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The Only Overnight Skincare You Should Ever Need

The Only Overnight Skincare You Should Ever Need

Overnight skincare won’t transform your skin literally overnight, but apply a few carefully chosen formulations before turning in for the night and your skin will reap the benefits in the long term.

Some skincare sceptics firmly believe that night cream is a marketing con. Fools. The thing is, your skin has very different needs at night than during the day. If all you’re looking for in your routine is the basics (clean, moisturized skin) then sure, you’re going to be just fine with a couple of products for day and night. However, if you want to target, treat and prevent more pressing concerns such as fine lines, dark spots and acne, you’ll be sorely disappointed by the results a bog-standard cleanse and moisturize routine will offer.

An effective morning routine, for example, requires antioxidants and sunscreen to protect you from environmental stressors and free radical damage. It may also benefit from lighter day creams that give your skin almost invisible moisturization – the perfect base for priming your skin and facing the day.

In contrast, when you’re asleep, your skin kick-starts a whole regeneration process making it one of the most important times for rich, collagen-boosting products that help improve the health, look and feel of your complexion.

Studies show that people who get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night have skin that’s more moisturized and better able to protect and heal itself than those who sleep for five hours or less. How so? Because when your body rests, blood flow to your skin increases, collagen production ramps up, free radical damage gets repaired and your skin’s super important barrier function is restored. Cut back on your sleep and you deny your skin this precious time to repair itself. This means that compared to the lightweight, protective formulations your skin thrives on during the day, overnight skincare should revolve around boosting collagen, enhancing moisture, replenishing oils and therefore helping to repair and replenish your skin's protective barrier.

Convinced you need to step up your bedtime skincare routine but unwilling to spend hours in the bathroom before turning in for the night? Then you’ve come to the right place because we believe you need just three nighttime skincare formulations to care for your entire complexion. 

Overnight Must-Have #1. A Skin-Restoring Serum

If you’re serious about looking after your skin, you should always apply an overnight facial serum after cleansing. Serums are light, fast-absorbing formulations that have a much smaller molecular structure than moisturizers, meaning they’re able to deliver active ingredients deeper into your skin. We truly believe everyone needs two serums in their skincare lives – one for the morning and one for night – but the formulation you choose will obviously depend on what the issues you want to address. For dryness, HA is always a winner; for dark spots we love vitamin C or niacinamide, and for acne, serums containing salicylic acid or tea tree oil are always a great shout.

If you’re looking for the true gold standard of overnight face serums, however, try a formulation containing retinol like our fabulous Retinol Serum. Retinol is a clever little ingredient that derms, beauty editors and A-listers all swear by. When applied to your skin it triggers and activates certain genes to increase collagen production and stimulate your skin to turn over more efficiently. This not only helps soften, thicken and plump up the skin but offers no end of benefits for enlarged pores, acne, pigmentation and aging skin. If this wasn’t enough to convince you of its superpowers, research also shows that retinol has powerful antioxidant properties to help combat free radical damage.

 

Overnight Must-Have #2. An Awesome Eye Treatment

Lack of sleep is hell on the skin around your eyes, causing redness, fluid retention, dark circles, lines and wrinkles. Why do your eyes take the hit so badly? Because the skin in this area is thinner, more fragile and contains fewer sebaceous (oil-producing) glands than the rest of your face, so it ages lightning fast. If you think about it, the skin around your eyes also works pretty hard thanks to repetitive movements like blinking, smiling, squinting and so on. Without a targeted eye treatment product, therefore, it stands no chance in the fight against premature aging. And what better way to repair and replenish it than overnight when your eyes are less subject to the constant, repetitive movements of, well, being awake?

Some of the most powerful ingredients to look for in an overnight eye treatment are hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamin C and retinol. Hyaluronic acid (HA) helps your skin retain water, vitamin C brightens and repairs, while peptides and retinol boost collagen. All great stuff for the skin around your eyes, we think you’ll agree.

Try our Eye Cream which contains potent antioxidants such as vitamins B5, C and E, plus plant peptides and HA. Share a pea-sized amount between both eyes and smooth or tap it gently onto the skin, using your ring fingers for a lighter, less skin-damaging touch.

 

Overnight Must-Have #3. The Perfect Night Cream

If you have a highly moisturizing serum on the go, you might think you can do without night cream. Big mistake. Serums rarely contain emollient or occlusive ingredients which are important for sealing water and oils into your skin, so while serums are great for delivering ingredients deep into your skin, you still need to follow with moisturizer to lock all that goodness in. Whatever your skin type.

Our new Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream has been formulated to work with your skin’s overnight renewal system to support your skin, stimulate collagen production and strengthen that all-important barrier function. As well as containing one of our favorite antioxidants – vitamin C – this decadent night treatment comes bursting with nourishing and healing botanicals such as aloe, cocoa butter and rosehip oil. For the best results, apply it nightly as the final step in your bedtime skincare routine.

And you're done. See, that wasn't too time consuming, was it? Sweet dreams, y'all ;)

 

 

 

 

 

More About This Article

Georgia Gould

Georgia Gould

Georgia is an award-winning beauty writer who has been in the business for over 20 years. British-born, she began her career as a magazine beauty editor in London before moving to San Francisco, CA in 2012 where she now continues her love as a freelance writer and editor. As well as her editorial work, Georgia has created content for many high-profile beauty brands, including Clarins, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Simple and TRESemmé. Her passions include retinol (obviously), golfing, skiing and walking her beloved Schnauzer, Dave.