A common question, asked by many of our customers (and many friends as well) is “Do I need a night cream?”. While the question sounds simple enough, the answer can get more complicated because it really does depend on individual skin care needs.
‘Night cream’ is more of a marketing term than anything else. Night creams may be marketed with several advantages including being hydrating, delivering antioxidants, delivering anti-aging benefits, or a range of other attributes. In fact, you can put any ingredient that you wish into a topical preparation, indicate that it is to be applied at night and market it as a night cream because the term isn’t regulated.
What Is A Night Cream?
The term night cream may conjure up images of our mothers or grandmothers applying heavy, thick products to their faces. In reality, a night cream doesn’t necessarily have to be thick and heavy, nor does it necessarily have to be applied just at night.
So what is a night cream then? Anything that you apply to your face at night, regardless of whether a cosmetics company tells you that you should or shouldn’t.
Night Creams to Consider
Depending on your skin type and individual skin care needs, products that contain ingredients that make skin sensitive to the sun are ideal for night time application. This includes preparations that include alpha hydroxy acids or vitamin A derivatives such as retinol. If you suffer from dry skin, moisturizers that contain emollients and hydrating ingredients make a perfect night cream. Conversely, if your skin is oily, it may benefit from a light serum or lotion based night cream, with or without ingredients to help control oil production and unblock pores. And, various treatments including skin lighteners, antioxidants or a range of skin beneficial ingredients may be considered for use at night.
Unless there’s a good reason (for example, your cream contains sun protection), whether you apply your skin care preparation at night or during the day, doesn’t matter. Here are some products that are ideal for night time application:
- Green Cream – high concentrations of retinol ensure that skin receives maximum benefit
- M2 Skin Care – The mandelic/malic acid combination benefits all skin types and may be used day and night
- La Roche Posay Moisturizers – Hydreane , Nutritic are hydrating and ideal solutions for dry skin day or night.
- Topical Vitamin C – La Roche Posay Redermic and Active C benefit skin by boosting collagen production and brightening skin tone. Ideal for day or night application.
