Why You Must Use A Night Cream—And The Best Ones By Skin Type (2024)

CeraVe's cream is nourishing, rich, and thick without being greasy—bascially the holy grail of qualities for a night cream. But on top of that, it's also non-comedogenic, so it won't clog your pores and cause breakouts. The icing on this cake is that it’s a great drugstore option: You get a pretty large jar for less than $30.

"This night cream is a fantastic investment for anyone seeking effective skincare at an affordable price," says David Petrillo, a Nevada-based cosmetic beauty chemist and founder of Perfect Image. "It contains essential ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, which helps hydrate and repair the skin's barrier. "

It's particularly suited for dry skin, says Underwood, but can even be used on combination or oily types—just use a smaller amount. "I've used this cream on and off for years and I'm always happy with how hydrated my skin feels in the morning," he says. "I never feel too slicked-up, but I make sure to use just a small dollop—a little goes a long way with this one."

Read more: Best Skin-Tightening Creams

Like anything, there is a learning curve with skincare. When it comes to retinol, an anti-aging ingredient that can be harsh on sensitive skin, the lower the strength the better for entry-level users. This one also has hyaluronic acid in it to help plump skin and lock in moisture.

"It's more affordable and a lower strength retinol, so it's good for beginners," says Dr. Penzi "It has peptides, antioxidants, and other ingredients that help minimize the appearance of aging around the face and neck."

This cream is thick and nourishing but not too heavy or oily on the skin. The bottle is small, but a little bit of product goes a long way (experts generally recommend using a pea-sized amount of retinol on your face).

This cream features colloidal oatmeal, a soothing superstar that can help calm any redness or dry, itchy patches. It also delivers on hydration while soothing minor irritation. It's a good choice for all skin types and is free of alcohol mineral oil, parabens, and sulfates.

"As someone with classic combination skin who can be prone to breakouts, I've always worried about slathering my skin in a thick, occlusive cream," says Brian Underwood, Women's Health beauty director. "This cream has a rich texture, but it won't leave your complexion feeling slick. It's also fragrance-free, so you can be sure it won't irritate your skin if you're sensitive."

Because the cream is so gentle, it's perfect for eczema-prone complexions or those with just generally sensitive skin. Plus, it absorbs quickly without leaving a sticky residue.

Neutrogena's moisturizer contains retinol and hyaluronic acid, so you get acne-fighting and collagen-stimulating properties while hydrating the skin overnight.

"The formula is lightweight and absorbs quickly, leaving my skin feeling hydrated and refreshed," says Underwood, who has tested the product. "I love that it contains a powerful but gentle dose of retinol, which is known to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. My skin has a more youthful, radiant look and I couldn't be happier with the results."

"This has to be one of my all-time favorite night creams," says Underwood, who loves the blend of hylauronic acid, ceramides, and Japanese plant extracts. "It hits just the right spot for me—not too thick as to be greasy on my combination skin, but nourishing enough to really hydrate."

The product is perfect for those with sensitive or highly reactive skin—it's fragrance free and contains skin barrier-repairing ingredients that will keep irritation at bay. "I test a lot of products regularly, and I can say that I've never had even the slightest bit of irritation from using this cream," Underwood adds.

A great all-around hydrator, the one drawback is that this one is light on age-fighting ingredients, so if you're looking for something powerful to help with lines, wrinkles, and discoloration, you may want to opt for something else.

This night cream intensely hydrates skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalene while strengthening and repairing the skin barrier with panthenol and allantoin, says dermatologist Tiffany Libby, MD.

It also has vitamins C and E to help protect the skin against free radical damage and environmental stressors."It's good for people with really dry skin and has really effective moisturizers that are very good at providing hydration," adds Dr. Penzi.

What else is of note: It's fragrance-free, making it great for those with sensitive skin. And while it's on the pricey side, the formula does a good job at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while providing skin with ample moisture.

Gold Bond's option includes the hero ingredient retinol, which helps lighten dark spots, improve cellular turnover, and stimulate collagen production, says Dr. Libby. It can also be applied all over the body, which is great for pesky bacne, dark spots on the legs, and more.

"By and large, night creams are marketed for our face and neck, but there are limited ones for the body," says Dr. Penzi. "I have patients that complain about pigment change from acne or rashes, and it's hard to treat large body surface areas, so this is reasonable for that."

We found that this cream is helpful for their sensitive skin, and that you'll see improvements in the softness of their skin with just a few uses. It's non-greasy, budget-friendly, and fragrance-free.

Who says hydrating creams can't be effective on oily or combination skin? Not Dr. Libby, who touts this option as a great moisturizer for those skin types because it contains effective but lightweight hydrators like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Both of these deliver the moisture skin needs overnight to strengthen and repair the skin’s barrier without leave skin feeling greasy.

"This night cream is an excellent option for those with oily or combination skin because it's also enriched with olive extract, which nourishment while you sleep," adds Pertillo. He adds that the fragrance-free formula is also ideal for those with sensitive skin, plus, it's non-comedogenic.

Lightweight and fast-absorbing, the texture is one of the main selling points here.

Dermatologist Jenny Liu, MD puts INKEY’s cream at the top of her list of recommendations for its lightweight formula. The gel gexture means this one locks in moisture to keep skin hydrated without adding a greasy feel or look to the skin.

"The Omega Water Cream contains omega fatty acids and ceramides, which strengthen the skin barrier and soothe dry or irritated skin," says Petrillo. "Its gel-like texture is suitable for various skin types, and it can be used both day and night, providing essential hydration and protection for your skin."

We love a budget-friendly night cream, and this one will leave your face feeling fresh and looking dewy without looking oily. Depending on your skin type, this can be especially useful in the spring and summer.

Dr. Liu rates this as one of the best night creams to smooth out fine lines. It has superstar plumping ingredient retinol, but also packs in 24 hours of hydration, too.

Underwood, who's been using this cream on-and-off for years, is a fan of Olay's budget-friendly price and the fact that it includes line-smoothing retinol. "I use a product with retinol nightly, and many of them are serums that aren't quite hydrating enough," he says.

That can be a huge drawback for those with mature skin, which tends to require more hydration—something this cream provides in spades. "This one is great because it's a thicker cream, so I don't have to layer anything else on top," Underwood adds. "My skin looked smoother, firmer, and tighter after using this cream."

The combination of a powerful line-fighting retinol and a rich, noursihing texture make this one idea for those with fine line and wrinkles and need moisture.

While this product comes in at a bit of a higher price point, Dr. Liu says it's worth every penny if you can afford it. She likes that it has a unique formula with fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides that are all specially formulated to help with dry and mature skin.

"In wintertime when my skin can get drier, I turn to this night cream—it's so rich and nourishing," says Underwood. "If you have any persistent dry patches, this is definitely the moisturizer for you." He adds that the ingredients have everything you need to repair a damaged skin barrier for a more moisturized and plump complexion.

Dr. Karasik says this cream is ideal for reactive or sensitive skin types prone to eczema and rosacea. It's also a great buy for anyone with normal or combination skin.

"It gives a gentle replenishment in terms of moisture and nourishment to the skin," says Dr. Garshick. "It's also great for anyone who has dryness that also wants to incorporate a night cream that's soothing and calms redness."

"I love this one because it works really well on particularly stubborn dry patches," says Underwood, who has used the cream. "It's not too thick, but nourishes wonderfully." Plus, the thermal spring water in the formula is known to reduce redness and soothe, making it a good option for chronic conditions like rosacea.

This cream contains a unique combination of a retinoid (which, as mentioned, are great for collagen growth and fighting acne) and lactic acid, which gently exfoliates. It's also infused with moisture-boosting properties like ceramides, squalene, and hyaluronic acid to minimize dryness and irritation.

"Many [retinoids] are hard to tolerate, but this one is delivered in a combination with alpha hydroxy acid, which helps people tolerate it better." She adds that if you're willing to spend the money, it's a great investment for those new to retinol and retinoid.

You could notice improvements in as little as a week, with no peeling or redness at all.

Read more: Best Retinols for Sensitive Skin

Meet the experts

• Lauren Penzi, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York.
• David Petrillo is a Nevada-based cosmetic beauty chemist and founder of Perfect Image.
• Marisa Garshick, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
• Jenny Liu, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
• Tiffany Libby, MD, is a double board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon in Providence Rhode Island.
• Marianna Blyumin-Karasik, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist.
• Brian Underwood is the beauty director at Women's Health.

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