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Quick look at the best night creams
- Best overall night cream: CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
- Best night cream for dry skin: Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream
- Best night cream for men: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- Best night cream for oily skin: Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon Transformative Night Gel-Cream
- Best night cream for wrinkles: Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Overnight Cream
- Best night cream for acne-prone skin: Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream
- Best night cream for combination skin: Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream
- Best night cream for sensitive skin: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Night Cream
- Best night cream for aging skin: L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Moisturizer
- Best intense hydration night cream: Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream
- Best oil-free night cream: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
- Best organic night cream: Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Creme
- Best firming night cream: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream
- Best lightweight night cream: Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream
No matter your age or current skin care habits, it’s never the wrong time to start incorporating night cream into your nightly routine.
Night creams work to repair and brighten your skin overnight. Many include anti-aging ingredients such as retinol and retinoids, which help with cell turnover.
Want to incorporate night cream into your routine but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you. Read on for 14 of our top picks.
Sleep tight
While these creams can brighten your skin and make it look healthier, they’re best paired with a good night’s sleep.
“The lack of sleep affects the entire body. Not getting enough sleep is usually caused by several stress factors,” says Dr. Stuart Kaplan, a Beverly Hills-based celebrity dermatologist. “For skin, it is during this period of uninterrupted rest that allows for maximum cell renewal, repair, and regeneration. This is the main reason why a nighttime skin care regimen is so crucial.”
How we chose the best night creams
Dr. Anna Guanche, board certified dermatologist, author, and celebrity beauty expert based in Calabasas, California, recommends considering your skin type and goals when looking for a night cream.
“It is important to review ingredients and know what you are applying on your skin,” Guanche says. “Hyaluronic acid and ceramides are great ingredients for moisture. Retinol is a great ingredient for anti-aging, as it increases cell turnover, builds collagen, and reduces pore size.
“Vitamin C is great for building collagen and for brightening — reducing excess pigmentation. And glycolic acids (AHAs) are great exfoliants to smooth out dead skin cells and, again, brighten the skin,” Guanche adds.
Based on these tips, we looked at moisturizers that support hydration and overall skin health for several different skin types, like sensitive, oily, dry, and combination. We included recommendations at several price points based on skin type, customer reviews, and key ingredients.
Pricing guide
- $ = under $20
- $$ = $20–$50
- $$$ = over $50
Healthline’s picks for the best night creams
Best overall night cream
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
Price: $
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream reduces the appearance of fine lines, softens, and retains moisture with the use of hyaluronic acid. Additionally, it has essential ceramides to maintain the skin’s natural barrier.
Customers say it’s affordable and provides great coverage with its thick consistency. It works well for all skin types.
Buy CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream online.
Best night cream for dry skin
Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream
Price: $$$
Looking for a luxurious cream that’s made to hydrate dry skin? Look no further than Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Cream from Lancome. Made with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, it helps promote glowing skin. Many customers find that this product moisturizes well, but it does have a heavy fragrance.
Lancome products overall have positive reviews that attest to the brand’s strong and loyal customer base. It’s a luxury brand, so it is a bit pricey.
Buy Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night online.
Best night cream for men
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
Price: $
If you’re looking for a simple night cream to ease you into the world of skin care, then this product can help. It’s oil-free, dye-free, and fragrance-free, providing moisture through hyaluronic acid. It’s made for all skin types.
Some reviewers say their skin texture improved after use, but others have found that it made their skin break out. Those with sensitive skin may want to avoid it.
Neutrogena products are easy to find at most drugstores or grocery stores.
Buy Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel online.
Best night cream for oily skin
Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon Transformative Night Gel-Cream
Price: $$$
A versatile product, this cream brightens with vitamin C and hydrates with tamarind seed extract. Reviewers love that it doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. It does have a strong fragrance, which some reviewers cite as a con.
As an added bonus, it’s scented with sandalwood and lavender, which are meant to promote relaxation before bed. However, some reviewers report it has a strong smell that’s a little hard to get past.
Dermalogica products are cruelty-free and vegan.
Buy Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon Transformative Night Gel-Cream.
Best night cream for wrinkles
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Overnight Cream
Price: $$$
This cream from Juice Beauty is designed for people who want to fade wrinkles naturally. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and rated a 2 on the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s Skin Deep database.
Key ingredients include primrose oil, ceramides, and olive-derived squalane. Customers say the thick cream is luscious and hydrating, and that their skin looks healthy after use. One reviewer notes that if you have acne-prone skin, this cream may not be the best fit.
Juice Beauty uses many plant-based and certified organic ingredients in their products.
Buy Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Overnight Cream.
Best night cream for acne-prone skin
Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream
Price: $$$
This cream has herbal and floral notes of chamomile, lavender, fresh mint, and more. Reviews say it doesn’t break you out, but it does make your skin look well rested. Other reviews suggest that it helps reduce dryness attributed to acne.
Caudalie started in Bordeaux, France. It uses vines and grapes from the brand’s own private vineyard as a key ingredient in its products, making the company all about decadence.
Buy Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream online.
Best night cream for combination skin
Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream
Price: $
Packed with vitamin E, Garnier’s SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream hydrates to make skin look more supple. It’s nonsticky and dries fairly quickly.
Customers find that this product is long-lasting, and there’s no noticeable fragrance. However, some reviewers with sensitive skin say it can cause breakouts. This product is best suited for normal or combination skin.
Another budget pick, Garnier creams are easy to find in stores or online.
Buy Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream online.
Best night cream for sensitive skin
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Night Cream
Price: $$
This cream is preservative-free, fragrance-free, and paraben-free. It hydrates and softens with glycerin, squalane, shea butter, and niacinamide.
Reviews indicate this product is best for people who don’t need heavy moisturizers and those who have extremely sensitive skin. However, some reviewers with mature, dry skin say this lightweight product isn’t moisturizing enough.
Buy La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Night Cream online.
Best night cream for aging skin
L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Moisturizer
Price: $$
This fragrance-free night cream by L’Oreal Paris is packed with all the hydrating ingredients necessary to keep your skin healthy over time. It’s made with retinol, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, brighten, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Reviewers say this cream makes their skin soft, and noticed a reduction in hyperpigmentation. This cream is on the thinner side, so it may not be hydrating enough for those with dry skin.
Buy L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Moisturizer online.
Best intense hydration night cream
Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream
Price: $
Want to retain moisture while you sleep and wake up hydrated? Burt’s Bees has you covered with its intense hydration night cream. With ingredients like jojoba seed oil and clary sage, it locks in moisture.
Customers with dry skin say the thick consistency of this cream makes it perfect for nighttime use. Others say it’s a little too thick and found that it clogged their pores. It may be best for dry skin only.
Burt’s Bees prides itself on responsible ingredient sourcing. Their products are free from phthalates, parabens, petrolatum, and sodium lauryl sulfate.
Buy Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream online.
Best oil-free night cream
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
Price: $$
This shine-free gel cream is designed for oily and normal skin. Made with glycoprotein and imperata cylindrica root extract, it provides long-lasting hydration without clogging pores or feeling heavy.
Reviewers with oily skin say it works great. While you can use it at night before bed, some reviewers also comment that it works well during the day under makeup.
Buy Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream online.
Best organic night cream
Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Creme
Price: $$
Want an organic night cream? Then Honey Girl Organics is a great choice. It has the USDA organic seal, and the ingredients are simple: honey, beeswax, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, and organic extra virgin olive oil.
Rated a 2 by the EWG, this product is a big hit with customers. Many say it’s the best cream they’ve ever used. A few note that it smells strange, and one reviewer likens it to patchouli.
Buy Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Creme online.
Best firming night cream
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream
Price: $$
Described as “buttery,” First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream combines a peptide blend to smooth skin, niacinamide to make skin bouncy, and conditioning butters and waxes to make your skin dewy.
Customers overwhelmingly love this product. A few people said it helped remove blemishes and acne scars. However, some with sensitive skin found it irritating. It’s best for combination, normal, or dry skin.
Buy First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream online.
Best lightweight night cream
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream
Price: $–$$
This whipped antioxidant night cream supports and moisturizes stressed-out skin. With cucumber fruit extract and glycerin, it’s a lightweight cream that works for many skin types.
Many reviewers love the smell and the way their skin feels in the morning, but some feel like it doesn’t tighten the skin as much as they hoped.
Buy Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream online.
How to shop for a night cream
If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
Some night creams are better suited for your skin than others. Part of the journey is buying a product and testing it out on your skin to see if it works for you.
But if you need a place to start, determine your skin type first. One of the easiest ways to do this is through a wash test, where you wash your face and see how it reacts the rest of the day.
“If your skin feels tight after washing and you feel the need to use a moisturizer or hydrating serums throughout the day, your skin is likely dry. If your pores dilate with oil throughout the day, and there is shine on your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin (T-zone), your skin is likely oily. If you have dry cheeks and oily T-zone, your skin is likely combination skin, which is very common,” Guanche says.
Once you know your skin type, you can move on to ingredients. It’s good to keep in mind that cosmetics are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they are regulated. This means the FDA will monitor some ingredients like color additives and prohibit the marketing of adulterated or misbranded cosmetics under the
Because of that, it’s a good idea to research the ingredients in a product before buying it. You can use online tools like INCI Decoder, which breaks down ingredients and what they do for your skin in an approachable way. You can also look at EWG ratings.
When you do find a product you like, you likely won’t see immediate results. With most skin care products, it’ll take time — about 6 to 8 weeks to start seeing a noticeable difference in the skin, as long as the product doesn’t cause an allergic reaction.
How to do a patch test
Once you’ve decided on a product, it’s best to do a patch test on a small patch of your skin to see how it will react to the ingredients before using more widely.
To do this, apply a small amount of cream to a small patch of skin, such as your forearm, before going to bed. In the morning, check to see if there are any signs of an allergic reaction, such as a rash, redness, or irritation. If you notice any of these signs, stop using the product.
Takeaway
Night creams are a great way to add moisture to your daily routine. Since everyone’s skin is different, it’s important to know your skin type and research ingredients before you make a purchase. Finding what works for you may take some time, but it’s well worth it when you do.
Robin Mosley is a Chicago-based writer. Her work has appeared in publications including Food and Wine and The Kitchn. Her work deals with food, gaming, or business connected to intersectional identities. You can keep up with her on Twitter or on her website robinmosley.com.
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