.8 / 10
Motion Isolation:	5 / 10	8.3 / 10
Bounce:	3.6 / 10	3.1 / 10

Feel & Firmness

According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Nectar mattress and Douglas mattress vary greatly in feel and firmness:

• The Nectar is a medium-soft mattress. It is rated at 3.4 / 10 on the firmness scale. The Nectar mattress has significant ‘hug.’
• The Douglas is a medium-firm mattress. It is rated at 6.7 / 10 on the firmness scale. The Douglas mattress does not have excessive ‘hug.’

Edge Support

Foam mattresses are not known for their edge support; in fact, it is often one of the main issues customers bring up when moving from innerspring mattresses to foam mattresses. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Nectar and Douglas mattress edge support ratings are very different:

• The Nectar mattress has below-average edge support. It is rated at 1.9 / 10 on the edge support scale.
• The Douglas mattress has above-average edge support. It is rated at 7.8 / 10 on the edge support scale.

Motion Isolation

Motion isolation in foam mattresses is usually very good. It’s one of the main reasons couples make the switch from innerspring to memory foam. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Nectar mattress and Douglas mattress vary greatly on motion isolation:

• The Nectar mattress has average motion isolation. It is rated at 5 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.
• The Douglas mattress has above-average motion isolation. It is rated at 8.3 / 10 on the motion isolation scale.

Bounce

Because foam mattresses excel at motion isolation, their bounce ratings are generally very low. According to the testing conducted by third-party engineers (commissioned by us), the Nectar mattress and Douglas mattress bounce are both below average in this regard:

• The Nectar mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 3.6 / 10 on the bounce scale.
• The Douglas mattress has below-average bounce. It is rated at 3.1 / 10 on the bounce scale.

Remember, Mattress-Reviews.com is owned, operated, and paid for by GoodMorning.com Inc. and advertises the Octave, Douglas, Juno, and Logan & Cove brands. The following is strictly our competitive opinion:

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There are a few factors that immediately stand out after comparing the Nectar mattress with the Douglas. Each product has similar features, especially with regard to comfort and support. Each mattress also has a distinctive firmness for a one-size-fits-all mattress. While Douglas test results show that their mattress is medium-firm, Nectar’s mattress firmness test results show it’s medium-soft. Also, each mattress excels in a particular area with regard to edge support, motion isolation, and bounce.

What really propels one brand above the other is the environmental commitment, use of Canadian-sourced materials, and a lower price point for a queen mattress. Douglas has been awarded Mattress-Reviews.com’s EDITOR’S CHOICE for BEST OVERALL VALUE.

Customers who choose to purchase a Douglas mattress over a Nectar mattress will enjoy a medium-firm mattress with consistent support, good motion isolation and edge support. Sleepers who choose Douglas will receive a long sleep trial and, unlike Nectar, a straightforward return process. They can also sleep better knowing that they are supporting a mattress brand that supports the environment by reducing carbon emissions and using sustainable, renewable materials in the mattress build.