You’re serious about serums, addicted to day cream and won’t set foot in the sun without your trusty SPF. But the powerhouse product that transforms your complexion overnight? Yes, beauties, we’re talking about night cream – the unsung hero of any nightly routine.
Richer and typically more active than day creams, overnight moisturisers are specifically formulated to support the skin during beauty sleep. And while they’re less hyped than serums, a rejuvenating night cream is just as deserving of its place in your PM skincare line-up. Trust us – and science.
If you struggle with dryness or sensitivity, or simply want a smooth and youthful complexion, read on for the science behind night cream and how you can incorporate night cream into your pre-bed routine.
As you relax at night, your skin gets busy
We’re guessing you probably change your skincare with the seasons. Well, the same should go for day and night as your skin acts quite differently and needs specific types of support. During the day, protection is the skin’s top priority – and you can supercharge its defences with antioxidants and factor 50 SPF. After the sun goes down, it’s all about recovery. Here’s exactly what happens on your skin during the hectic night shift.
Repair mode is activated
We’ve all heard of the rejuvenating properties of a good night’s sleep. This applies to your skin too. As your body’s largest organ, skin is much more active at self-repair as we sleep.
No longer fighting off pollution and UV radiation, it turns to cell repair and renewal, partly triggered by an increase in the sleep hormone, melatonin.
Enhancing the skin’s ability to repair itself, this helpful hormone counteracts damage caused by daily environmental aggressors. At the same time, cellular production increases and skin cell turnover speeds up overnight – peaking between the hours of 11pm and 4am.
Skin becomes more permeable
The flipside of all this rejuvenating activity? According to dermatologists, your skin becomes more permeable – allowing moisture to escape and irritants to enter. This isn’t all bad news as it increases absorption of those overnight products. But it also means your skin is more susceptible to dehydration and sensitivity upon waking.
As you sleep and your body temperature rises, transepidermal water loss (a fancy way of saying moisture loss) increases. This in turn compromises your skin barrier, which can lead to that familiar nocturnal itching.
Increased sensitivity and irritation
Speaking about itching, cortisol, aka ‘the wake-up hormone’, produced in the mornings has the side effect of causing your skin increased sensitivity, irritation and redness. As you wake, increased biological activity in your body also makes you more susceptible to irritation and more susceptible to skin stress.
Night cream has 3 important tasks
With all this going on as you snooze, night cream has to do some heavy lifting. It obviously needs to be hydrating, like your day cream. But it also needs to protect against overnight moisture loss, soothe the skin and enhance cellular renewal and repair. And guess what? This is what our new Tasmanian Spring Water Renewing Night Cream does – and then some.
Hydrate and prevent moisture loss
Fighting dehydration with three types of hyaluronic acid and vegan squalane, this night cream locks in water and binds moisture deep in the skin.
Support cell renewal and regeneration
RevivylTM and glacial glycoproteins in the formula are skin-renewing ingredients boost cell turnover, strengthen the skin barrier, and stimulate collagen synthesis for plump, smooth, youthful-looking skin.
Soothe skin upon awakening
Sea kelp not only boosts skin elasticity, it is also an excellent anti-inflammatory ingredient which counteracts the side effects of cortisol and soothes your skin as you wake.
Boost your beauty sleep with a nighttime routine
Now you know the importance of a night cream, where does it fit in your routine? Start by cleansing your skin and removing makeup with a cleanser that targets your primary skin concern. To clear congestion and keep pores tight, try our Australian Pink Clay Deep Pore Cleanser. Or opt for our Oil Control Clearing Cleanser for shiny or acne-prone skin.
Next, apply our Tasmanian Spring Water Splash Serum to hydrate, plump and fortify. Then lock in that precious moisture and support skin recovery with our velvety Renewing Night Cream.
Our favourite glow-to-bed routine.
Where do sleeping masks come in?
Lightweight and packed with actives to combat fine lines through to pigmentation, sleeping masks are masks designed to be worn comfortably overnight. However, they're more potent than a typical night cream and should only be used once or twice a week to avoid irritation.
If you find one you love, it's a-ok to use a sleeping mask to supercharge your beauty sleep. But it should never replace your trusty night cream as your go-to for deep hydration, barrier support and repair – 365 days of the year.
Never miss a minute of hydration.
Written by: Pip Jarvis
Edited by: Celeste
