We'd never give up on night cream, but if you want to get the most skin-care benefits at night, consider replacing your night cream with a night cream.
"Serums may be a better choice than creams because they typically contain more concentrated active ingredients to provide better, deeper results," says Michigan dermatologist Dr. Fatima Fahs. "Because Serums are lightweight so they absorb quickly into the skin and therefore produce more dramatic results."
While some serums are marketed specifically for nighttime use, you can actually use any serum during the day or night.
Nighttime is a great time to use it because that's when your skin (and your body) goes into repair mode. This means the active ingredients can be better absorbed and utilized. It's truly a win-win situation.
We spent hours searching for the best night serums and reviewed each formula's active ingredients, skin benefits, how it feels when used, and its value.
We considered dozens of brands for different skin types and concerns and settled on these top-rated night serums, based on expert advice from board-certified dermatologists. Best Overall: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
It's one of the brand's most popular products and a perennial favorite among beauty editors, and for good reason. It fights many signs of aging in a convenient formula thanks to patented technology that helps repair and boost collagen production.
Enriched with fermented ingredients (which balance good bacteria in the skin) and hydrating hyaluronic acid, it leaves skin smoother, plumper, radiant and overall more youthful with every use.
Serums can sometimes feel sticky, but this one is so hydrating that it blends into the skin, leaving a velvety finish.
Best Treatment: La Mer Regenerating Serum. Maybe it's the famous La Mer cream that gets everyone's attention, but this serum is just as eye-catching. It is very expensive but has many benefits.
This serum is made with the brand's signature Miracle Broth, a trademarked ingredient composed of fermented seaweed and a variety of skin-benefiting vitamins and minerals.
This serum is designed to boost skin's natural collagen production (keeping skin supple) and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The result is skin that looks radiant, smooth, and refreshed.
We also love the silky texture of this serum, which feels luxurious and turns your skincare routine into a special self-care moment. Best Splurge, Runner-Up: Defenage 8-in-1 Bioserum. "The technology behind this serum is amazing," says Fahs.
She explains that it has a patented formula that activates dormant young cells, rejuvenating them and promoting new, healthy and smooth skin. More specifically, it targets enlarged pores, discoloration, redness, dullness, wrinkles, and more.
The star ingredient in this formula is Alpha Defensin 5, a lesser-known, gentle alternative to retinol that has been shown to improve the overall condition of your skin without causing irritation or dryness.
Although this option is a bit pricey, its versatile and gentle proprietary formula makes it well worth the price. Best for Dark Skin Tones: Epara Hydrating Serum
This serum is designed to meet the unique skin care needs of women of color. It contains licorice root extract to fight hyperpigmentation (a common problem for people with darker skin tones) and botanical oils to combat increased dryness.
It's also a good choice for treating inflammation and skin irritation, as it contains frankincense oil, which can provide relief from skin conditions like psoriasis, while cotton thistle extract has been shown to treat skin inflammation.
When we tested this product, we loved that the formula was very lightweight and absorbed into the skin immediately. After just one use, our complexion already felt softer and smoother. Best Exfoliant: OSEA Seaglow Overnight Serum AHA Treatment
This luxurious nighttime treatment is packed with the ingredients you want in a night serum—from a blend of exfoliating acids to skin-hydrating fruit and botanical extracts. It contains lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid but is still gentle enough not to irritate sensitive skin types.
It also contains marine active ingredients (such as algae and spirulina), which are rich in compounds that moisturize and protect the skin. The result is softer, smoother skin when you wake up, and over time, pores are reduced and rough skin is healed.
Runner-up for Best Exfoliator: Pixi Overnight Glow Serum. This aptly named option will actually leave your skin brighter and more radiant in the morning. It's worth mentioning its key ingredient: a 10% concentration of glycolic acid, an exfoliating alpha-hydroxy acid that helps improve texture and skin tone.
Also good: Glycolic acid has also been shown to stimulate collagen production, resulting in smoother, plumper skin. )
We also like this serum because it's packed with soothing cucumber and aloe vera extracts, which reduce the potential for redness and/or irritation—which can sometimes be a side effect of using exfoliating ingredients.
Best Retinol Serum: Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Acid Texture Serum
Retinol is one of the best anti-aging ingredients on the market, but it can also cause your skin to be sensitive to the sun—which is why retinol products are best used at night. You'll find powerful benefits in many serums, but this one is definitely one of our favorites.
Not only does retinol help smooth uneven skin, it also prevents clogged pores and blemishes by stimulating cell turnover.We love that it also contains two gentler natural retinol alternatives: bakuchiol and rambutan, to further boost anti-aging benefits. Still, it's not annoying. Even allergic skin can tolerate it. Additionally, it contains ferulic acid, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to be particularly effective in combating the harmful effects of pollution.
Best Drugstore: CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum
This is another great retinol-based option that you can find cheaply at the drugstore. It claims that the extended-release form of this superstar ingredient minimizes the potential for irritation, a well-known side effect of retinol. The blend also contains skin-barrier-strengthening ceramides, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and soothing niacinamide, all of which ensure the product is gentle enough to be a good choice for all skin types.
Best for Oily Skin: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Facial Serum (with Pure Hyaluronic Acid)
While this is a great option for all skin types, it's especially great for those with oily skin. (Because yes, even if you are oily, you still need to moisturize). This is a favorite of New York City board-certified dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman praises it for being oil-free yet hydrating thanks to added hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Both are humectants, meaning they attract moisture and retain it in the skin, plumping it while minimizing the appearance of fine lines without weighing it down on oily skin.
Best for Dry Skin: Mary Kay Clinical Solutions HA+ Ceramide Moisturizer
There are two different types of hyaluronic acid in this formula; each has a different weight, which means it can penetrate different layers of skin, giving you more moisture. Ceramides in the formula support skin's barrier function, while Verbena extract is a natural moisturizing factor that hydrates and protects skin from environmental aggressors.
Point is, if you have dry skin, you need this.
our position
Our top pick is the classic Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Repair Complex Serum, which offers a variety of different glow benefits in one bottle and is packed with hydrating active ingredients to leave your skin feeling velvety smooth. For a cheaper option, consider CeraVe Skin Renewal Retinol Serum, which contains a concentration of retinol to support skin renewal without irritating sensitive skin.
how we research
To put together this list, our team of editors and writers spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category and evaluating their key features as well as reviews from customers and other trusted sources.
We then teamed up with experts to further investigate which products deserve to be called the best. Key factors we consider when evaluating each product include:
What to pay attention to when using night serum
Moisturizing ingredients: A night serum that is hydrating and contains hydrating ingredients is key. Moisturizing support helps keep skin plump and replenishes moisture lost while cleansing or applying makeup. Look for emollients, occlusives and moisturizers, like ingredients like hyaluronic acid (found in La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum) and nourishing botanical oils.
Anti-Aging Ingredients: By boosting your skin's collagen and elastin levels, it keeps it plump and fresh and can prevent or reduce fine lines. Therefore, choose marine peptides and vitamin C. Retinol and ferulic acid are other potent anti-aging ingredients that fight free radicals that you should be on the lookout for in your nighttime serum. Retinol is one of the best nighttime ingredients and is found in many serums, such as Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Acid Texture Serum and CeraVe Skin Renewal Retinol Serum.
Chemical Peels: Chemical peels in overnight serums renew and replenish nutrients on the surface of your skin. Look for serums that contain ingredients like glycolic acid, ferulic acid, lactic acid, and malic acid. You can also find many formulas that contain combinations of these acids, such as Seaglow Overnight Serum AHA Treatment (contains citric acid, lactic acid, and more).
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