The best night creams are bedtime essentials for their rich feel, supreme hydrating abilities, and plentiful benefits (think plumping, firming, brightening, and beyond). Even if you already have a trusty face moisturizer you like to slather on as part of your routine, night creams tend to be more hydrating and exclusively formulated to support the processes your skin undergoes overnight, such as natural repair and regeneration. So, skin-care lovers, you can rest easy knowing we did the hard work of rounding up the best night creams (and the occasional mask) on the market. Read on for recommendations and input from Allure editors and board-certified dermatologists alike.
Our Top Night Creams
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Face Mask with 10.5% Squalane
Why it’s worth it: She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Face Mask. This endlessly slatherable 2023 Best of Beauty Award winner is packed with nourishing ingredients like barrier-boosting squalane and ultra-hydrating glacial glycoprotein (found in sea glaciers!). Smooth it on as the final step of your nighttime routine for soft, plump skin by morning. And don’t let the “overnight” part fool you—you can dab on a little before your morning SPF for a dewy, all-day moisture boost if your skin really needs some TLC.
Tester feedback from Allure commerce editor Sarah Han
“Whipped deliciousness…that’s how I’d describe this Kiehl’s mask. My normally combo skin starts feeling tight the minute the temperatures drop below 60 degrees, which is precisely when I bring out my thicker creams to replenish my skin’s moisture. It’s so worth the 10 extra seconds of rubbing this mask in for the glowy, skin-softening results. Once it makes contact with the heat of your fingers, the semi-solid formula melts down more quickly than you’d think.” —Sarah Han
More to know
- Key ingredients: squalane, glacial glycoprotein
- Who it’s for: dry skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Dry Skin: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced
SkinCeuticals
A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced
Why it’s worth it: In 2023, SkinCeuticals’ A.G.E. Advanced Eye won the hearts of Allure editors and scored a Best of Beauty Award. And why exactly? Maybe it was its ability to encourage skin cell reproduction or its depuffing powers. Maybe it was the radiance-boosting formula or the anti-dark circle wizardry. Maybe, just maybe, it was all of the above (it was). A caffeine-infused, proprietary blend of optical diffusers is to thank.
David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, counts himself among this cream’s many fans. He previously explained that its formula “is packed with a lot of great ingredients such as Matrixyl 3000 (a blend of two different peptides, palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7) and proxylane to help skin hold onto moisture, and caffeine to depuff the eyes.” This eye cream also works well under makeup, so feel free to whip out your favorite concealer after applying it.
“Many moisturizers sting my dry, sensitive skin—but not the A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced. It coddles my skin, comforting the extra-dry patches and leaving my complexion bouncy and bright.”—Jesa Marie Calaor, senior beauty editor
More to know
- Key ingredients: proxylane, peptides, glycyrrhetinic acid, caffeine, optical diffusers
- Who it’s for: People with dark circles, mature skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Sensitive Skin: Chanel Le Lift Pro Crème Volume
Chanel
Le Lift Pro Crème Volume
Why it’s worth it: Chanel’s Le Lift Pro Crème Volume works to sculpt, plump, and smooth deep lines at all skin stages but particularly well on aging faces and in between aesthetic procedures. The formula employs a high concentration of Costa Rica-cultivated melipona enzymatic—a precious honey-sourced ingredient with antimicrobial, moisturizing, and soothing benefits—that’s safe for sensitive skin. With jojoba oil in the mix, it’s bliss for irritated skin. Chanel recommends using their signature “Le Lift protocol” before applying the cream: pinch your cheeks and jawline three times, then use your thumb and index finger to pinch along expression lines. Capisce?
“The Chanel Le Lift Pro Crème Volume moisturizer helps me hit glazed status every night before bed. With chronically dry skin—thank you eczema and psoriasis—it’s my nightly staple to keep my skin supple and glowing.”—Kassidy Silva, social media director
More to know
- Key ingredients: melipona enzyme, shea butter, jojoba seed oil
- Who it’s for: people experiencing signs of aging and in between procedures
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Barrier Support: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Estée Lauder
Advanced Night Repair Overnight Treatment
Why it’s worth it: Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair is awake and working hard while you’re getting your beauty rest. It melts right into your skin to provide hydration, plump, and reduce fine lines using the brand’s exclusive night peptide (a rejuvenating compound that includes Tripeptide-32, squalane, and lactobacillus ferment), hyaluronic acid, and polyglutamic acid. Peptides serve as messengers between skin cells to encourage them to churn out more collagen, accelerate wound healing, and protect the barrier.
Tester feedback from former Allure beauty editor Paige Stables
“I’ve been using the decadent Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Overnight Treatment regularly for several months, and the multitasking formula (with hydrating hyaluronic acid, a firming peptide, and nourishing shea butter, among other hardworking ingredients) has simplified my evening routine. A thin layer of this cushiony cream is really all I need to wake up looking refreshed and glowing—even when eight hours of beauty sleep is out of the question.”—Paige Stables, former beauty editor
More to know
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, peptides, shea butter, polyglutamic acid
- Who it’s for: everyone
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Mature Skin: Eighth Day The Intensive Moisturizer
Eighth Day
The Intensive Moisturizer
Why it’s worth it: Whether your skin’s freaking out post-treatment or just needs some TLC, Eighth Day’s Intensive Moisturizer is the luxe fix you’ll actually feel good investing in. Fueled by the brand’s Peptide-Rich Plasma—a blend of 24 growth factors, peptides, and amino acids—it deeply soothes and hydrates without clogging pores or leaving skin shiny. Despite its powerhouse formula, the texture feels silky and lightweight, not heavy or greasy. Ceramides and sphingosine (a hard-to-source lipid) help lock in moisture for real barrier repair, no petrolatum shortcuts here. Is it pricey? Sure. But if you’re into science-backed skin care that actually heals and regenerates, it’s worth every drop.
“I first tried this cream when the founder handed me a lab sample at an event, like an illicit skin care dealer. Then, the product was top secret. What wasn’t a secret was the glow my skin had after making it my regular night cream. Some rich moisturizers cause my skin to break out in fine bumps. This whipped texture is lightweight but very hydrating. It doesn’t leave my pillow sticky yet I can still feel its effect come morning. A little goes a long way… pea size is all I really need.”—Jessica Cruel, editor in chief
More to know
- Key ingredients: copper peptides, ceramides, sphingosine, antioxidants, polyphenols
- Who it’s for: Dry, sensitive, or post-treatment skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Most Versatile: Sonsie Multi Moisture Cream
Why it’s worth it: You can use Sonsie’s Best of Beauty-winning Multi Moisture Cream as a daily face cream, an overnight mask, a treatment for cracked feet or elbows, and the list goes on. No matter where and how you use it, the multitasker is incredibly good at soothing and moisturizing dry, red, and sensitive complexions thanks to a strategic blend of humectants (to draw in water) and emollients (to then seal that water in); it pairs glycerin with hyaluronic acid, plus shea butter to form a protective barrier on the skin. It works on all skin types, no matter the time of day or the concern—it’s our old faithful whenever you need a hefty moisture boost.
“For night creams, especially in the winter, I like something so thick and rich that I can still feel it on my skin when I wake up in the morning. This green-tinted, peptide-packed formula hits those marks, plus has soothing qualities that help tone down some of the redness in my complexion. Best of all, it’s packaged in a compostable bio resin called Vivomer that, according to Sonsie’s reps, will break down completely in about a year in a home compost and even more quickly in an industrial facility.”—Kara McGrath, content director
More to know
- Key ingredients: Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, shea butter
- Who it’s for: everyone
- Fragrance-free: yes
More night creams to consider
Best for Redness: Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair
Tatcha
Indigo Overnight Repair
Why it’s worth it: Jenny Liu, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, vouches for Tatcha’s Indigo Overnight Repair, which she describes as a “serum-in-moisturizer-form treatment that visibly calms irritation, strengthens the skin’s barrier, and balances the microbiome for a healthy, hydrated glow.” Its healing powers are derived from dryness-soothing Japanese indigo extract, moisture-locking hyaluronic acid and ceramides, and mondo grass root, a plant-based humectant.
More to know
- Key ingredients: indigo extract, hyaluronic acid, ceramides
- Who it’s for: those seeking a quick-absorbing option
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Retinol: Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream
Eau Thermale Avène
RetrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream
Why it’s worth it: Eau Thermale Avène RetrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream is a boon for beginners, especially if you have sensitive or dry skin (yes, you read that right), according to Mamina Turegano, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. This nourishing repair cream is formulated with retinaldehyde, a retinoid that’s more potent (yet thought to be more gentle) than retinol, to promote cell turnover, elasticity, and collagen production. Because of the ingredient’s strength, Avène added its signature Thermal Spring Water to act as a soothing counterpart to any potential vitamin A-related irritation. Nonetheless, because vitamin A can make your skin a bit more prone to sun damage, this cream is ideal for nighttime use. And, don’t forget to use face sunscreen in the morning.
More to know
- Key ingredients: retinaldehyde, vitamin E, peptides
- Who it’s for: first-time retinol users
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Drugstore: CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
CeraVe
PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
Why it’s worth it: Look, we don’t claim to have every answer, but if we know one thing to be true, it’s that you really can’t go wrong with CeraVe—this PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion as proof. She’s teeming with ceramides, she’s non-comedogenic, and she’s hyaluronic acid-rich—adding up to equal so, so gentle on sensitive skin. You’ll appreciate the non-greasy finish that won’t bug you as you drift off or leave icky oil stains on your pillowcase.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.allure.com
