Sleep Plus Collagen Cream Contains 2.4 mg of Melatonin Per Application. Read This.

Sleep Plus Collagen Cream — $32.99, 2 oz. This article leads with the warning because the product category hides it.

This is not just a moisturiser. It contains melatonin.

Straight from our own directions:

"Start by applying ¼ tsp to face and/or neck 45 minutes to 1 hour before bedtime. Increase to ½ tsp if you wake repeatedly during the night. Each ¼ tsp contains 2.4 mg of melatonin."

Melatonin is a hormone. It is the second ingredient on the list, ahead of aloe, collagen and hyaluronic acid. At the suggested half-teaspoon that is 4.8 mg.

Those directions — timing it an hour before bed, increasing it if you wake in the night — are sleep-aid instructions, not skincare instructions. A face cream does not care what time you apply it. This one does, and you should know why before you buy it.

Do not use this if

• You are pregnant or nursing. Melatonin is not established as safe in pregnancy.
• You are under 18. Melatonin in children is a decision for a paediatrician, not a cosmetics shelf.
• You already take melatonin. This is the big one — see below.
• You take sedatives, sleep medication, blood thinners, blood pressure medication, diabetes medication or immunosuppressants. Melatonin has documented interactions with several of these. Ask a doctor.
• You have an autoimmune condition or a seizure disorder — both are commonly flagged with melatonin.
• You are about to drive or operate machinery. Apply it at bedtime as directed, not in the evening while you still have things to do.

The overlap nobody would check

Our RestWell PM contains 10 mg of melatonin per serving, which we have already flagged as being at the high end — most research uses 0.5 to 5 mg.

If you take RestWell PM and also use this cream, you are taking melatonin from two products. 10 mg plus 2.4 mg, or 4.8 mg at the larger application. Nobody adds up a supplement and a face cream, because nobody expects a face cream to contain a hormone.

Pick one. And if melatonin is what you actually want, an oral dose you can measure is the more sensible route — a cream is a strange way to take a hormone with a dose that depends on how much you smear on.

On the "collagen" part

Collagen is on the ingredient list, and so is hyaluronic acid.

Honestly: collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and become your collagen. Topical collagen works as a humectant — it sits on the surface and helps hold moisture, which makes skin look plumper and feel softer. That is a real, pleasant effect. It is not rebuilding your skin's collagen, and we are not going to suggest it is.

Same for the hyaluronic acid: hydration, which is genuinely what a night cream should do. If hydration is all you want, our Hyaluronic Acid Serum does that with no hormone attached.

The full ingredient list

Purified Water, Melatonin, Aloe Vera Extract, Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Avocado Oil, Rheosol, Lavender Oil, Phenonip, Rosemary Leaf Extract.

Short list. Lavender oil is a known contact sensitiser for a minority of people. Avocado oil is worth noting if you have a latex-fruit sensitivity.

Note also that the label carries supplement-style warnings — "do not exceed recommended dose", "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease", "if accidentally ingested call a physician". Those warnings are on there because of what is in it.

What we are not telling you

We are not telling you this cream will help you sleep. Whether melatonin absorbed through facial skin reaches levels that affect sleep is not something this label establishes, and we are not going to assert it either way. What we can tell you with certainty is the amount that is in it, and that you should count it.

If you just want a night cream

LiftLuma Skin Hydration Cream or Skin Firming Cream are moisturisers without a hormone in them. For a night routine built around retinol, see the layering guide.

For external use only. If irritation develops, discontinue use. If cream enters the eye, flush thoroughly with water. If accidentally ingested, call a physician. Keep out of reach of children. This article is general information, not medical advice.