These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (2024)

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (1)

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There's a reason getting sufficient shut-eye is called beauty sleep. Your skin repairs and restores itself at night, which is why establishing a nighttime skincare routine with a hardworking night cream is essential. “Everyone, from those with sensitive skin to rosacea-prone skin, anti-aging concerns, and even acne, will benefit from hydrating the skin effectively overnight,” says Erum Ilyas, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Philadelphia. Now, you might be wondering: Can’t I just use my regular moisturizer? You can—but some night creams are specifically designed to really work for, well, night. They’re often thicker than daytime moisturizers and contain ingredients, like retinol, that shouldn't be used during the day. More on that below:

Our Top Picks

How to choose a night cream

Your evening skincare routine should focus on of hydration and repair, says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. "When searching for a night cream, I recommend a product that contains a collagen-stimulating ingredient, like retinol, glycolic acid, peptides, or bakuchiol." While you sleep, the skin works to regenerate itself, and these ingredients help enhance cell turnover and increase production of collagen and elastic fibers, he explains. "Retinol is the best-studied ingredient, but it's not for everyone, because it can be irritating. It’s important to choose the ingredient that is right for your skin type."

How to apply a night cream

After cleaning your face and applying your serums, apply your night cream just like any old moisturizer. It should be the last step in your routine so that you can wake up with skin that is refreshed, plump, and radiant. Ready to make the most of your z’s? Ahead, shop dermatologist-recommend night creams.

The experts:

1

Best Night Cream for Sensitive Skin

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (9)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (10)Evens out skin tone
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (11)Restores skin barrier
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (12)Fragrance free
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (13)If you have oily skin, you may find the formula greasy

If you have sensitive skin, try this gentle formula, says Batra. It improves the appearance of uneven skin tone, dullness, and fine lines without any of the potentially irritating actives in other nighttime formulas. Instead, it contains ceramides to help skin retain moisture and protect the skin barrier, hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump, and niacinamide to calm skin and promote an even tone.

Key ingredientsHyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacinamide
Who's it for?Those with sensitive skin, dryness, acne, or combination skin

2

Best Night Cream for Dry Skin

Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in Cream Treatment

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (14)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (15)Luxurious and hydrating texture
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (16)Boosts radiance
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (17)It's more expensive than other options on this list

It's hard not to want to slather this formula on your face at all hours of the day. The rich and creamy texture is so indulgent that it instantly makes your skin feel nourished. The formula highlights hyaluronic acid and ceramides to hydrate and protect the skin barrier, while the Japanese indigo extract and mondo grass root soothe the skin and promote a healthy and dewy glow.

Key ingredientsHyaluronic acid, ceramides, Japanese indigo extract, and mondo grass root
Who's it for?Those concerned with dryness, dullness, uneven texture, or redness

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3

Best Affordable Retinol Night Cream

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (18)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (19)Stimulates collagen production
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (20)Some buyers find the formula irritating

With nearly 10,000 five-star ratings, you can't go wrong with this affordable moisturizer that's easily accessible at your local drugstore. This night cream contains retinol, a highly effective anti-aging ingredient, says Zeichner. Retinol helps stimulate collagen production and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, he explains.

Key ingredientsRetinol and hyaluronic acid
Who's it for?Those concerned with dullness, fine lines, and wrinkles

4

Best Exfoliating Night Cream

SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Dry

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (21)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (22)Refines skin texture
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (23)Great for dry skin
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (24)It's best to alternate this formula with another moisturizer to avoid overexfoliation

Exfoliating dry skin is necessary but tricky. Luckily, this moisturizer contains a 10 percent hydroxy acid blend that works to dissolve dull skin cells and unveil a brighter and more even complexion in the morning. Even though it works overtime to slough, the addition of aloe, chamomile, and evening primrose extracts keep the skin free of irritation, comfortably moisturized, and soothed.

Key ingredientsHydroxy acid complex
Who's it for?Those concerned with dryness, dullness, texture, loss of firmness, fine lines, and wrinkles

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5

Best for Sun Damage

No7 Future Renew Damage Reversal Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (25)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (26)Reverses the look of sun damage
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (27)Affordable
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (28)Some reviewers don't like the fragrance

If years of sun damage have left your complexion ridden with dark spots, uneven texture, and pronounced lines or wrinkles, try this affordable formula. It's loaded with a peptides complex to help reverse the look of sun-damaged skin. Shea butter, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid also make the formula soothing and hydrating.

Key ingredientsPeptides, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and niacinamide
Who's it for?Those concerned with sun damage, age spots, dark spots, dullness, loss of firmness and elasticity, and uneven texture

6

Best Night Cream for Uneven Texture

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Radiance Renewal Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (29)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (30)Strengthens skin barrier
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (31)Smooths skin texture
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (32)May be too heavy for very oily and acne-prone skin

This hardworking night cream is chock-full of antioxidants and hydrators to support the skin’s barrier while you sleep. It contains moisturizing vitamin E, super lotus flower extract, and star fruit leaf extract, which helps smooth skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The formula also highlights polyglutamic acid and peach leaf extract to minimize the look of large pores while hydrating and comforting skin.

Key ingredientsStar leaf extract, vitamin E, and super lotus flower extract
Who's it for?Those concerned with uneven skin texture, dryness, and dullness

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7

Best Night Cream for Loss of Firmness

It Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (33)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (34)Reduces look of deep wrinkles and lines
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (35)Soothing for skin
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (36)If you don't like the smell of lavender, you won't like the scent

Adenosine is a powerful ingredient that helps reduce the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. Ceramides and hyaluronic acid keep skin plump and hydrated to prevent the look of dry and dull skin. It also has a soothing lavender scent that will rock you to the best beauty sleep.

Key ingredientsCeramides, adenosine, and hyaluronic acid
Who's it for?Those concerned with fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, dullness and loss of firmness

8

Best Retinol Night Cream

Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (37)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (38)Improves skin texture and tone
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (39)It's more expensive than other options on this list

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Retinol is a fantastic anti-aging ingredient, but it can cause irritation and dryness. This formula accounts for that, with barrier-repairing niacinamide and picolinamide to help minimize any of the discomforts. It's perfect for very sensitive skin and helps fight the appearance of lines, deep wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and dullness overtime.

Key ingredientsRetinol
Who's it for?Those concerned with uneven skin texture and tone, signs of aging, dryness, dullness, and those with sensitive skin

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9

Best Night Cream for Oily Skin

Tula Skincare Beauty Sleep Overnight Repair Treatment Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (40)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (41)Boosts radiance and even tone
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (42)It isn't overly thick or greasy
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (43)Some buyers say the fragrance is strong

What you won't find in this dreamy night treatment: parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or formaldehyde—all of which can irritate sensitive skin. You also won't get that overly rich texture that might be too heavy for oily and combination skin. What you will find: a potent mix of vitamin C (to even skin tone), lactic and glycolic acids (to increase cell turnover and reduce the appearance of fine lines), and three probiotic strains (to moisturize), so you’ll wake up with healthier, more hydrated skin.

10

Best Luxury Night Cream

Irene Forte Hibiscus Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (44)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (45)Promotes brighter and clearer skin
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (46)Great for sensitive skin
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (47)Improves elasticity and hydration
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (48)It's a splurge

We won't deny that this formula costs a pretty penny; however, its efficacious formula is worth it. Each application offers a sensorial experience, between the delicious scent and decadent and hydrating texture. It utilizes Myoxinol, an ingredient derived from hibiscus seeds that's clinically proven to reduce the look of wrinkles with 10 days of consistent use. It also deeply hydrates thanks to hyaluronic acid and olive oil and is gentle enough for sensitive skin types.

Key ingredientsMyoxinol™
Who's it for?Those with dry, mature, or sensitive skin

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11

Best Lightweight

Trinny London Overnight Sensation

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (49)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (50)Promotes cellular turnover
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (51)Fades dark spots and marks
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (52)It's not technically a cream

If you don't love the feeling of overly thick creams, take a note from Trinny London's book and use a lightweight but hydrating and powerful retinol serum, like this one. She doesn't love using overly rich night creams because "at night your skin is in a resting phase, and it's the perfect time to feed it, but don't feed it just with thickness," she says. "Feed it the most intense ingredients to regenerate, but you don't need to smother it."

Key ingredientsRetinal and vitamin F
Who's it for?Those concerned with lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone, oily or combination skin

12

Best Night Cream for Acne-Prone Skin

Avène Cleanance Night Blemish Correcting & Age Renewing Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (53)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (54)Targets acne
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (55)Reduces redness
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (56)Some buyers say it's a bit light for dry skin

Adult acne is a common concern, but instead of reaching for all the exfoliants that likely dry out your skin, opt for this cream. It's made with retinal to reduce and prevent blemishes while resurfacing the skin. The addition of thermal spring water helps to soothe and calm the skin to avoid any potential irritation.

Key ingredientsRetinal
Who's it for?Those concerned with acne, redness, or excess oil

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13

Best Night Cream for Skin Over 40

Womaness Overnight Magic

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (57)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (58)Hydrates skin
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (59)Targets signs of aging without irritating skin
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (60)If you have oily skin, you may not like this formula's rich texture

This overnight formula is intended to target skin concerns associated with menopause, such as dryness and signs of aging. It contains seven types of sodium hyaluronate, an ingredient derived from hyaluronic acid, to plump and moisturize skin. It also contains bakuchiol, a gentler alternative to retinol that firms, brightens, and reduces the look of lines and wrinkles without irritating skin.

Key ingredientsBakuchiol
Who's it for?Those concerned with dryness and signs of aging

14

Best Drugstore Night Cream

RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (61)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (62)Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (63)Some buyers say it's a little drying on sensitive skin

This budget-friendly pick is the best drugstore night cream because it contains two important ingredients: alpha-hydroxy acids to help exfoliate dulling, dead skin cells, and retinol to help stimulate collagen production, says Shainhouse. “Together, these two ingredients help to reduce the appearance of fine lines with regular use over two to three months.”

Key ingredientsGlycolic acid and retinol
Who's it for?Those concerned with signs of aging, like wrinkles, lines, and uneven texture

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15

Best Vegan Night Cream

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Overnight Cream

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (64)

Why We Love It
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (65)Vegan and cruelty-free
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (66)Reduces look of wrinkles and lines
What to Consider
  • These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (67)It's more expensive than other options on this list

If you prefer to keep your beauty routine as clean as possible, try this natural but powerful night cream that's free of parabens, silicones, sulfates, GMOs, artificial dyes, and synthetic fragrances. It contains vitamin C and other antioxidant-rich botanicals, like evening primrose and sacred lily, to brighten, nourish, and hydrate your skin while you sleep, says Mosley.

Key ingredientsVitamin C, evening primrose and sacred lily extracts, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides
Who's it for?Those concerned with dryness, dullness, signs of aging, and uneven texture

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (68)

Brigitt Earley

Contributing Writer

Brigitt is a writer, editor and craft stylist with nearly 15 years of experience. She specializes in lifestyle topics, including home, health, parenting, beauty, style, food, entertaining, travel and weddings. She has written for Glamour, People, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and more.

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (69)

Genesis Rivas

Genesis Rivas is the Beauty Editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers hair, makeup, skin, nails, and more. Before joining the Oprah Daily team, she wrote for several publications, including InStyle, Real Simple, and Shape. When she’s not testing, researching, and writing fun and educational beauty content, you can find her dancing and eating her way through New York City. Follow her on Instagram or TikTok

These Night Creams Revitalize Your Skin While You Sleep (2024)
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