Anti aging night cream for acne prone skin

We updated this article in May 2022 to add more information about each featured product, based on extensive testing done by the Good Housekeeping Institute as well as recommendations from dermatologists. Our original top-rated picks, selected by the GH Beauty Lab, remain the same.

The key to maximizing your beauty sleep could be adding a night cream to your evening skincare routine, say top dermatologists. "Night is the best time to treat skin and repair concerns such as water loss, skin aging and dark spots," says Howard Sobel, M.D., attending dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and founder of Sobel Skin. "This uninterrupted state is the optimum time for ‘rest and repair’ since you don’t have to protect skin against daily assaults such as UV damage, blue light exposure and pollutants, and skin is free of makeup and other pore clogging residue that disrupts the repair process."

But how is a night cream different than your typical daytime face moisturizer? "Whereas regular moisturizers focus on improving the natural moisture barrier of the skin only, night creams contain active ingredients that assist with improving the skin beyond adding moisture," explains Tonya McLeod, M.D., a dermatologist in Charlotte, North Carolina. Night creams are packed with effective skincare ingredients and powerful anti-agers that aim to address skin concerns like lines and wrinkles and dark spots, leading to a more hydrated, youthful-looking complexion over time.

Our top night cream picks:

• Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer Olay Read More

• Revitalift Volume Filler Night Cream L’Oréal Paris Read More

• Best Night Cream for Glowing Skin

  Lift & Luminate Triple Action Night Cream No7 Read More

• Best Anti-Aging Night Cream

  Age Reverse Night Lift Exuviance Read More

• Best Night Cream for Dark Spots

  Overnight Restorative Cream Algenist Read More

• Best Night Cream for Dry Skin

  Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker+ Line-Correcting Overnight Cream Philosophy Read More

• Best Night Cream for Acne-Prone Skin

  HydraLuminous Overnight Recovery Cream No7 Read More

• Best Night Cream for Oily Skin

  TimeWise Age Minimize 3D Night Cream Mary Kay Read More

• Best Day and Night Cream Combo

  Age Perfect Hydra Nutrition Day/Night Cream L'Oréal Paris Read More

• TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm Night Treatment Mary Kay Read More

To find out which night creams really work, the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab scientists, who have decades of experience rigorously testing night creams, assess efficacy both in the Lab using technical instruments that can measure skin hydration and changes in wrinkles and dark spots, as well as on consumers at home, who evaluate them on ease of use and cosmetic factors. Here, read more about the best night creams you can buy according to GH Beauty Lab testing, including picks for all ages, skin types and budgets.

Take note: While these creams can hydrate and brighten your skin, they work best in tandem with a good night's sleep, the body's natural repair process. "Growth hormone, produced during deep sleep, plays a role in protein synthesis, which helps our bodies heal damage to cells, including skin," explains Christopher Winter, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer

Revitalift Volume Filler Night Cream

Best Night Cream for Glowing Skin

Best Anti-Aging Night Cream

Best Night Cream for Dark Spots

Best Night Cream for Dry Skin

Best Night Cream for Acne-Prone Skin

Best Night Cream for Oily Skin

Best Day and Night Cream Combo

TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm Night Treatment

Best Night Cream for Eyes

Best Hydrating Overnight Mask

Best Night Cream for Sensitive Skin

Best Night Cream for Mature Skin

Best Smoothing Night Cream

Best Lightweight Night Cream

How we chose the best night creams

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab regularly tests night creams to find the most effective formulas. The Lab evaluates night creams on how well they hydrate skin short- and long-term using a Corneometer device, which gauges skin moisture levels. Lab scientists also measure changes in testers' skin over four weeks or more of daily use, including firmness with a Cutometer machine and reduction in wrinkles and dark spots via digital imaging with the Visia Complexion Analyzer.

In addition, consumer testers rate the night cream formulas on factors such as texture, scent, absorption and irritation, plus the look and feel of their skin after use. In the GH Beauty Lab's most recent test, Lab experts sent night creams to almost 200 consumer testers for their feedback and recorded over 11,200 data points to find the best night creams on the market.

How to shop for a night cream

When searching for a night cream, consider both your skin type and goals, then look for ingredients tailored to your complexion like the below, recommended by Dr. Sobel and Dr. McLeod:

✔️ For glowing skin, brightening acids (like glycolic, lactic and azelaic), retinol, vitamin C and niacinamide will help stimulate skin cell turnover, promoting radiance.
✔️ For aging skin, shop for night creams with proven anti-agers like peptides, retinol, epidermal growth factors and hydroxy acids (like glycolic) to help smooth wrinkles. Also look for protective antioxidants (such as vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and niacinamide).
✔️ For dark spots and hyperpigmentation, choose products with brightening vitamin C, retinol, niacinamide, licorice root extract or glycolic, kojic, lactic, azelaic and ferulic acids to help brighten and even skin tone.
✔️ For dry skin, seek out a richer formula like a cream or balm and look for hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, squalane, aloe and plant butters (i.e. shea) and oils (i.e. coconut) to replenish moisture.
✔️ For oily, combination or acne-prone skin, look for a lighter formula such as a lotion or gel in a formula that contains balancing and oil-reducing acids like salicylic, glycolic, azelaic and lactic; retinol can also help minimize breakouts.
✔️ For sensitive skin, try calming ingredients like allantoin, glycerin, bisabolol and cucumber extract, which soothe skin without irritating. Be sure to avoid fragrance, hydroxy acids, alcohol and petrolatum, which can irritate reactive skin.

What's the best way to use a night cream?

For optimal results, apply a night cream in your evening routine after makeup removal, face cleansing and any other treatments, such as serums and eye cream, Dr. Sobel advises. It may seem like more is better when it comes to night cream, but there's no need to slather it on as if you're icing a cake: "Smooth a pea-sized amount all over the face in a thin layer," Dr. McLeod recommends.

And don't forget sun safety: "When using a night cream with strong actives such as retinol and alpha hydroxy acids that can sensitize skin, be diligent about applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more during the day," says GH Beauty Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek. "Keep night cream bottles and jars tightly closed to keep the product fresh and avoid accelerated degradation of the ingredients."

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

The testing methodology behind this article was overseen by Danusia Wnek, a chemist in the Good Housekeeping Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab, who develops and oversees the testing of skincare product categories including night creams, serums, moisturizers, eye creams and more, utilizing both lab instrumentation and consumer feedback to recommend the best products on the market.

April Franzino, the Beauty Director at Good Housekeeping, has over 15 years of experience researching, writing and editing skincare-related content, utilizing the expertise of the Institute's Beauty Lab scientists and top industry professionals such as dermatologists and aestheticians. She is an expert in all face and body skincare product categories, including night creams, cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, sunscreens, exfoliators, eye creams, professional treatments and more.

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