Keeping up with a solid sleep hygiene routine supports your overall wellness—and your complexion. While you rest, the body focuses on renewal, and your skin shifts into high gear to repair, restore, and rebalance after a day of environmental stress. You may already use a daily moisturizer, but the best night creams go further by delivering deeper hydration so skin looks plumper, smoother, and more comfortable by morning.
These formulas are designed to work alongside your daytime moisturizer, adding extra moisture plus skin-supporting ingredients for overnight recovery. As dermatologist Margarita Lolis explains, using a night cream is a key step in an advanced routine because the skin experiences a major physiological shift during sleep—making nighttime an ideal window for repair, renewal, and regeneration. A well-formulated night cream can help support the skin’s natural processes while you sleep.
Best Cleansing Balms for All Skin Types How They Work Key Ingredients and Proper Usage Tips
With multitasking ingredients that help replenish moisture, soften the look of fine lines and wrinkles, and strengthen the skin barrier, these standout options are worth adding to your bedtime routine.
Featured Night Cream Picks
Lolis counts this Clinique moisturizer among her favorites. She describes it as an anti-aging cream that uses peptides to support collagen production and improve firmness, along with hyaluronic acid for added hydration and brightening agents to help reduce the look of discoloration. What makes it especially notable, she says, is its smart hydration technology, which adjusts moisture based on what your skin needs in real time—helping keep a balanced feel without tipping into dryness or excess shine.
La Mer The Rejuvenating Night Cream
If you already know the original La Mer Moisturizing Cream, this upgraded night version builds on that reputation. It includes MRA-3, a retinol alternative designed to help skin feel firmer and reduce the appearance of fine lines overnight.
EltaMD Skin Recovery Night Moisturizer Mask
Lolis also recommends this EltaMD overnight mask, pointing to its patented formula designed to support the skin’s natural nighttime repair cycle. She notes that it can help improve the hydration barrier and is especially distinct for how it may reduce redness while you sleep.
Mother Science Molecular Genesis Barrier Repair Moisturizer
Dermatologist Hadley King notes that one of the most helpful things to look for in a night cream is humectants, such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which bind water to the skin. She recommends this option because it includes both, plus moisture-sealing emollients like ceramides, triglycerides, and squalane to support the barrier, and occlusives like shea butter to help lock in hydration. King also highlights malassezin, an antioxidant that supports skin barrier repair and replenishes essential lipids.
Beekman 1802 Milk RX Advanced Better Aging Cream
King also recommends this cream for its “perfect combination” of humectants, including glycerin, polyglutamic acid, and collagen, which help draw in moisture and hydrate the skin. Emollient triglycerides, squalane, ceramides, and shea butter support the skin barrier overnight, while occlusives like mango seed butter help seal it all in.
It also includes niacinamide to help improve tone and texture, plus allantoin for soothing support. The brand’s goat milk ingredient has been reworked into milk protein exosomes to help strengthen the barrier, while reneseed polypeptide is included to support collagen production.
Fig.1 Beauty Retinol Night Cream Level 1
If you’re easing into retinol, this option is designed to support a gradual routine. King likes that Fig.1 offers three retinol levels for different skin needs and sensitivities. Each level uses encapsulated retinol that releases over time to help minimize irritation. The base also includes humectants for hydration, emollients to support the skin barrier, and anti-aging peptides.
Lancer Skincare Intensive Night Treatment
Dermatologist Harold Lancer created this intensive formula with hyaluronic acid and peptides to help smooth and firm while restoring moisture. It also includes marula oil, rich in fatty acids, to help skin feel more plumped. A bio-engineered soybean extract is added to help reduce flakiness associated with dry skin.
Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair
Fragrance-free and formulated with ceramides, this overnight cream is a strong choice for skin prone to sensitivity, redness, or seasonal dryness. It also includes a spatula to support cleaner application.
Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon Night Gel-Cream
If you prefer a lighter feel, this gel-cream delivers hydration without heaviness. It includes ingredients like tamarind seed to support barrier function while keeping the texture airy and refreshing. It also features lavender and sandalwood to help promote a more calming nighttime routine.
Training for Golf This Year These 3 Foundational Exercises Build Strength Stability and Swing Power
Made with a “bio retinol” sourced from blue-green microalgae, this night cream is designed to support firmer-looking skin with visible results in as little as two weeks. Despite its cushiony feel, the texture remains surprisingly lightweight, leaving skin feeling comfortable rather than coated.
Yon-Ka Elastine Nuit Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream
Vitamin C can be helpful at night, too. This formula uses vitamin C to help improve the look of dark spots while you sleep, alongside peptides to soften the look of fine lines and shea butter to nourish and support overnight recovery.
The Outset Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream
This night cream has a rich, buttery texture that feels substantial without seeming overly heavy. It focuses on radiance and hydration with a streamlined formula that avoids unnecessary extras.
Meet the Experts
- Margarita Lolis, M.D., board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Hackensack, New Jersey.
- Hadley King, M.D., board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical and cosmetic dermatology and clinical instructor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
- Harold Lancer, M.D., board-certified dermatologist, global skincare authority based in Beverly Hills, and founder of Lancer Skin Care.
Why Night Creams Are So Important
Nighttime skincare matters for several reasons. Lolis explains that skin experiences a peak in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) overnight, meaning it becomes more permeable and more likely to lose moisture. To help offset this, night creams formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin can act as both humectants and occlusives, helping to lock in hydration and reinforce the epidermal barrier. This support can be crucial for reducing the risk of irritation, inflammation, and environmental damage, leaving skin feeling more resilient by morning.
Your skin is also especially active while you sleep. Lolis notes that the skin’s regenerative capacity rises at night, with keratinocyte proliferation and DNA repair reaching peak levels during sleep—around three times faster than in the daytime. That’s why bedtime is often the best moment to use cell-supporting actives such as retinoids, peptides, growth factors, and exfoliating agents.
Night Cream vs. Daily Moisturizer: What’s the Difference?
You can apply a standard moisturizer at night, but Lolis emphasizes that a dedicated night cream serves a different purpose. A night cream functions as a targeted reparative treatment that aligns with the skin’s circadian rhythms to support renewal, strengthen the barrier, and restore moisture levels. These formulas are often enriched with bioactive ingredients designed to address TEWL, promote cell turnover, and support collagen synthesis over time for a more resilient-looking complexion.
Since skin works harder to restore itself while you rest, nighttime is also a strategic time to put actives like retinol and peptides to work. Beyond sun protection, retinoids remain the most proven topical choice for anti-aging, while certain peptides—such as argireline (acetyl hexapeptide-3)—may create a mild Botox-like effect by influencing neurotransmitter release that contributes to wrinkle formation. King also notes that other peptide formulations can behave like growth factors, encouraging skin cells to turn over more quickly.
What Ingredients Should a Great Night Cream Include?
King describes three essential categories to look for in a night cream: humectants, emollients, and occlusives. Ideally, a formula includes all three. Humectants draw moisture into the skin, but they work best when paired with other components for fuller support. Emollients contribute to barrier function, membrane fluidity, and cell signaling, helping improve skin texture and overall appearance.
Common emollients include squalene, fatty acids, and ceramides. Occlusives are the final seal, forming a protective layer that helps reduce transepidermal water loss. Common occlusives include petrolatum, beeswax, mineral oil, silicones, lanolin, and zinc oxide.
How to Apply Night Cream the Right Way
Harold Lancer recommends a simple four-step routine to get the most out of your night cream:
- Begin with a polish and thorough cleanse to support cell turnover and remove makeup, dirt, and sunscreen.
- Apply serums first, such as retinol or hydrating formulas.
- Use a pea-sized amount of your chosen night cream.
- Massage gently upward over the face and neck, then let it absorb before sleep to maximize overnight repair.
More Skincare to Explore
- The Best Red Light Wands for Smoother, Brighter Skin in a Flash
- The Best Drugstore Eye Creams, Ranked by Dermatologists
- Why Appointments With “It” Facialists Are the Ultimate Skincare Status Symbol
- The Best Niacinamide Serums for a Gorgeous Glow
- The Best Face Masks for Mature Skin
Why Trust Harper’s Bazaar?
For more than 150 years, Harper’s Bazaar has been a leading fashion and beauty authority for women of all ages. The publication covers what’s new and what’s next in beauty by working with top experts across dermatology, plastic surgery, cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and fragrance. Each story is researched and reviewed by its team of beauty editors and industry specialists.
