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When it comes to skincare, it’s common for men to gravitate towards the easiest option: no skincare at all. Skincare is often viewed as primarily a female activity, but if you’re reading this, chances are you’re at least a little bit curious about how you could be caring for your skin. While male skin is somewhat different from female skin, such as a thicker composition, it still works hard daily and needs some support to keep it healthy. So we’re here to tell you: skin is skin, and it’s in need of support and care regardless of whether it belongs to a man or a woman, or anyone in between.
Your skin is your largest organ, forming a protective barrier that serves as your first line of defense against the harmful microbes and pollutants you’re exposed to daily. This might not be as concerning during childhood and teenage years, but your skin loses some of its integrity as you age, causing its barrier functions to become weaker. So implementing some skincare into your daily routine will help support your skin so it can keep supporting you. And if freshening up your appearance is something you’re looking for too, skincare can definitely help with that.
What will a night cream do for you?
While you rest at night, your skin keeps working, going through its cell regeneration and repair processes. Night creams are often thicker than day creams and contain specific ingredients designed to support your skin’s repair and regeneration processes as you snooze, giving your skin a helping hand and leaving you looking refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning.
Some night creams contain active ingredients, like retinols, to target specific skin concerns like fine lines and wrinkles. Others contain butters and oils to give you a rich, nourishing treatment overnight. Some creams are nourishing and have a light enough consistency to be used in the morning too, providing you with ease and efficiency.
It’s never too late to start supporting your skin, and when you’re looking for the best night creams for men, you need not be deterred from products that are not marketed specifically to men. Florals, butters, oils…nothing is off the table. So whether you’re looking for something simple or something jam-packed with active ingredients, the following list will help you pick the best night cream for you so your morning self feels rejuvenated and refreshed the whole year through.
1. Blu Atlas Face Moisturizer
Knowing what to look for in your skincare products can be daunting, especially if you’re just beginning your skincare journey. Blu Atlas makes it easy with their simple, yet effective face moisturizer, expertly designed to give your skin everything it needs and nothing that it doesn’t. Blu Atlas promises simple, safe ingredients for your body that are 98.5% from natural origins, vegan, cruelty-free, and backed by a medical advisory board. Your nighttime moisturization needs will be well provided for with this face moisturizer, and an added bonus is that its lightweight formulation makes it suitable for use day and night.
This nourishing formulation will see your skin protected, hydrated, firmed, and brightened. Mango seed butter, loaded with vitamins C and E, will help protect your skin from environmental stressors. Seaweed extract, with its antioxidant properties, will help regulate oil production and hydrate your skin, while ascorbic acid for added vitamin C will help brighten up your skin and keep it firm.
2. Simplified Skin Retinol Moisturizer Cream
If you have mature skin, you may be on the lookout for some targeted anti-wrinkle treatment, and Simplified Skin’s retinol moisturizing cream may be just the product you’re looking for. This cream boasts a 98% natural formulation with active retinol to gently exfoliate the skin and promote collagen production to help smooth out any fine lines and wrinkles.
Aloe vera leaf juice will moisturize your skin and help soothe any dryness or itchiness, and sunflower oil provides vitamin E to help protect the skin and soothe any inflammation. Jojoba oil, which has a very similar composition to the skin’s natural sebum, helps regulate oil production and provides a protective barrier on the skin to lock in moisture and prevent flaking.
3. Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream
There’s nothing wrong with embracing a little sensitivity, and if your skin edges towards the delicate side, Cetaphil’s dermatologist-tested moisturizing cream will help moisturize your skin without causing any irritation.
This moisturizer is fragrance-free, making it super safe for sensitive skin types. The formulation is designed to fight against the five signs of skin sensitivity: dryness, roughness, tightness, and a weakened skin barrier. Hyaluronic acid will help hydrate your skin by attracting water and preventing it from evaporating, for a plump, hydrated appearance. Olive extract will help calm your skin and reduce redness and inflammation, and vitamin E will provide nourishment to help heal any damage to the skin’s barrier and maintain barrier strength.
4. Burt’s Bees Truly Glowing Night Cream
If your skin leans toward the dryer side, Burt’s Bee’s Truly Glowing night cream may be just the cream for you. Burt’s Bees is all about natural ingredients, and this night cream is 98% from natural origins. It contains a blend of oils, proteins, and humectants to help moisturize and plump up your skin above and below the surface, for a smooth, glowing complexion.
This is another product that utilizes hyaluronic acid for its humectant properties to draw moisture into the skin and lock it in. For extra moisturization, this night cream delivers a blend of squalene, jojoba oil, and beeswax, which create a light film over the skin that helps hold moisture in without clogging up your pores. Beeswax and squalene also have a soothing and calming effect on the skin, making them great for smoothing out any very dry or itchy areas.
5. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
Designed with oily skin types in mind, this lightweight, oil-free moisturizer provides effective moisturization without adding any extra shine. The gel cream absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving any residue behind and provides a fresh, cooling sensation to the skin.
The star ingredient of this cream is glacial glycoproteins, which quickly absorb into the skin and help strengthen it and slow down water loss. To balance the skin’s oil production, desert plant extract helps slow sebum production, while glycerin helps to draw water to the skin and prevent it from evaporating for long-lasting hydration.
6. Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream
Wake up feeling refreshed with this non-greasy, intensely hydrating formula that is great for all skin types. This night cream will help to brighten up and restore tired-looking skin and strengthen the skin barrier over time.
Hyaluronic acid will help attract that much-needed moisture into your skin, and niacinamide can reduce pores to brighten up your skin’s appearance. Peptides will help stimulate collagen production for a smoother appearance and ceramides strengthen the cells in your skin barrier so they can seal in moisture and balance out oil production.
7. Sukin Moisture Restoring Night Cream
If you’re a fan of earthy fragrances, then Sukin’s signature moisture restoring night cream will treat your senses to a fresh, floral, and forest aroma while you moisturize. Like all Sukin’s products, this night cream is made in Australia from natural ingredients. It contains a luxurious combination of evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, and shea butter for deep moisturization, along with vitamin E and borage to help nourish and replenish your skin’s natural barrier.
This moisturizer is great for all skin types. But the thick consistency and added oils and butter make it best for those whose skin leans towards the dry side. The addition of borage extract will be particularly beneficial to help smooth out dry skin patches and smooth any itchiness or inflammation.
8. Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream
The star ingredient behind this cream’s anti-wrinkle benefits is coenzyme Q10, which naturally occurs in the skin and is said to help slow the aging process. As you age, the amount of this enzyme in the skin decreases, so Eucerin has added it to their night cream to help replenish the amount of Q10 in the skin over time, promising results in as little as five weeks.
For additional anti-wrinkle benefits, this night cream also contains pro-retinol to help exfoliate the skin while you sleep. This reduces the appearance of fine lines, while vitamin E and shea butter will help to nourish and soften the skin. An added bonus is that this moisturizer is fragrance-free, so if you’re prone to sensitivity when it comes to skincare products, you can limit your chances of irritation with this night cream while getting in your anti-wrinkle treatment.
9. Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon Transformative Night Cream
Dermalogica’s philosophy on nighttime skin rejuvenation is that great deep sleep actually aids in skin repair, so anything that helps you sleep better is going to help maintain skin health. You’ve likely heard about the calming and soothing benefits of lavender, and Dermalogica’s night cream contains a luscious fragrance blend of lavender, patchouli, and sandalwood essential oils, treating you to some aromatherapy to gently lull you off to dreamland.
To help rejuvenate tired-looking skin, this moisturizer brings you Persian silk tea tree extract to replenish and plump up skin cells. Wu-Zhu-Yu berry extract provides anti-inflammatory benefits for healthy, radiant skin, and tamarind rind extract helps to soften your skin for a refreshed look in the morning.
10. Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Cream
This light moisturizing cream is designed to be used both day and night to target fine lines and wrinkles without clogging pores or leaving any residue behind. With this cream, Clinique promises to provide effective anti-wrinkle treatment to all skin types, from very dry to very oily. This oil-free formula contains hyaluronic acid to attract moisture to your skin and lock it in for a more supple, hydrated look. Soybean extract helps to nourish and soften your skin and correct uneven skin tone. For anti-wrinkle treatment, this cream has Clinique’s CL 1870 Laser Focus™ Complex, a blend of peptide-rich ingredients to help promote collagen production in your skin to smooth out those fine lines and wrinkles.
11. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
Recommended by dermatologists, this gel cream would be a gentle and effective addition to your skincare routine. Neutrogena’s best-selling water gel moisturizer is a light cream that is gentle enough to be used during the day and at night whenever your skin needs a moisture refresh. The oil-free formula absorbs quickly into the skin, making it great for all skin types. The moisturizing ingredient in this gel cream is hyaluronic acid, drawing moisture into the skin for a plumped, refreshed glow whenever you need it.
12. The Inkey List Omega Water Cream
Another oil-free formulation that is light enough for morning and evening use, the Inkey List’s Omega Water Cream is great for anyone wanting to prioritize maintaining skin barrier health. For long-lasting hydration and balanced oil production, this cream utilizes a combination of fatty acids, glycerin, betaine, and niacinamide. Omega fatty acids will help reinforce your skin’s barrier, allowing it to retain moisture more effectively, while glycerine will draw moisture into the skin and lock it in. Betaine will provide extra assistance in drawing moisture into the skin and reinforcing your skin’s barrier, and niacinamide will help to build up proteins in your skin and protect it from environmental stressors.
13. Biossance Squalene + Omega Repair Cream
This cream is formulated to be ultra-hydrating while working to restore and support your skin’s barrier function. The lipids in your skin play an important role in maintaining optimal barrier functions like retaining moisture and keeping out harmful microbes. So Biossance has loaded this cream up with a combination of lipids to mimic the lipids in your skin and give it some support.
Squalene, with its anti-inflammatory properties, can help level out any redness and irritation while also replenishing your skin’s barrier, for a healthy, refreshed look. Omega fatty acids will help maintain moisture in your skin to balance out oil production, aiding in reducing breakouts, and ceramides will keep the skin cells healthy and intact to minimize moisture loss.
14. Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins Resurfacing Cream
If you’re looking for a more intensive skin treatment, then this resurfacing cream from Origins could be a great option for improving skin tone and minimizing wrinkles. You may have heard of skin peels, and this night cream provides nourishment and a chemical peel treatment all in one simple application.
Skin peel treatments are used to exfoliate the skin to help remove dead skin cells from its surface, improving skin texture and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The peeling action of this night cream comes from AHAs, types of acids that remove the top layer of skin cells overnight, revealing the fresh, smoother-looking skin underneath. A combination of jojoba esters and fruit oils provide a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals to your skin, including calcium and vitamins C, E, and H, to fortify your skin barrier to help it retain moisture and balance oil production.
15. Hims Goodnight Wrinkle Cream
This night cream comes with a subscription option for automatic refills to help you maintain consistency in your skincare routine, which is particularly important if you’re wanting effective anti-wrinkle action from your night cream.
This night cream is designed to smooth out wrinkles, prevent water loss, reduce puffiness, and lock in moisture. Hyaluronic acid helps attract moisture to the skin to plump up skin cells, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Caffeine helps to brighten up dull skin and reduce inflammation with its antioxidant properties. Shea butter helps lock moisture in the skin while also soothing any dryness and irritation for a smoother, even appearance.
16. Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream
Adaptogens have been utilized for medicinal purposes by Eastern European cultures for thousands of years to restore health and balance to the body. This night cream contains an adaptogenic blend of reishi, rhodiola, and ashwagandha mushrooms to help support and balance your skin, reducing dryness, alleviating inflammation, and smoothing out wrinkles.
Ashwagandha root delivers concentrated antioxidants and amino acids to protect the skin and smooth fine lines, while rhodiola herb will alleviate signs of skin stress, like dryness, itchiness, and redness. Reishi mushroom promotes ceramide production in your skin to help it retain moisture. To support these adaptogens, this night cream also contains squalene to rejuvenate and support the lipids in your skin, and jojoba and shea butter to smooth skin and lock in moisture.
17. Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream
This cream would work well for all skin types, but it may be particularly helpful for those with oily skin. It's designed to dry as light as a cloud on the skin without leaving any heavy residue behind.
This intensely hydrating formula contains a hyaluronic acid complex to absorb quickly into the skin layers, attracting moisture into the skin and plumping it up, reducing the appearance of fine lines. Pentativin, a natural plant extract, creates a lightweight moisture barrier by binding into the skin layers and holding moisture in, helping maintain the skin’s moisture barrier. Hydrolyzed silk provides skin softening and smoothing benefits as it replenishes proteins in the skin for a healthy glow.
18. Andalou Naturals Brightening Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream
For brighter and tighter skin, Andalou Naturals brings you fruit stem cell complex, purple carrot extract, and vitamin C to deliver numerous enzymes and antioxidants to depleted, dull skin.
Andalou Naturals looks to nature to address skincare concerns, and fruit stem cells in this night cream help promote collagen production in the skin for cell regeneration and anti-aging benefits. Purple carrot is rich in beta-carotene, containing numerous vitamins to revitalize skin and help protect it from environmental stressors. Vitamin C brings antioxidant benefits to help fight against harmful free radicals produced in your body and in the environment, protecting your skin and brightening up your complexion.
19. PC4Men Nighttime Repair Cream
Paula’s Choice brings you this night cream with retinol and antioxidants for a more balanced, smooth, and clear complexion. Retinol will help promote new cell turnover and collagen production to heal any damaged areas and smooth out your skin. Adenosine, an organic compound derived from yeast, has anti-inflammatory properties to soothe the skin and support the skin barrier function. Plant extracts deliver antioxidants for protection from free radical damage, while squalene helps lock moisture into the skin.
20. Block Island Organics Revitalizing Night Cream
Loaded with organic ingredients crafted to be deeply moisturizing but non-greasy, this night cream is great for all skin types and offers antioxidant, anti-aging, and UV-protection benefits. Its light, non-greasy formulation makes it suitable for daytime use as well.
Plant extracts such as aloe, rosehip, lotus bean, blueberry, and burdock provide effective moisturization and a nourishing combination of vitamins C and E to help brighten, restore, and protect your skin. Vitamin C works to firm up the skin, reduce dullness, and protect the skin from free radical damage. Vitamin E helps to soothe inflammation and heal the skin from UV damage.
21. Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial Moisturizer
Aveeno’s rich, nourishing night cream is great for anyone looking to even up their skin tone and texture and reduce the look of dark patches on the skin.
To diminish dullness and even out skin tone, this night cream utilizes soy and niacinamide. Soy provides antioxidant benefits to protect from free-radical damage, and contains lipids and proteins to support the skin and provide a smoother, even complexion. Niacinamide works with the skin to minimize pores, improve barrier function, and even out skin tone. Beeswax and shea butter help to soothe the skin and lock in moisture.
22. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Night Cream
This night cream will help to reduce dryness, decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promote firmness and elasticity. A blend of peptides work into the skin and replenish proteins, promoting collagen production for smoother, firmer skin. Colloidal oatmeal helps to soothe any dryness and itchiness while also forming a light moisture barrier to prevent moisture loss overnight. A blend of plant-based butters and waxes helps to condition the skin and lock in moisture.
23. Rose Ingleton MD Signature Moisturizer
This silky moisturizing cream is suitable for daytime and nighttime use for all skin types. It helps promote soft, resilient skin by targeting signs of aging, repairing skin barrier function, and brightening up the skin.
Hyaluronic acid will plump up your skin by attracting moisture for a smoother, hydrated look. Peptides help to promote collagen production in the skin to further smooth it out and reduce wrinkles over time. Ceramides support the skin barrier, while a Jamaican fruit blend delivers antioxidants to your skin to brighten it up and protect it from damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What night cream is best for me?
As we’ve said, the best night creams for men don’t have to be targeted specifically toward men. The best night cream for you will depend on your skin type and what you’d like to achieve with your night cream.
If you have oily skin, you’ll want to ensure you’re not adding any additional greasiness to your skin. So you’ll want to look for something that contains non-greasy ingredients. A gel formulation can be great for oily skin because it absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave any residue behind.
If you have very dry, rough skin, look for rich, nourishing ingredients in your night cream like butters and oils. These ingredients will help to soothe inflammation and smooth rough areas while locking moisture into your skin.
If your skin is mature and you want to get some anti-aging treatment, there are many ingredients out there designed to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. The good news is you can reduce fine lines and create a smoother appearance by using any moisturizer that helps hydrate your skin, since healthy, hydrated skin will appear smoother and firmer. But if you’re looking for more intensive anti-wrinkle action, ingredients like retinol and peptides help reduce wrinkle appearance in various ways. Retinols encourage collagen production and help exfoliate the skin and peptides help boost collagen production too. Ingredients that draw moisture in the skin like hyaluronic acid can help minimize wrinkles too by plumping up the skin cells.
If you have sensitive skin, a simple formulation with soothing ingredients like jojoba oil or plant extracts can be great for soothing inflammation and balancing out the skin. Something that’s fragrance-free can be great for sensitive skin too, as fragrances can be irritating to sensitive skin types.
How do I use a night cream for the best results?
First off, you’ll need to choose a night cream from our list of the best night creams for men this year. Then, you’ll want to create an evening skincare routine you can stick to, as consistency will give you the best results.
Before you begin, make sure you’ve read the instructions on your product. IThis is important as certain products may require you to apply them more or less frequently depending on their formulations.
You’ll also want to make sure you apply your night cream after cleansing your skin so there is nothing lingering that blocks your cream’s goodness from absorbing properly.
There are many useful products that can be added to a skincare routine, like serums and toners, but a simple and effective evening skincare routine may look like this:
- Step 1: Cleanse your face with warm water and your preferred facial cleanser.
- Step 2: Gently pat your face dry.
- Step 3: Apply your night cream to your skin, gently massaging it in, making sure to avoid the eyes and any areas of broken skin.
Tip: If you’re someone who finds it easy to forget things, or you simply have a lot on your plate, a face cream that is light enough to be used every day and night could be a great option. Something with simple ingredients that are nourishing, hydrating, and non-greasy means you can help your skin without causing greasy build-up from multiple applications. You also won’t be adding to your mental load because you can simply reach for the same product every time to easily give your skin the care and support it needs.