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1

Best retinol-based night cream

Medik8 Night Ritual Vitamin A

Medik8 is known for its outstanding retinol serums, but if you prefer a one-and-done evening line-up, this retinol night cream does it all.

The reasonably low 0.2 per cent retinol inside is encapsulated, meaning it reaches the skin cells gradually over the course of the night, eliminating any irritation. Consider it all you need, but don’t dive in at the deep end: new retinol users should phase this in gradually, starting with three nights per week.

2

Best night cream for mature skin

Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Lift and Firm Night Cream

As skin matures, it loses its ability to hold water, and – as mentioned above – this water loss happens at an accelerated rate during the night. Elizabeth Arden's rich night cream is based around ceramides: the lipid that works to fortify your outermost later of skin, the skin barrier, locking all that important hydration in beneath. The result? Skin that still feels moisturised and plump come morning.

3

Best for pampering appeal

Aromatherapy Associates Intensive Rich Cream

Now 30% Off

Aromatherapy Associates' skincare line is designed to bring about both relaxation and real results. A highlight, the Intensive Rich Cream is best employed at night – and not solely because of the delicious, soporific scent. It's infused with essential oils designed to calm a racing mind, and boosted with softening shea butter, soothing blue tansy and prebiotics to feed the skin's all-important barrier.

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4

Best night cream for dehydrated skin

Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair

Japanese-inspired skincare line Tatcha has a few sophisticated options when it comes to moisturisers.

This serum-cream hybrid is a brilliant treatment for dehydrated skin that's prone to tightness and irritation. Indigo and camellia soothe inflammation, while ceramides help to rebuild a struggling skin barrier, leading to plumper, calmer skin over time.

5

Best personalised night cream

Skin + Me

Group luxury beauty director Katy Young is impressed by Skin+Me: a front-runner in the school of digital dermatologist brands.

"I’ve yet to find an easier way to better skin. Run by dermatologists, this online subscription service sends a vial of prescriptive treatment cream to your door once a month after assessing your complexion via your uploaded photos," she says.

"They’ll tweak the blend as your tolerance and skin improves, while there’s no need to faff around with any other creams as this should will tick all your boxes. No shopping, no layering, no decision making."

6

Best night cream for hydrating and healing

Skin Design London Sleeping Beauty

"I first discovered this wonder cream during a transformative facial with Skin Design London's founder Fatma Shaheen," says senior ecommerce editor - luxury, Roberta Schroeder. "The capital's best-kept beauty secret, she's known for treating several high-profile names (and a few Bazaar beauty editors as well)."

"But back to the cream: this rich yet non-greasy formula contains vitamin C, green tea, peptides and proteins that feed skin to plump and soften remarkably well. It's free from retinoids, so ideal for layering over a serum, and I can attest it doesn't break out acne-prone complexions."

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7

Best night cream for everyday use

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

"Day-to-day, I like my moisturiser to be functional (quenching; nourishing) and unfussy (free of fragrance and potent actives, the latter of which I get from my serums)," says Harper's Bazaar's multiplatform beauty director, Bridget March, who cites this as one of her favourite night creams.

"The Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream perfectly fits the bill, with its luxe yet airy blend of glycerin and African oils. It gets extra points for its airtight packaging which keeps the formula fresh and hygienic."

8

Best night cream for all skin types

Dr Barbara Sturm Face Cream

Further proof that products don't need to be packed full of actives to deliver results, Dr. Barbara Sturm's cult night cream is instead focused on calming and quenching skin. It's formulated with plenty of antioxidants – including the brand's signature purslane plant extract – and works to quell redness in sensitive skin.

9

Best night cream for dark spots

Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Glycolic Night Cream

Now 15% Off

If pigmentation ranks among your top skin concerns, opt for a moisturiser with gentle exfoliants, such as Caudalie's Vinoperfect Dark Spot Night Cream.

"Don't let the 'glycolic' scare you," says beauty editor, Medina Azaldin. "This contains low levels of brightening glycolic acid to gently improve radiance over time instead of going all guns blazing (and thus compromising the skin barrier). It's also loaded with moisturising glycerin, grape seed oil and squalane so skin feels plush and velvety come sunrise."

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10

Best night cream for barrier repair

Cellcosmet Ultra Vital

Here's a great option for skin barrier repair: Cellcosmet’s signature moisturiser helps to preserve the skin microbiome with its 'postbiotics complex'. But that's not all, in addition to providing nourishment and hydration, the super cream firms the skin – claims backed by clinical studies that not all brands carry out in order to prove their performance.

11

Best natural night cream

Seed to Skin The Cure Molecular Cell Regeneration Complex

Jeanette Throttrup sources the raw ingredients for her Seed To Skin products from the grounds of the Borgo Santo Pietro estate, which she co-owns with her partner.

It's an idyllic backstory, but these products deliver real results too: the brand has invested in its own lab, where it forensically formulates each product to bring about brilliant results. The Cure is the brand's hero moisturiser, with plankton, manuka honey and antioxidant saffron in a mineral-rich spring-water base. Think of it as a nutrient-dense diet for your skin.

12

Best rich night cream

Nuxe Nuxuriance Ultra The Global Anti-Aging Night Cream

An active-packed night cream, Nuxe's Nuxuriance Ultra combines moisture magnet hyaluronic acid with antioxidant alfalfa and nourishing shea butter and jojoba seed oil. Ideal for older skins, the rich moisturiser visibly pumps while imparting radiance that remains come morning.

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13

Best luxury night cream

Sisley Paris Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream

Black Rose is perhaps Sisley's most iconic collection, and this decadent night cream is the star product.

Undeniably luxurious, it's infused with three prestige rose extracts (which are behind the heavenly scent) and transforms dull, sallow skin into something plumper, brighter and full of life come morning. For a truly sensorial treat that delivers visible results, look no further.

14

Best night cream for acne-prone skin

Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Nightly Sleeping Facial

Allies of Skin is known for its forensically targetted formulas that really deliver results. This 'sleeping facial' (read: night cream) is designed to both brighten red acne scars and prevent new breakouts from developing. A blend of gentle, large-molecule acids sweeps debris away from the skin surface without irritating manuka honey calms and heals, and colloidal silver kills bacteria that contributes to acne.

15

Best night cream for dull skin

Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream

Hosting a synergistic blend of retinol, ferulic acid and bakuchiol, this rich reparative night cream works to restore your skin's natural moisture barrier as you sleep. Not only does this restoring formula deliver intense hydration, it will also leave your complexion visibly firmer by morning.

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16

Best lightweight night cream

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Omega Rich Cloud Cream

With a lightly whipped texture and protective omega 3 blend, it's difficult to believe such a weightless cream could deliver this level of intense moisture. Fit for all skin types, including dry, it absorbs instantly, providing lipid barrier repair in just seven nights.

"I often find myself compensating on deep moisture in the name of lightweight textures, opting out of rich night creams to avoid feeling slick by morning," says beauty writer, Katie Withington. "This cloud-like cream meets me perfectly in the middle; absorbing into my skin quickly, it ensures I wake up feeling refreshed and hydrated but without an oily film or residue on my pillow."

17

Best night cream for lines and texture

L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Pressed Cream

This addition to L'Oreal Paris' acclaimed Revitalift line combines two true power ingredients: retinol and niacinamide. The retinoid used is a gentle derivative (retinyl palmitate), so sensitive types should get on with it, while the niacinamide is abundant enough to tackle acne and fortify the skin barrier.

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