16 Best Night Creams to Help All Skin Types Get Their Beauty Sleep

The winner of the GH Beauty Lab's most recent night cream test, Olay's light formula featuring gold-standard anti-aging ingredients retinol, niacinamide and peptides outperformed the rest at making skin look brighter and feel softer. It increased skin firmness by 27% according to measurements with the Lab’s Cutometer device, which measures skin laxity.

TESTERS SAID: This cream was a tester favorite, with an impressive 100% of users agreeing it made skin feel softer, although a handful said it didn't soak in quickly. “This seemed to work as well as my prescription retinoid,” a tester marveled. “My face was firmer and smoother when I woke up each morning,” a second said.

This retinol-packed drugstore cream from Roc is perfect for overnight use, even around the eye area. It made skin look 32% smoother and more radiant after just one week of use — after four weeks, users reported fewer fine lines and eye wrinkles, and after eight weeks, lessened deep wrinkles and dark spots.

GH BEAUTY LAB NOTE: Some users reported reactions to the product, so GH Beauty Lab pros suggest using it every other night to start to mitigate any irritation.

Ruling the best replenishment cream category for our most recent Beauty Awards, testers loved its “thick” and “rich” creamy texture. The hero ingredient is Skinfix’s new patented B-L3 Complex, made up of lipids, vitamins and five unique signal peptides to smooth, firm, calm and soften skin, according to the brand. In addition to delivering major hydration, thanks to glycerin, the cream works to replenish lipids to improve skin health. It can be applied day and night.

TESTERS SAID: According to the GH Beauty Lab Corneometer tests, it raised skin moisture levels by 32% over six hours. “The texture is beautiful," says GH Beauty Lab Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler. “It absorbs very well. This is good for medium to dry skin.” However, despite that the product is fragrance, free, “it has a vinegar, acid smell to it.”

You don’t need a thick cream for major moisture — this lightweight lotion, dubbed a “hydrating serum” by a tester, leaves skin moisturized for up to 80 hours, according to the brand, plus smooths and nourishes with snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid and shea butter. The Beauty Award winner taps lamellar emulsion technology to trap water inside the skin’s barrier and can be used morning and night. However, the light, quick absorbing texture might not feel moisturizing enough for drier skin.

TESTERS SAID: Despite its watery consistency, in measurements with the Corneometer device, which gauges skin moisture content, it increased hydration 33% in six hours, according to GH Beauty Lab testing. “I like the serum-like consistency,” says GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann. “It feels nice on skin — both protecting and moisturizing. I like that it feels like it has some occlusive properties, yet it is so light. Also, no scent detected.”

Counteract skin damage as you sleep with the next-level No7 anti-aging night cream, a GH Beauty Award winner that's ideal for mature skin. It contains rare peptides found through advanced screening to have better penetration and efficacy. GH Beauty Lab scientists praised the robust research behind the formula: It raised hydration 85% in eight hours and reduced lines over time.

EXPERTS SAY: "The cream is light and silky, allowing you to go straight to bed without waiting for it to absorb," Wizemann says. "My skin was plump and bouncier with no dryness and my wrinkles looked softer after two weeks of use." Though she found the scent "comforting and relaxing," some may find it lingers too long.

Avon's night cream proved to be one of the best products the GH Beauty Lab has ever tested for minimizing stubborn hyperpigmentation. In Beauty Lab tests with the Visia Complexion Analyzer, it reduced the look of dark spots by 12% after four weeks of use. And that's not all: The formula was also impressive at increasing skin firmness (by 39%) and hydration (by 46%) in Cutometer and Corneometer measurements, respectively.

TESTERS SAID: Although some users didn't like the "strong perfume scent," overall they liked the "thick," "luxe" feel of the cream. "It really diminished the look of age spots and kept skin well moisturized at night," a tester raved. Another commented that it "tightened and brightened" skin.

RELATED: Best Dark Spot Correctors, Recommended by Dermatologists

Smooth on this "creamy" Clarins formula to wake up to more hydrated skin. In GH Beauty Lab Corneometer testing, it raised skin moisture levels by 37% over six hours, one of the highest measurements in the Beauty Lab's most recent test. Though it didn't perform as well at reducing wrinkles, the night cream upped skin firmness by 29% over four weeks in Beauty Lab Cutometer readings. It also ranked at the top among users for not causing redness or irritation.

TESTERS SAID: "It made my skin so soft and hydrated that I stopped using my daytime product," a tester noted. Another said: "Family and friends told me I looked younger and more rested and wanted to know what I was doing differently."

RELATED: Best Face Moisturizers for Dry Skin, According to Testing

Counteract dull skin and much more with this indulgent Dior night cream, made with exotic plant extracts. Although it's a splurge, it excelled in GH Beauty Lab testing at brightening, hydrating, smoothing and firming. In calculations with the Corneometer and Cutometer, respectively, it boosted skin moisturization by 35% in six hours and firmness by 33% in four weeks of use. Visia Complexion Analyzer measurements showed it reduced wrinkles by 7% in the same time period.

TESTERS SAID: Consumer testers gave it the best score for brightening skin and improving tone. "After a week or so, I noticed my skin seemed brighter when I looked in the mirror in the morning," one marveled. Another agreed: "In the morning, my skin looked much more radiant and plump, like baby skin."

SkinBetter Science's night treatment, a GH Beauty Award-winner, is supercharged with age-fighting actives including retinol, glycolic and lactic acids, and peptides to smooth skin's surface. GH Beauty Lab testing with the Cutometer machine showed that it increased skin firmness by 28% in four weeks. It also earned the top score for smoothing texture in Visia Complexion Analyzer measurements, however it was not very hydrating compared to other formulas.

TESTERS SAID: They gave the formula high marks for absorbing quickly. Two testers reported that their "fine lines were diminished." Another echoed that it "minimized some fine forehead lines."

RELATED: Best Retinol Creams

An oil-free, gel-like formula infused with soothing chamomile and antioxidants makes GH Seal Star Mary Kay's night treatment the perfect match for oily skin types. GH Beauty Lab data evaluation confirmed that it is non-comedogenic (not pore-clogging) and doesn't cause skin irritation, while significantly decreasing wrinkles, including on the forehead, starting at two weeks of use.

GH BEAUTY LAB NOTE: Be aware that the lightweight texture may not feel hydrating enough for those with dry skin.

RELATED: Best Moisturizers for Oily Skin

Malini Fowler, M.D., a dermatologist in San Antonio, Texas, recommends this Revision Skincare formula, which acts like an anti-aging retinol treatment (with a 0.25% concentration) and night cream in one. (The hefty price tag is a drawback, however.)

EXPERTS SAY: "It's a true retinol that's formulated with moisturizers and antioxidants to help with irritation," Dr. Fowler explains.

This Origins mask, applied like a night cream as a last step in your skincare routine, was a winner in the GH Beauty Lab's overnight masks test. In Beauty Lab moisturization measurements with the Corneometer machine, it improved skin hydration by 36% over a course of six hours. Ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid help moisturize skin and niacinamide can improve skin discoloration and elasticity.

EXPERTS SAY: "I really noticed a difference the next morning in my super dehydrated skin when I used it; it felt soothed and much softer," notes GH's beauty director, who is a personal fan of the product. The thick formula may be too heavy for oily skin, though.

RELATED: Best Overnight Face Masks

The Philosophy formula, packed with skin-softening, nourishing hyaluronic acid, glycerin and squalane, was a GH Beauty Lab night cream test winner thanks to strong moisturization without irritation. It raised hydration by 34% over six hours, and it upped firmness by 29% in four weeks in Beauty Lab assessment.

TESTERS SAID: The cream rated best with testers for smoothing texture and being gentle on skin; it also earned high marks for firming. Almost 100% of testers said the fragrance-free formulation didn’t irritate or cause redness, however some said it didn't soak in quickly. “My skin looked better after the first night,” one remarked.

Formulated with retinyl palmitate, a proven anti-ager, No7’s night cream diminished wrinkles by one of the highest levels ever measured in GH Beauty Lab testing. The formula reduced lines by 13% and increased firmness 34% over four weeks per measurements with the Visia Complexion Analyzer and Cutometer, respectively. It also raised skin moisturization by 32% in six hours, however it didn't perform as well at fading dark spots.

TESTERS SAID: They gave it high marks for not causing irritation, absorbing quickly and having an appealing texture that wasn't too sticky or greasy. "It made my skin look younger and supple," a user reported.

RELATED: Best Wrinkle Creams

A GH Beauty Lab test winner, Caudalie's cream delivered real moisturization results in evaluations — boosting skin hydration by 43% in just six hours and was best at smoothing texture. It’s formulated with plant-derived ingredients like moisturizing grapeseed oil and resveratrol, a free radical fighting antioxidant.

TESTERS SAID: Six testers commented on how “smooth” the cream felt as it went on and made their faces feel. “It moisturized my skin into the morning,” one raved. “I woke up looking refreshed,” another said. They also gave it perfect marks for not being greasy or irritating, and while many found the herbal scent "pleasant," a few said it was "off-putting."

Tighten sagging skin with Algenist’s dense balm, which contains fortifying ceramides and fatty acids. It was the strongest of all night creams evaluated at firming skin and evening out skin tone over four weeks of use, according to Beauty Lab assessments. Cutometer calculations showed that it boosted skin elasticity and firmness by 33% over four weeks, and hydration increased by 28% in six hours in Corneometer readings.

TESTERS SAID: Two users reported that it faded their dark spots, but some found the thick texture didn't absorb fast. “I could really tell a difference in my skin — it was more firm and moist 24/7,” another raved.

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