Make the Most of Beauty Sleep With the Best Night Creams

Beauty sleep can refer to both a concept and an action—applying various creams, serums, and potions at night to ensure you wake up looking glowingly fresh, smooth, and youthful. One of the most essential aspects of this ritual? The nighttime cream. As the title indicates, these creams are powerful moisturizers designed to work while you slumber, hydrating, repairing, and aiding in your skin’s natural regeneration process.

Vogue‘s Selection of Top Night Creams

We consulted experts to highlight the perks of utilizing a night cream, essential components to search for, and their favorite recommendations across multiple brands and price ranges. All you need to complete this nighttime routine are mouth tape, heatless curlers, a chin strap, and a castor oil stomach wrap—and you’re good to go!

In This Article

• What is a night cream?
• What are the advantages of using a night cream?
• What to consider when purchasing a night cream
• Which ingredients are beneficial in a night cream?
• Is a night cream necessary for everyone?
• When can results from a night cream be expected?
• What is our testing process?
• Meet the Professional Experts

Best with Peptides: Isdin Isdinceutics Age Contour Night

• What We Adore: According to Nara Smith, her “holy grail” beauty product gives her that “sweaty yet glowing” look. I couldn’t agree more, hearing her describe the Chanel Baume. The cream is rich in melatonin, peptides, and antioxidants, enhancing your skin for a dewy, radiant look. The dense yet silky texture relaxes skin at night, soothing it into a calm state.
• Key Elements: Melatonin, peptides, cross-linked hyaluronic acid
• Usage Instructions: Apply to clean, dry skin on your neck and chest at night as the final step of your skincare regimen, ensuring it’s fully absorbed.
• Ideal For: This reparative cream is perfect for all skin types, calming and hydrating while improving fine lines and wrinkles.
• Volume: 1.8 oz

Best for Tech Neck: Medik8 Advanced Night Ceramide

• Why We Adore: Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman highlights this ceramide-infused cream as her go-to after retinoids. “Its rich texture and ceramide-enriched formula are perfect for maintaining hydration while delivering impressive results,” Dr. Engelman explained. It also tackles tech neck by visibly lifting and firming the skin. Ingredients include ceramides, lipids, peptides, antioxidants, and N-acetyl glucosamine, all working together to hydrate and refine skin texture.
• Editor’s Experience: “The Medik8 Advanced Night Moisturizer is simply brilliant. The unique ingredient composition is well-crafted to address skin issues (either plumping or firming), providing incredible hydration. The silky texture absorbs rapidly, enjoyable for all skin types.” — Kiana Murden, senior beauty shopping writer
• Key Components: Multi-ceramide complex, antioxidant-rich complex, N-acetyl glucosamine
• How to Use: Apply with upward strokes to the face, neck, and chest in the evening, as a last step after any retinol product.
• Best for: Formulated to smooth and diminish the appearance of fine lines while restoring skin hydration.
• Volume: 1.7 oz

Best for Everyday Use: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242

• What We Cherish: For a straightforward nightly cream, SkinCeuticals’ Triple Lipid Restore is truly a standout. Its nourishing composition allows it to blend seamlessly with any active elements in your nighttime routine. Its name implies what makes it remarkable: It consists of vital skin lipids, including ceramides, natural cholesterol, and fatty acids, that replicate the ideal hydrating ratio found in the skin. “This cream serves as a reliable source of hydration for highly dehydrated skin,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian. This formulation restores skin vitality while refining pores and texture. Moreover, it aids in adapting skin to retinol applications.
• Editor’s Experience: “I consider this face cream a fail-safe option. I was attracted to its gentle blend of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids, which provide much-needed nourishment, calming, and hydration for all skin types, making it an ideal last step in any regimen paired with actives like retinol or hyaluronic acid.” — Kiana Murden, senior beauty shopping writer
• Key Ingredients: Ceramides, natural cholesterol, fatty acids
• Application Directions: As recommended by SkinCeuticals, warm the cream in your fingertips before applying it to your face, neck, and chest.
• Suitable For: Ideal for mature skin types, this cream brightens dull skin and minimizes the appearance of pores while promoting a smoother texture.
• Volume: 1.6 fl oz

Best for Fine Lines: RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream

• Why We Adore It: This cream is a Vogue editor’s top choice for smoothing out fine lines; we’ve even named it one of the best wrinkle creams recently. It’s also received accolades from Shokeen: “This cream contains a substantial amount of retinol, clinically proven to diminish wrinkles, fine lines, and refine texture.” It includes glycolic acid, squalane, and shea butter, all non-comedogenic, enabling moisture-rich hydration without irritation.
• Editor’s Insight: “What I appreciate most about this RoC retinol is its gentle action. I typically experience a degree of purging with new retinols, yet my skin remained calm during testing. The cream has a classic thickness—not overly rich nor tacky—requiring only a small amount for the face and neck.” — Kiana Murden, senior beauty shopping writer
• Key Ingredients: Retinol, glycolic acid, squalane, shea butter
• How to Apply: Apply gently on the face and neck. Beginners may want to start using it every other night, gradually increasing frequency as the skin adjusts.
• Ideal For: This cream effectively addresses wrinkles and locks in moisture, yielding softer, smoother skin.
• Volume: 1.0 fl oz

Best for Dry Skin: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

• What We Appreciate: Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream is one of the most coveted moisturizers available. Its concentrated formula offers deep hydration using the brand’s TFC8 complex along with a blend of botanical oils and butters. Being very rich, it’s best applied at night to allow it to work without distraction. Expect fine lines to diminish, skin tone to even out, and stressed skin to feel soothed by morning.
• Editor’s Observation: “I stumbled upon Bader’s popular face cream while visiting a friend with an extensive beauty collection; sadly, many of the products go unused. At 29, I’ve debated including retinol in my regimen, but my-sensitive skin often reacts negatively. Fortunately, Bader’s TCF8 Trigger Complex, packed with vitamins and amino acids, enhances cell turnover and specifically targets “tech neck” without the irritation often caused by retinoids. Although it doesn’t suit my face due to its shea butter content (it triggers my acne-prone skin), it feels luxurious on my neck and décolletage, providing a noticeable improvement.” —Concetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
• Main Ingredients: TFC8 technology, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, argan oil, avocado oil
• Application Guidelines: According to Augustinus Bader, use two pumps on your face, neck, and décolletage, employing upward, sweeping motions.
• Best for: The cream is deeply nourishing and suitable for normal to very dry skin types.
• Volume: 1.0 fl oz

Best French Option: Caudalie Resveratrol-Lift Firming Night Cream

• What We Value: The beloved French brand Caudalie has a night cream that is consistently in demand. With its patented Resveratrol formula—reportedly three times more effective than retinol—this non-irritating option stands out. As described by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp, it’s packed with strong antioxidants, hyaluronic acid (a moisture-retaining humectant), and plant-derived collagen for improved firmness. This luxurious cream works wonders while you rest, enhancing firmness and lifting facial contours. Don’t forget to apply to your neck and décolletage for full benefit!
• Main Ingredients: Resveratrol, hyaluronic acid, vegan collagen alternative
• Application: Use every evening on your face, neck, and décolletage following your serum applications.
• Best For: Ideal for nourishing and hydrating while promoting skin firmness for normal to dry skin types.
• Volume: 1.6 oz

Best for Sensitive Skin: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Night Moisturizer