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Grooming
By Adrian Clark
From Kiehl’s to Chanel, these are the best men’s night creams to wake up feeling fresher and looking younger
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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The best night cream for men: it's the skincare staple with the most intuitive name. Unlike some grooming grails — salt sprays, for example — there's no confusion here: this is a product that traditionally comes in cream form and that is to be applied at night. Unlike a daytime equivalent of the best men's moisturisers, which should be infused with UV-resistant SPF, a night cream uses nutrient-dense ingredients to get to work on your face as you sleep.
Often, this is the ideal time to opt for ingredients that target specific qualms: vitamin C for tired-looking skin, for instance, or retinal for tightening effects. Adding something either targeted or broadly moisturising to your routine shouldn't only transform your skin, but prep it overnight for the next day. Beauty sleep? Turns out it really was a thing all along.
What are GQ's best night creams for men?
- Best overall night cream: Kiehl's Retinol Fast Release Wrinkle-Reducing Night Serum, £72 at kiehls.co.uk
- Best anti-ageing night cream: Clarins Multi-Active Night Cream, £49 at clarins.co.uk
- Best night cream for dry skin: Sisley Paris Supremya At Night The Supreme Anti-Ageing Skin Care Lotion, £204 at libertylondon.com
- Best retinol-based night cream/serum: StriVectin Advanced Retinol Nightly Multi-Correct Serum, £79 at strivectin.co.uk
- Best vegan night cream: Ignae Night Complex, £150 at harveynichols.com
- Best multi-action night cream: Curél Replenishing Night Cream, £18 at lookfantastic.com
What's the difference between a night cream and a moisturiser?
You could absolutely reach for your favourite day cream as part of your evening skincare routine and you'd reap the benefits of hydration compounded by the restorative properties of sleep itself. Having said that, you'd be missing out on a lot of potential benefits by shirking a night cream (not to mention all the wasted SPF you'll be using). If you want to do some deeply intensive reparative work without lifting a finger, you'll instead want something primed for the dead of night. Get your night cream right and you'll be able to spot-target skin concerns like dryness, winkles and acne-scarring. The long and the short of it? Read on and get one of these in your medicine cabinet ASAP.
How we chose the best night creams
Our grooming expert Adrian Clark has been trying out products for decades with a mind to finding the ones that feel most luxurious, most improve the appearance of your skin and best slow down signs of ageing. Here at British GQ, he recommends the best night creams (and most other grooming tinctures that come in creams and serums) through trying and testing at home and at launch events. Every product in the list below has been trialled by Adrian and shortlisted based on their efficacy.
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Shop GQ's edit of the best night cream for men 2024…
Best Overall Night Cream
1/19
Kiehl's
Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream
- Skin Type: All, especially dry and sensitive
- Powered by: Omega fatty acids, a botanical blend
- Texture: Ultra-light, whipped cream
Affectionately referred to as ‘Midnight Magic’, Kiehls' iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate set a precedent in the facial oil category, winning more than 57 beauty awards and selling two every single minute. The innovative overnight cream featured here leverages the same efficacy of this bestselling botanical oil blend, but with a liquid crystal emulsification technology. This pioneering technology encapsulates the oil droplets, creating a unique cloud-like whipped texture to provide longer-lasting hydration. Made with plant-based oils which are rich in Omega-6 and Omega-3, the Cloud Cream formula has been purposefully designed to help replenish the skin’s protective lipid layer.
Best Multi-Action Night Cream
2/19
Curél
Replenishing Night Cream
Curél Replenishing Night Cream
- Skin Type: Dry, mature and sensitive
- Powered By: Ceramides, ginger root extract, allantoin
- Texture: Rich cream
Sensitivity and barrier health have become growing skincare concerns for men, with many of us noticing an uptick in dryness and inflammation. Curél’s restorative, anti-ageing skincare line has been designed to take both of these issues on, whilst replenishing, protecting and promoting the skin’s natural moisture barrier. I am the perfect target for this treatment, suffering with all three concerns, so was very eager to put its claims to the test. Not only did it do all of the above, it also helped minimise my fine lines caused by dehydration and noticeably firmed and helped contoured my face, after only one week.
Best Night Cream for Dry Skin
3/19
Sisley
Paris Supremÿa At Night
Sisley Paris Supremÿa At Night
- Skin Type: Suitable for all, particularly dry
- Powered by: Biosaccharides, glycerin, pro-vitamin B5, sophora japonica extract, red vine extract
- Texture: Lotion
An age-defending lotion that gets to work while you sleep, this rich, milky-textured solution acts like a priming product to help maximise the skin’s receptiveness to key ingredients. Intensely moisturising, it incorporates a solution of biosaccharides blended with glycerin (which attracts and retains water) with pro-vitamin B5 which helps to keep hydration levels on an even keel. Red vine extract has toning properties that revitalise the skin, whilst antioxidant-rich sophora japonica extract helps to calm the complexion.Soy peptide extract and adenosine offer anti-wrinkle benefits, complemented by tiger nut extract which encourages healthy bounce and tone.
Best Anti-Ageing Night Cream
4/19
Clarins
Multi-Active Night Cream
Clarins Multi-Active Night Cream
- Skin Type: All
- Powered by: Golden poppy extract
- Texture: Light cream
Fuelled by the latest breakthroughs in botanical research, Clarins has created a lightweight, multi-active cream that peps-up and then protects your skin while you sleep, restoring radiance and combating fine lines and wrinkles. Its hero ingredient, golden poppy extract, visibly improves plumpness as well as comforting sensitive skin, while other plant-based oils actively penetrate the dermis to restore luminosity. Though also available in a “normal to dry” formula, the “normal to combination” solution featured here is, in my opinion, one of the best night treatments for those who can’t cope with rich or gloopy textures.
Best Vegan Night Cream
5/19
Ignae
Night Complex
- Skin Type: Suitable for all
- Powered by: Panthenol, glycerol, ectoin, aloe vera, betaine, botanical wax complex
- Texture: Velvety cream
Touted as an overnight miracle healer, this velvety, vegan-friendly cream gets to work while you sleep to stimulate cell turnover and collagen production: it also reduces inflammation and assists the healing process so you can wake up to a healthy-looking complexion that feels regenerated and soothed. A powerful concentrate of actives designed to gently repair the skin from daily aggressions (such as sun exposure. stress. pollution and glycation) it's designed to help slow down the clock for easily-compromised and mature skin.
Best Retinol-Based Night Cream/Serum
6/19
Strivectin
Advanced Retinol Nightly Multi-Correct Serum
Strivectin Advanced Retinol Nightly Multi-Correct Serum
- Skin type: Suitable for all
- Powered by: Retinol, NIA-114 technology, polyglutamic acid, ashwagandha
- Texture: Serum
Ultra-concentrated, potent and clinically proven to improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone and texture, this is a silky, lightweight correcting serum that addresses multiple signs of ageing by delivering the coveted benefits of retinol. Its patented NIA-114 technology enhances retinol’s efficacy whilst minimising skin sensitivity, as well as a moisture-binding polyglutamic acid, which counteracts retinol’s drying side effects. The wellness ingredient ashwagandha also features, helping to stimulate collagen and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Results-driven and fast-acting with a seven-day visible improvement turnaround, it promotes smoother and more youthful-looking skin whilst strengthening the skin barrier.
No7 Future Renew Night Cream
7/19
No7
Future Renew Night Cream
- Skin Type: Suitable for all, including sensitive
- Powered By: Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, a pioneering peptide blend
- Texture: Lightweight cream
Marking the biggest cosmetic science innovation in No7’s history, the Future Renew skincare line has been specifically designed to reverse multiple signs of skin damage. The product of 15 years of research into skin ageing and repair, it deeply moisturises for up to 72 hours and helps correct the appearance of uneven tone and texture, dry patches and loss of elasticity. Formulated with a world-first new ‘super’ peptide blend which is set to be one of the most effective and tolerated skincare ingredients on the cosmetic market, No7's new super peptide is both potent and highly tolerated. Enriched with shea butter, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, I noticed that my complexion was brighter, softer and smoother after using it for only one week.
Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream
8/19
Egyptian Magic
All Purpose Skin Cream
- Skin Type: All skin types, especially dry
- Powered by: Peptides
- Texture: Balm
Something of a cult classic in skincare, Egyptian Magic has earned its place as go-to product for its many soft-skinned celebrity endorsers. The magic is in its simplicity, from the branding to the formula – it boasts a six-ingredient blend of olive oil, beeswax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly and bee propolis. Nourishing and moisturising, it sits heavy on the skin, bordering on greasy, which is why it is best used before bed. Particularly effective for those prone to dryness, after a solid eight hours of shut-eye you’ll wake with skin as soft as Cleopatra’s post-milk bath.
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate
9/19
Kiehl's
Midnight Recovery Concentrate
- Skin Type: All, particularly dry skin
- Powered by: Antioxidant-rich flower oils and plant botanicals
- Texture: Oil
If used each night, two to three drops of this concentrated and potent botanical blend will achieve visibly noticeable results after just four weeks. Containing Kiehl’s signature ingredient, squalane (a supremely hydrating ingredient derived from olives), as well as evening primrose oil and lavender essential oil, it is particularly great for those who suffer with dry skin and is proven to be at its most effective between the hours of midnight and 4am.
Naturium Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream
10/19
Naturium
Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream
- Skin Type: Dry, sensitive, acne-prone, combination or ageing
- Powered By: Squalane, Kakadu plum, a specialised blend of plant-based triglycerides
- Texture: Rich cream
Formulated with lipids and nutrient-rich ingredients, Naturium’s barrier-repairing night cream combines cutting edge technology with natural actives. While it has been designed for use by most skin-types, it’s particularly beneficial for those who suffer with acne flare-ups and sensitivity. The first thing I noticed upon cracking it open was that despite being rich and velvety in texture, the formula actually leaves a lightweight and intensely hydrating veil. Science-backed and clinically-effective, it soothes, protects, heals and repairs the damage caused by daily pollution and UV damage; a total reset for lacklustre skin.
Q+A Chamomile Night Cream
11/19
Q+A
Chamomile Night Cream
- Skin Type: Tired, dry or sensitive
- Powered by: Chamomile extract, bisabolol, jojoba, grape seed oils
- Texture: Cream/gel
Formulated and produced in small batches on-site in Norfolk, Q+A takes its sustainability credentials very seriously. Clean and accessibly priced, this is ingredient-focused skincare that does what it says on the jar. In the case of the brand’s dedicated night cream, that means calming sensitive, stressed-out, dry and tired-looking skin whilst actively strengthening and supporting the skin barrier. Vegan-friendly and made with 98.8 per cent natural ingredients, the super soothing moisturiser gets to work while you sleep, helping you wake up to a fresh and intensely-hydrated, more youthful-looking complexion.
RéVive Sensitif Repairing Night Cream
12/19
RéVive
Sensitif Repairing Night Cream
- Skin Type: Sensitive skin
- Powered by: Prebiotis, licorice and chamomile
- Texture: Cream
Developed by a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, RéVive was designed to slow the degenerative ageing process and help restore an inner glow. Powered by bio-renewal technology and inspired by Nobel prize-winning science that Brown originally used to heal burn victims, this is now recognised as one of the most advanced and efficacious skincare lines on the planet. This particular overnight cream has been formulated to aid recovery for sensitive skin, infused with bio-calming ingredients and prebiotics selected to balance the microbiome of the skin and help reduce inflammation, irritation and redness.
Garnier Skin Active Vitamin C Brightening Night Serum
13/19
Garnier
Skin Active Vitamin C Brightening Night Serum
- Skin Type: All
- Powered by: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid
- Texture: Serum
Designed to benefit all skin types and tones, Garnier’s first ever night serum — and its most concentrated formula to date — will visibly brighten your complexion, it claims, after only three sleeps. Formulated with only 14 ingredients, it's powered with the highest concentration of 10 per cent pure and natural-origin vitamin C; a powerful ally to help tackle dullness and oxidation. Supported with hyaluronic acid — a derma active which intensely hydrates, smoothes rough skin and helps to protect the skin barrier — this vegan-friendly serum also reduces the appearance of pigmentation marks and dark spots, plus it blurs the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Non-sticky or greasy and rapidly-absorbed without leaving any residue, add 3 to 4 drops to your grooming routine before hitting the sack to wake up to smoother and more radiant looking skin by morning. Vegan, cruelty-free and without any alcohol or silicone.
Dr. David Jack Good Night Night Cream
14/19
Dr. David Jack
Good Night Night Cream
- Skin Type: Suitable for all
- Powered By: Granactive retinoid, peptides, niacinamide, panthenol
- Texture: Lightweight cream
This reparative overnight formula from leading London-based aesthetic doctor Dr. David Jack boosts cellular repair and helps reduce the visible signs of ageing. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich, it harnesses the rejuvenating benefits of vitamin A (retinol) but without any of the associated irritation. The plant-based, multi-tasking lightweight cream brightens tone, improves texture, helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles and even treats hyperpigmentation. Being prone to sensitivity, I was pleasantly surprised, having used it for several days, that I didn’t experience any harsh retinoid side-effects. Instead, it left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth and looking refreshed and radiant.
ThisWorks My Wrinkles Midnight Moisture
15/19
This Works
My Wrinkles Midnight Moisture
- Skin Type: Ageing skin
- Powered by: Persian silk tree extract, hyaluronic acid, retinoids
- Texture: Rich cream
ThisWorks has a very positive approach to skin ageing, believing we should celebrate the wrinkles that give us character. Its products, then, are more of a natural age-management proposition than a promise to take 10 years off your face. That said, My Wrinkles Midnight Moisture is an overnight recovery cream that isn’t messing about. In line with the brand’s ethos for uncomplicated solutions that use only minimal ingredients but with great efficacy, this rich-textured formula is brilliant at improving skin radiance and clarity. 98 per cent natural and with a light fragrance, it uses a trio of highly effective ingredients to power its youth-boosting benefits: Persian silk tree extract to stimulate the skin’s natural overnight repair process, hyaluronic acid to protect against skin dehydration and an advanced retinoid complex to enhance the penetration of actives into the dermis.
Ole Henriksen Transform Plus Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme
16/19
Ole Henriksen
Transform Plus Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme
- Skin Type: All skin types, particularly dry
- Powered by: Edelweiss stem cell, bakuchiol, fatty acids
- Texture: Cream
Ole Henriksen’s luxurious, richly textured overnight cream from the Transform Plus line of products that have been designed to combat all major signs of ageing via powerful concentrated ingredients is a great all-rounder, targeting fine lines, dark spots and wrinkles. Deeply nourishing and particularly good for severely dry skin, it was born out of Ole’s quest to find an ingredient that would offer the same age-defying benefits that retinol delivers but would be a kinder and more natural alternative.
Daimon Barber Day & Night Face Serum
17/19
Daimon Barber
Day & Night Face Serum
- Skin Type: All
- Powered By: Filagrinol protein, ceramides, seed oil blend
- Texture: Serum
Putting complete transparency and a fuss-free point of view towards male maintenance front and centre, UK-based Daimon Barber’s easy-going attitude doesn’t distract from the high-performance efficacy of its well-balanced, science-meets-nature formulas. This 24-hour troubleshooter has your back round the clock by protecting during the daytime and repairing while you slumber. A dual-action, multifunctional SymRepair skin barrier complex has been added, shielding the skin’s natural barrier from the effects of UV during daylight, while a moisture-rich ceramide complex repairs skin while you sleep overnight. One of the most advanced solutions within the range, it can also be used as a pre-shave oil thanks to the anti-inflammatory and conditioning benefits derived from nourishing apple seed oil, lime seed oil and black seed oil.
YLW Night Cream
18/19
YLW
Night Cream
- Skin Type: Suitable for all, including sensitive
- Powered By: Algae-derived bio-retinoid, microalgae ZEN, beta-glucan derivative, hyaluronic acid, amino acid complex
- Texture: Lightweight cream-gel
This supplement and skincare line takes a 360 degree approach to skin maintenance by joining the dots between a healthy functioning gut and more radiant-looking skin. Designed as a Day Cream + Day Pill and Night Cream + Night Pill regimen, the topical formulations help bolster the skin’s unique ecosystem of bacteria, using meticulously researched and clinically-proven ingredients. Comforting and cocooning, I found the lightweight cream-gel-hybrid formula to be the ideal texture to absorb if you have facial hair (like me). It also, surprisingly, worked wonders on my under-eye bags thanks to an exclusive microalgae blend.
Ecooking Night Cream
19/19
Ecooking
Night Cream
- Skin Type: Mature skin
- Powered by: Peptides
- Texture: Cream
Two highly efficacious ingredients have been enlisted for this fuss-free night cream from the straight-talking Danish skin-saviour brand, Ecooking. One is Argireline, a hexaptide (meaning a peptide made up of six natural amino acids) that helps reduce the depth of wrinkles by working in the same way as botox, in that it makes the facial muscles relax naturally. The other is Trylagen, which boosts collagen in the skin and helps restore a youthful appearance. Offering long-lasting moisture balance, it actively reduces fine lines when used every night. Suitable for all skin types, it is light in texture, quickly absorbed, vegan-friendly and dermatologically tested.
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