While resting peacefully at night, your skin is hard at work regenerating new skin cells and repairing itself for the day ahead. The right night cream can enhance this process and give your skin a helping hand. There's nothing wrong with using a great everyday moisturizer on your skin overnight, but the best night creams offer heavier, richer formulas for a bigger hydration boost. And there are a lot of rich creams out there. To help you cut through the noise, we curated a list of 16 of the best night creams you can buy online right now. They all target different skincare concerns, texture preferences, and budgets and are also approved by Dr. Joshua Zeichner, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Zeichner Dermatology.
With so many great options to choose from, it's hard to pick favorites, but we have to go with the pricey-but-worth-it SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore. Packed with nourishing ingredients, this cream is a dream for smoothing, plumping, brightening, and protecting your skin barrier from damage. Skincare products are highly subjective, but so many different skin types have benefitted from this product, so we think it deserves the number one spot.
Our top 5 picks for the best night cream
Triple Lipid Restore is the cream that does it all. From fighting free-radical damage to boosting skin elasticity, this medical-grade cream delivers great results.
This moisturizer doesn't contain synthetic fragrances, parabens, or oil so it doesn't irritate sensitive skin. Instead, it has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and more to hydrate.
Target dark spots and discoloration with this lightweight gel.
This luxurious cream targets 8 signs of aging to visibly reduce wrinkles and plump the skin.
Cerave's Skin Renewing Night Cream is a simple but effective anti-aging night cream that gives you smoother, more radiant skin without the hefty price tag.
Best overall
Triple Lipid Restore is the cream that does it all. From fighting free-radical damage to boosting skin elasticity, this medical-grade cream delivers great results.
While certainly pricey, SkinCeuticals medical-grade skincare products always deliver on their promises. This thick, non-greasy, fast-absorbing cream is no exception. It's loaded with essential lipids—which, as you age, your skin produces less of on its own—to restore skin elasticity, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and boost moisture for a radiant glow.
The Triple Lipid Restore tops our list of best night creams because it targets many different skin concerns (redness, uneven texture, fine lines, free radical damage) and works wonderfully for all skin types. But, plenty of great options are much more affordable below. One of our editors also loves the Peach & Lily Overnight Star Night Cream as a more budget-friendly alternative for a nourishing night cream.
Read our full SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore review here.
Best drugstore
This moisturizer doesn't contain synthetic fragrances, parabens, or oil so it doesn't irritate sensitive skin. Instead, it has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and more to hydrate.
La Roche-Posay is one of our favorite drugstore skincare brands–and that statement is cosigned by over 90,000 dermatologists worldwide who recommend it too. So it's no wonder the Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer is the best night cream you can find at the drugstore. It has everything you need in a great night cream: soothing niacinamide, hydrating and moisturizing ceramide-3, allergy-tested and non-comedogenic formula. La Roche-Posay is owned by L'Oreal, which also owns SkinCeuticals, the brand that makes our top pick on this list.
Best for hyperpigmentation
Target dark spots and discoloration with this lightweight gel.
Dark spots and discoloration don't usually go away on their own, which is why adding products to your routine that target them specifically is so beneficial. This cream gets to the root of your skin concerns with gentle ingredients like anti-oxidant boosting Yoshino cherry extract. The gel texture is ultra-hydrating but super lightweight, making it a winner for day and night use.
Best for mature skin
This luxurious cream targets 8 signs of aging to visibly reduce wrinkles and plump the skin.
As we age, our skin undergoes many changes. While you can't control most of those external and internal factors, you can get products catered to mature and aging skin, like the Premier Cru Anti-Aging Cream Moisturizer. This moisturizer targets 8 signs of aging, using its proprietary TET8 technology to plump skin, diminish fine lines, reduce deep wrinkles, brighten dark spots, firm skin, boost elasticity, and more.
Best for sensitive skin
Cerave's Skin Renewing Night Cream is a simple but effective anti-aging night cream that gives you smoother, more radiant skin without the hefty price tag.
The CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream boasts an effective but minimalist formula that deeply nourishes your skin while you sleep. Peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacinamide work together to boost and retain moisture, making skin look and feel plumper, firmer, and more radiant when you wake. While some thick creams are too heavy for sensitive skin, this one is non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and allergy-tested to support sensitive skin types. For more of our favorites, check out our guide to the best face moisturizers for sensitive skin.
Best luxury
If you want to splurge, this thick cream will deliver a soft, supple, glowy complexion by morning.
As a skincare aficionado by trade, I'm always skeptical when trying the super-hyped, super-expensive skincare products. In part because I've been burned by many overpriced, undereffective products. And partly because I don't want to adopt a new habit of using a $300 cream daily. For these reasons, I was suited up to be disappointed by the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream, and unfortunately, I was not.
As the name states, this cream is rich but soaks into the skin beautifully, with no pilling left behind. It's intensely hydrating without feeling heavy or greasy. Every day I've used it, I notice my skin looks brighter, plumper, and dewier—and it's not just me, multiple friends have complimented how soft and clear my skin looks. If the cost is no obstacle to you and you're looking for a nourishing, plumping cream, this is probably one of the best creams money can buy.
Best for acne-prone skin
This simple yet effective moisturizer has earned The National Eczema Foundation’s seal of approval thanks to its humectant-rich formula that’s void of dyes, fragrances, formaldehyde releasers, and parabens.
The rich, non-greasy Vanicream Moisturizing Cream is a great choice for those with acne-prone skin. The dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic formula intensely hydrates without clogging pores or further irritating blemishes. It's also fragrance, essential oil, lanolin, dye, and paraben-free, so you can get all the nourishment of a great night cream and feel good knowing your skin won't be aggravated. At less than $20 for a whole pound of the stuff, you can apply liberally and this cream will still last you months.
While it's great for acne-prone skin, its gentle and effective ingredients work well for all skin types. It was recommended to me by my dermatologist to calm my sensitized skin and repair my moisture barrier, which was dry and rashy after overusing skincare products with alcohols. Now, I use it on my face, decolletage, and body morning and night.
Check out our guide to the best moisturizers for acne-prone skin for even more of our favorites.
Best for dry skin
This ultra-rich, fragrance-free moisturizer is a dream come true for anyone with dry, sensitive skin, thanks to the science-backed nourishing ingredients that can help pull moisture to the skin — and keep it there. It absorbs fairly quickly, leaves a matte finish, and can be used day or night on most skin types. The hygienic, recyclable packaging doesn’t hurt, either.
The key to an ethereal, angelic glow? Dieux's Instant Angel Moisturizer. This lipid-rich cream is loaded with nourishing ingredients that hydrate and repair skin. If your skin barrier has been compromisedwhether from over-exfoliating, using harsh products, or naturally with age—Instant Angel will help bring your skin back to equilibrium.
Best for oily skin
This hydrating, electrolyte-infused moisturizer was specifically designed for nighttime use to work while you sleep.
All skin types need hydration, but overly rich night creams may make oily skin feel greasy. That's why the lightweight Paula's Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer is a winner for those with oily skin and was the best for nighttime in our guide to the best face moisturizers for oily skin. The airy cream uses electrolytes to draw just the right amount of moisture to your skin without weighing it down.
Best for combination skin
A whipped, creamy formula that delivers intense hydration, gentle enough for morning and rich enough for the night.
Skin that's dry in some areas and oily in others will love the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Nourishing Moisturizer. The light-as-air whip melts into skin like a dream and boosts hydration for a more luminous appearance. It also targets fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.
Best with retinol
This retinol night cream has been clinically proven to improve the look of fine lines in just one week.
Retinol is a powerful ingredient to keep in your anti-aging repertoire. It increases cell turnover and renewal, making skin smoother, softer, and plumper. Retinol is quite strong, though; it can cause redness, dryness, and flaking, so start gradually. Use this every other night until you feel your skin is well-adjusted.
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
