When it comes to giving your skin some TLC, adding a night cream into your beauty routine seriously ups the ante. Thicker than most daytime moisturisers, they provide an intense moisture boost, reducing dryness and the appearance of fine lines while you snooze. These carefully curated formulas are specifically designed to assist your skin as it rejuvenates overnight, targeting concerns like redness, dry patches and acne.
Of course, there are a multitude of night creams to choose from, so we’ve done the legwork for you by whittling our favourites down to five. If you want to target the early onset of fine lines, Clarins Multi-Active Nuit is a great place to start. For those who want to calm their sensitive skin, REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm is soothing and deliciously scented. And if you’re after beauty on a budget, Nivea Q10 Power Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Night Cream is hard to beat.
Whichever night cream you choose, applying it correctly ensures you really max out its benefits. Start by cleansing your skin, to shift the daily build-up of sweat, oil and grime. This means the hydrating ingredients can really penetrate the skin’s surface, working their magic while you catch some shut-eye. Once you’ve smoothed your night cream onto your face and neck, give it a few minutes to be absorbed, otherwise it’ll just sink into your pillow instead!
Nivea Q10 Power Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Night Cream is thicker than the day cream in the same range, but retains the same deliciously clean smell. As the name suggests it contains Q10, a co-enzyme that’s found naturally in our bodies but which decreases as we grow older. By boosting our body’s natural levels of this protective anti-oxidant, the cream ups our anti-ageing defences, firming skin and making wrinkles less apparent. We found the formula rich, without being heavy, and it instantly disappeared into the skin without leaving any shine or a greasy film. After it got to work overnight, skin felt softer and it soon began to look smoother too. Ideal for those wanting good results at an excellent price.
This nourishing night cream feels silky soft to the touch, and its gentle fragrance is dangerously moreish. It specifically targets delicate fine lines, making it suited to those who are just beginning to think about ageing and want to slow down the early signs (that’s a wise move in our book). The revitalising formula is also ideal for night owls or anyone with a high-octane lifestyle, thanks to the inclusion of organic California poppy and teasel extract. While this cream doesn’t give you an excuse to party 24/7, it does promise to help absorb the visible harmful effects of late nights and interrupted sleep! It comes in two versions too – one for normal to dry skin and a lighter formula for normal to combination skin.
Technically speaking this is more of a balm than a cream – we rubbed it between our fingertips and massaged it into skin. At first there’s no noticeable scent, but as it slid across the skin we found ourselves inhaling an insanely relaxing, herbal aroma. With ultra-nourishing ingredients that include olive, almond, borage and linseed oils, it’s little wonder it smells so good. Granted, there was an initial shine on the skin’s surface after application, but when we woke in the morning it felt deeply nourished, calm and ever-so-supple. This is beauty with a clear conscience too – REN never test on animals.
One of the darlings of the skincare world, No7’s famous anti-ageing range regularly wins rave reviews, largely thanks to its scientifically proven results. The Lift and Luminate Triple Action Night Cream is designed to visibly reduce wrinkles, as well as firming the skin and evening it out. This makes it ideal for slightly older users, wanting to target the signs of ageing. We found the easily-absorbed formula really did feel as though it was supercharging our beauty sleep – the skin seemed firmer and fine lines looked softened too. We also exuded more radiance, even if we didn’t necessarily feel like we were bursting with energy!
