I bought my very first night cream after realizing indoor heat was causing my oily skin to feel unexpectedly dry and tight. Any reservations I had about its efficacy disappeared after that first application — the next morning, my skin felt plump, moisturized and generally back to normal, so I’ve been using one ever since.
According to Dr. Serena Mraz, a board-certified dermatologist at Solano Dermatology in Vallejo, California, night is a crucial time “for the skin’s ‘clean up’ and repair of damaged cells, and regeneration of healthy cells.” Tiara Willis, a New York-licensed esthetician and skin care influencer, agrees: “It’s when your skin does the most to repair itself, which is why it’s also beneficial to use products with ingredients that are intended to cause visible changes in the skin,” she says.
Whether you’re looking to combat seasonal dryness or want to expand your skin care routine, I’ve rounded up the best night creams according to experts and NBC Select staffers who have tried them. I also gathered expert guidance to keep in mind as you consider your choices.
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The best night creams in 2026
I asked our experts to share their favorite night creams for a range of skin types and gathered their recommendations below. I’ve also included options NBC Select staff love, and other top-rated night creams that align with expert guidance. Some of them, although not labeled as night creams, deliver a similar level of hydration. “It’s important to keep in mind that ‘night cream’ is a marketing term,” says Willis. “A product can act as a night cream without the label.”
Still, Willis says “it’s important to use a night cream created by chemists from a reputable brand that contains humectants, emollients and occlusives.” (More on those below.)
Best overall night cream
This overnight mask from Youth to the People comes recommended by Willis for those with non-sensitive, combination skin. It’s formulated with brightening ingredients like vitamin C and superberry complex, says the brand, as well as squalane and hyaluronic acid to lock in hydration and soften skin. For best results, the brand recommends applying a thin layer over your skin as the last step in your nighttime routine, and working it into your face until it’s fully absorbed.
Editor’s pick
This cream made the top 20 of our 100 best moisturizers list for its hydrating formula and lightweight texture. I especially love using this in the wintertime to avoid dry patches cropping up on my skin overnight — the formula includes squalane, glacial glycoprotein and ceramides, all of which are excellent for reinforcing the skin barrier. When I use this, I never have to worry about morning dryness on my face. Although the texture is creamy, I like that this moisturizer still feels lightweight when applied (which is great for oily, acne-prone skin like mine). I was also pleasantly surprised at how long the tub lasts; it looks smaller at first, but since a little goes such a long way, I can use one for months at a time.
Best budget night cream
This night cream from Cetaphil contains purified peptides as an alternative to retinol for those with sensitive skin, and is a favorite of NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin. “This is a creamy yet lightweight night cream that I use as my go to when my skin is in good condition,” she says. “I find it richer than the moisturizer I use during the day, and it leaves my skin soft and hydrated,” she says.
Best K-beauty night cream
NBC Select editorial operations associate Jem Alabi likes to use this cream from Etude during the biting winter months. The panthenol-madecassoside blend in the formula helps heal irritated skin while strengthening the skin barrier, which is why she recommends this cream for anyone with acne who’s looking for something “soothing and restorative”. She likes the gentle, fragrance-free formula, and how it softens her skin “almost immediately.”
Best ceramide cream
This cream from Cosrx is one of my favorite nighttime products. It uses ceramides and centella asiatica to balance and repair your skin’s barrier, and has a creamy yet lightweight texture that instantly moisturizes my skin after cleansing. Although it takes a little longer to absorb into my skin than other products, my face still feels hydrated after waking up hours later, even when the room in my air is dry from indoor heat.
Best night cream serum
Malin loves Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost products for their reliability, and suggests this pressed-serum moisturizer as a night cream. Its highly concentrated formula includes hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to restore the skin during sleep, according to the brand. “I have sensitive, often dry skin, and this product has never irritated it,” she says.
Best night cream for mature skin
Described by former NBC Select senior commerce editor Lindsay Schneider as her “absolute forever tried and true,” this moisturizer is safe for all skin types, according to the brand. It’s formulated with teasel and ginger lily extracts to smooth fine lines while you sleep, and helps to brighten and tone skin to fight signs of interrupted or minimal sleep, says Clarins.
Best night cream balm
After receiving this balm from Ma:nyo, it quickly became one of my favorite nighttime products. It has macadamia nut-derived ceramides and humectants like panthenol to lock moisture in while also balancing the skin’s natural oil levels, according to the brand. Although the texture initially seems heavy, once massaged into the skin, it absorbs really well. Plus, it keeps my skin hydrated against the artificial air of my heater without leaving behind any excess grease or residue.
Best luxury night cream
Recommended by Willis as an option for all skin types, this cream effectively treats fine lines, wrinkles, texture and uneven skin tone, according to the brand. Plus, “[this cream] combines retinoic acid, the active used in prescription retinoids, with an alpha hydroxy acid, with little-to-no irritation,” according to Willis.
Best night cream for dry skin
This overnight cream from Naturium is very rich and formulated with triglycerides, squalane and glycerin, making it most effective for dry skin types, according to Willis. It should be used at least 2-3 times a week for maximum benefits, according to the brand, and it’s also vegan and fragrance-free, to reduce the chance of irritation for those with sensitive skin.
Best night cream for oily skin
“CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is an affordable and simple moisturizer that is soothing and helps maintain your protective skin barrier,” says Willis. “I would recommend this for oily-to-combination skin that isn’t prone to acne.” The lotion has an oil-free formula made of essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to hydrate and soothe skin while sleeping, according to the brand.
Best brightening night cream
While most night creams are formulated with hydrating ingredients, this option from Sunday Riley also targets dull skin with vitamin C to brighten your skin while you sleep, according to the brand. Other notable ingredients include lime pearl, a natural source of alpha-hydroxy acid, and bisabolol, an antioxidant known for its soothing properties, according to Sunday Riley. It also has a 4.7-star average rating from 403 reviews on Dermstore.
Best lightweight night cream
This night cream from K-beauty brand Peach & Lily uses antioxidant ingredients like berry and black ginseng extracts to firm and nourish skin, according to the brand. It’s also formulated with peptides to help reduce fine lines, and has a lightweight non-greasy formula, says Peach & Lily. The cream is also a top-rated best seller, with a 4.8-star average rating from 905 reviews on Peach & Lily.
Best night cream for irritation/redness
Made for those with sensitive skin, this serum-in-cream moisturizer is formulated with ingredients like Japanese indigo and red sage root to calm irritation, and ceramides and hyaluronic acid for moisture and hydration, according to the brand. Along with calming and hydrating properties, this cream also uses mondo grass root to help cultivate good bacteria, says Tatcha, which improves the overall texture and tone of your skin. This cream is also a Tatcha bestseller, with a 4.4-star average rating from 1,375 reviews on Sephora.
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How to shop for night creams
When shopping for a night cream, consider factors like cost, ingredients, and your skin’s individual needs and sensitivities. To help you find the best night creams for your skin, I expand on some of our experts’ advice below:
- Active ingredients: Experts recommend looking for ingredients that focus on moisturizing and replenishing exhausted skin. Also, “retinol and alpha hydroxy acids are great ingredients to look out for, as they reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improve uneven skin tone,” says Willis. Mraz also recommends firming and collagen-stimulating ingredients like genistein, saponaria stem cells, and lupine protein.
- Skin type: According to Mraz, despite popular belief, all skin types benefit from night creams — however, depending on your skin type, there may be some considerations that you should keep in mind.
- For those with dry skin, Willis recommends night creams that are “rich with butters, lipids and occlusives like petroleum jelly” for maximum possible hydration.
- Night creams with heavier ingredients like peptides, retinol and alpha hydroxy acids are best for those with mature skin, says Willis. These ingredients all help to reduce the appearance of fine lines.
- For oily skin, Willis says that gel-creams with humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin are best, while those with combination skin may want to look for “light moisturizers that aren’t too rich or thin.” Mraz also recommends hydrating gels, as they “provide moisture without being overly occlusive.”
- If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, Willis recommends avoiding fragrance and potentially pore-clogging ingredients in your night cream.
- Price: Both experts emphasize the importance of shopping within your means when choosing a night cream. “More expensive is not necessarily better,” says Mraz. Willis also warns against purchasing popular products blindly: “Don’t purchase something just because it went viral on the internet,” she says. She suggests reading ingredients and patch testing before making any big purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Though both are designed to keep your skin’s moisture barrier healthy and intact, night creams and moisturizers have a few key differences. According to Mraz, while day creams are “generally designed to protect and to be light and compatible with makeup and sunscreen,” night creams are meant to “provide supercharged moisturizing and should have ingredients that aid in repair and regeneration.” Willis agrees, and adds that in comparison to daytime moisturizers, night creams “are typically richer and heavier in consistency and [contain] active ingredients in order to cause visible changes in the skin.”
Although you don’t necessarily need to use both a moisturizer and a night cream at once (especially if you have oily, acne-prone or sensitive skin), you do need to use at least one in your nightly routine. “Regardless of your skin type, it’s important to use a moisturizer to maintain the health of your skin barrier,” says Willis.
Night creams should be incorporated as the very last step in your skin care routine, says Willis. Mraz recommends applying night creams to clean, dry skin on your face, neck and décolletage, and after your lighter products (like toners, serums, etc.). “This will help seal in other activities prior to creating a barrier and provide potent moisture to the skin,” she says.
Due to the nonstop nature of cellular damage to your skin, Mraz recommends including a potent night cream (and a good night’s sleep) as a part of your daily wellness practice. “Skin care with the inclusion of night cream should be routine during all seasons, all 365 days of the year,” she says. However, Willis adds that, depending on your personal preference and skin needs, you may want to switch to a lighter moisturizer during the summertime.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Serena Mraz is a board-certified dermatologist at Solano Dermatology in Vallejo, California, specializing in general and cosmetic dermatology while also practicing as a research clinician.
- Tiara Willis is a New York-licensed esthetician and skin care influencer, focusing on skin care and beauty for women of color.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select, covering skin care, wellness, home and kitchen, lifestyle and more, including stories on the best acne spot treatments and the best hyperpigmentation products. For this piece, I interviewed dermatologists and estheticians on the best night creams, including how to use them and tips on shopping for one of your own.
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