In my 20s and 30s, before I was a full-time beauty editor, I rarely considered the difference between a daytime and nighttime skin care routine. My skin health regimen, such as it was, included bar soap and, if I remembered, sunscreen , which could easily work any time of day.
But now that I test hundreds of products a year and talk to an array of dermatologists each month — not to mention the fact that I recently turned 53 — I've learned that in addition to being a soothing nighttime ritual, treating my skin before bed can actually go a long way toward making my face look bouncier, brighter and more youthful. As it turns out, there's real science to back up my experience.
"Our skin has specific jobs designated for day and night based on its unique circadian rhythm," explains board-certified dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban . In fact, recent studies have found that, thanks to photoreceptors called opsins, our skin actually keeps time independent of the brain . It might seem woo-woo, but the research is legit: In 2017, an investigation into the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms — including skin opsins — was awarded the Nobel Prize . "Skin is the body's largest organ and we now know that it operates on its own circadian schedule," explains Shamban. "It's designed to protect, defend and fight off aggressors by day; and it is programmed to repair, restore and rejuvenate by night."
What your skin needs at night vs. day
"Certain ingredients work best when your skin is not fighting off daily aggressors and reacting defensively to environmental stressors," Shamban says. "You are either on team offense or team defense. You can't be on both simultaneously and expect to 'win' your best skin longevity game."
Experts believe that the skin's natural renewal processes is most active at night while we sleep (it's called "beauty sleep" for a reason), with cellular repair and regeneration working 25-30 times faster between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. than any other time of day. "This is the prime repair window [when] your skin is most receptive to collagen production and cell turnover," Shamban says.
As far as ingredients go, Shamban says this is the ideal time to pair retinol or retinoids with hydrating, extra emollient moisturizers. She also recommends nighttime application of exfoliating acid treatments (if your skin can tolerate them), protective ingredients like niacinamide, along with peptides and growth factors.
The best step-by-step nighttime routine for maintaining youthful-looking skin
To maximize cellular repair and give your face an anti-aging boost, Shamban says to complete your skin care routine before 11 p.m. While all skin is different and therefore has distinct needs, in general, she recommends the following steps.
Step 1: A cleanser or toner tailored to your skin needs
"This can be exfoliating, hydrating or calming," she says.
For nighttime cleansing, Shamban likes a liquid toner formulated with skin-nourishing ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides. Specifically, she says this one from CeraVe "helps to balance and brighten skin while removing any additional residue on the skin's surface."
"This is a highly effective face wash with an advanced cleansing complex," says Shamban. "What I like about it is it's tough enough to remove waterproof sunscreen and heavy makeup while remaining gentle on the skin. It's a silky oil that morphs into an emulsion with pumpkin enzymes and vitamin E, so it also exfoliates and provides antioxidant support."
Shamban champions this hypoallergenic cleanser: "It's hydrating because it contains glycerin and it gently exfoliates without irritation," she says. "Plus, the addition of vitamins B5 and E provides skin barrier support."
Step 2: Exfoliation
"A physical or light enzymatic or chemical exfoliator can be used separately to eliminate dead skin cells, ensuring that all signs of makeup, dehydration or environmental sludge is wiped away," Shamban explains.
While not exactly cheap, these dermatologist-designed pads work triple duty, de-clogging pores while exfoliating and promoting skin cell turnover. The salicylic acid helps remove dullness and discoloration from your skin.
This exfoliator uses lactic and glycolic acids, plus fruit enzymes from pumpkin, papaya and pineapple, to gently slough away dead skin while smoothing texture and brightening everything up.
It was among my colleague and fellow beauty writer Marie Lodi's top products of 2025 : "My skin looks clearer, softer and much more alive every time I use it," she says.
Step 3: Anti-aging serums
After thoroughly cleansing and exfoliating, Shamban says to apply a potent anti-aging serum containing skin-rejuvenating ingredients like peptides. "This is the power-packed layer of your most concentrated ingredients — again, to be selected based on your skin type and concerns," she says.
If wrinkles are your biggest worry, five-star reviewers call this anti-aging serum a " Botox alternative ." It's so popular in the U.S., it frequently sells out on Amazon.
While the name suggests it's made with collagen, it's actually formulated with the dermatologist-recommended Matrxyl 3000 peptide complex and is meant to mimic the bounciness and smoothness natural collagen gives your skin. It's packed with hyaluronic acid , a natural humectant that is especially good for dehydrated, mature faces.
If you're dealing with brown spots or discoloration, this gentle-but-potent formula packs in a murderer's row of skin brightening ingredients, including tranexamic acid, kojic acid, niacinamide and licorice root.
I tried it for three months last year and it cleared up a few bothersome brown spots on my chest and cheeks within weeks.
Althaea Skin
Shamban helped design this popular pick formulated specifically to meet skin's needs after dark. The silky anti-aging treatment is made with cell-regenerating, skin-tightening and hydrating ingredients meant to improve rough texture, minimize fine lines and leave skin glowing while you sleep.
Step 4: Retinol or retinoids
Many anti-aging serums contain retinol , but if yours doesn't, the next step in your nighttime beauty journey should be applying your preferred vitamin A derivative. Collagen building — plus wrinkle firming and texture improving — occurs mainly at night.
CeraVe
CeraVe's creamy gel retinol contains just a .3% concentration, which means it will be more gentle and less drying than higher-potency products. It's filled with skin-calming agents like niacinamide and moisturizing hyaluronic acid and rings in at less than $20, allowing you to try it without the guilt of making a major investment.
After testing dozens of over-the-counter options, this is the retinoid I use every night. Differin's adapalene gel was the first prescription-strength retinoid to become available over the counter. It's dermatologist-recommended to tighten and brighten skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and it does it all with (in my experience) a lot less irritation than prescription tretinoin. Bonus: If you're still dealing with acne, it will help clear this issue up too.
This gorgeous, luxurious serum is the only retinoid complex I've come across in 20 years of testing that delivers the skin-rejuvenating benefits of vitamin A without all the annoying and uncomfortable downsides. It was created by a group of skin scientists specifically to firm, brighten and smooth aging skin while remaining gentle enough to use every night.
The secret here is in both the encapsulated delivery system and the formula, a combination of extra-potent retinal (with an "a") and ingredients like ectoin, a powerful moisturizer. If you can't tolerate retinol but want to experience the skin-renewing results, this product may be worth the splurge.
Step 5: Eye cream
Yes, your eye area needs nighttime TLC, cell turnover and rejuvenation too.
CeraVe
I've tried a lot of eye creams. And, for my money, CeraVe makes the best drugstore depuffing/under-eye brightening treatment currently on the market. Not only does it feel good on your skin (absorbs quickly, no gross pilling), it's fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Don't take my word for it: Olivia Wilde loves it, along with thousands of reviewers, who say it's like Botox in a cream. I'm not sure about that claim, but I do know this is a quality skin care staple at a price everyone can afford.
If you're on the hunt for an eye treatment to help minimize the look of puffiness, crow's feet and dark circles, this beloved option from RoC is worth a try. The brand is well known for its over-the-counter retinol products, and this formula has earned over 27,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. Many reviewers say it helps improve the appearance of fine lines and crepeyness, and it's dermatologist-tested too.
Step 6: A heavier moisturizer
"The final step, for those of us who need it — and as we age most do — should be a heavier occlusive moisturizer," Shamban says. This can help lock in hydration and leave you looking dewy and refreshed come morning.
This iconic cream is what French women turn to when they need a serious hydration boost, and it's often recommended by dermatologists for protecting skin against cracking and chafing. The affordable, effective formula is exceptionally safe for all skin types — it's actually gentle enough to use on infants as young as 1 week old.
Once you're through with your nighttime skin care steps, it's time to seal in all that hydration and cell repair. Etude’s Moistfull Collagen Cream uses hydrolyzed collagen and vitamin E to help keep skin moisturized and soft for hours. The gel-cream texture absorbs quickly without feeling heavy, making it a good choice for combination skin.
