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

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:

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:

• Erum Ilyas, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Philadelphia
• Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Sonia Batra, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in California and cohost of The Doctors
• Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles
• Nichelle Mosley, founder of Queen City Beauty Group and a board-certified aesthetician in North Carolina

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.”

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.