Night Cream

Night Creams for Evening Skincare

Explore moisturising, regenerating and targeted night creams for different skin types and routines. Compare texture, active ingredients, fragrance information and application directions on each product page.

Introduce strong active ingredients gradually when appropriate and follow the manufacturer’s directions and warnings.

Frequently asked questions

Do I actually need a separate night cream?

Not strictly. The functional differences are that day creams may contain SPF and lighter textures for wear under makeup, while night creams tend to be richer and can carry ingredients best kept away from daylight. If one moisturiser keeps your skin comfortable morning and night, that is a perfectly legitimate routine — the second jar is optional.

Which ingredients belong at night rather than in the morning?

Retinoids and exfoliating acids are the main ones. Both increase sun sensitivity, and retinoids degrade in light, so evening use is about both effectiveness and safety. Antioxidants such as vitamin C are the reverse — generally used in the morning, where they complement sunscreen. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and plain moisturisers work either time.

How do I start retinol without peeling?

Slowly. Twice a week for the first fortnight, on dry skin, a pea-sized amount for the whole face, then build up as tolerated over a couple of months. Buffering — applying moisturiser first, or mixing the retinol into it — reduces irritation at some cost to strength. Daily sunscreen is not optional while using it. Some dryness early on is normal; genuine burning, swelling or persistent redness is not.

Can I use retinol while pregnant or breastfeeding?

Retinoids are generally avoided in pregnancy, and that caution is standard advice rather than a fringe position. Bakuchiol is the usual plant-derived alternative — we stock the INIKA Organic Bakuchiol Serum — and it is marketed as gentler, with a smaller evidence base and milder results. Confirm anything you plan to use with your midwife or doctor.

Night cream or facial oil?

They do different jobs. A night cream contains water and humectants that hydrate; a facial oil is occlusive and mainly slows water loss without adding any. Oil alone on dehydrated skin seals in a deficit. If you use both, the cream goes first and the oil last.

Does skin really repair itself overnight?

Cell turnover and repair processes do follow a circadian pattern, and transepidermal water loss is higher at night, which is the honest basis for richer evening formulas. The marketing around it runs well ahead of the evidence, though. Consistency over months matters far more than which hour you apply a cream.