The 10 Best Deeply Hydrating Night Creams

Sleep is a restorative and crucial action that not only heals your mind and body, but your skin, too—especially after long, hot summer days. In fact, bedtime is a key point in your day to repair cellular damage inflicted by heat and sun. It also happens to be the optimal time for your skincare products to do their most effective work. That’s why it’s vital to choose the correct moisturizing products for your evening skincare routine. We’ve consulted a handful of top beauty experts to get their take on the most effective skin moisturizers for evening that thoroughly heal, protect, and nourish the skin—doing the work while we rest.

To Heal Red, Peeled, Sun-Damaged Skin

Ideal for sun-damaged skin experiencing redness or peeling, the famed Sicily-based clean beauty company Furtuna has formulated a healing balm to soothe the skin’s layers using their signature “Wild Foraged Replenishing Complex”—which contains a potent grade of medicinal plant power to replenish dry skin. It’s an essential for L.A.-based celebrity facialist Candace Marino and her clients. “When it comes to skin that needs an extra boost of hydration (and healing) my number-one recommendation is the Furtuna Skin Replenishing Balm,” Marino says. “This solid balm melts into a deeply nourishing treatment to lock in moisture while repairing and strengthening the skin overnight. I recommend this for all skin types, (yes, even acne-prone). The organic, wild, foraged ingredients in the balm contain anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties to heal and protect the skin. I especially love this for sensitized or compromised skin types, as the balm will help speed up any healing processes. I recommend keeping it on hand for any 911 situation: Burns, scrapes, insect bites, chapped lips, dry cuticles, fly-aways and more. The balm can be used both morning and night, but I especially love it in the evening as a last step, to lock in moisturizer and flood my skin with nutrition.”

For Stress-Related Repair

Tatcha founder Vicky Tsai initially created this two-in-one serum/cream to help with her stress-related eczema flare-ups during the height of the pandemic in 2020. The formulation uses high-grade plant compounds tryptanthrin and indirubin for overnight skin restoration as well as mondo grass extract to help balance skin microbiomes—essentially fostering good bacteria growth. The Indigo Night Repair is a go-to for makeup artist Daniel Martin, whose client list includes Elizabeth Moss, Jessica Biel, and Jessica Alba. “It has a beautiful gel cream texture and feels really comfortable on the skin,” he says. “I haven’t been as diligent as I should be about applying sunscreen this summer, and this helps repair and calm my skin, toning down any redness from over-exposure. I’ll apply it at night, and wake up in the morning with no redness and soft, hydrated, dewy, radiant skin.”

For Skin Lifting, Firming, and Moisturizing

To get noticeably plumper skin along with super hydration, try Le Lift Crème de Nuit by Chanel. Itorks with your skin barrier to help with the sensitivities the skin experiences throughout the day from environmental aggressors, especially during summer. This is a favorite nighttime ritual for famed runway makeup artist Cyndle Komarovski, who applies it as a moisturizer with her evening skin massage routine. “My favorite night ritual for relaxation is to take a pea-size amount and warm it between your fingertips,” she says. “Start by massaging in a circular motion in the center of your face outward, following your facial contours and continuing down your neck. This massage will help stimulate blood flow and relax you before bed.”

For Visible Skin Regeneration and Repair

“My favorite evening treatment post-sun exposure is Biologique Creme Masque Vernix, mixed with a few drops of Oio Lab 7 Moments Botanical Smoothing Oil,” says Joanna Czech, the famed skin authority and aesthetician responsible for some of the most glowing complexions on magazine covers and the red carpet. “Masque Vernix is a bio-engineered replication of the waxy substance that babies are covered in at birth. It is 80 percent hyaluronic acid, 10 percent lipids, and 10 percent proteins which create an incredibly hydrating, soothing cream.

The Oio oil, meanwhile, is rich in squalene, organic prickly pear, and safflower oils, and is regenerative and revitalizing. The combination is a great cocktail after sun exposure.” The Mask Vernix formulation is specifically made to prohibit water loss and hydrate the skin’s epidermal layer while soothing the skin with lipid and proteins.

Fine Line Minimization, Plumping, and Toning

A must-have skin staple on every beauty junkie’s nightstand, The Rich Cream is the ultimate overnight hydrator. Hydrolyzed rice protein is one of the key factors in effectively calming dry skin overnight to give you a healthy complexion come morning. Additional ingredients—including evening primrose oil, vitamin E, and squalene—feed and protect the skin’s layers from whatever damage the sun wrought earlier in the day. This product is beloved by famed New York aesthetician Sean Garrette, who finds the luxurious consistency and Trigger Factor Complex help his skin look its best upon awakening. “Bader’s The Rich Cream has become a stable in my nighttime routine,” he says. “If you have dry, combination or mature skin, it really is the perfect moisturizer because it fully nourishes without being too heavy or suffocating on the skin, especially at night after a long summer day of sun and sunscreen. My skin always looks revitalized and plump in the mornings.”

Super-powered Cell Rejuvenation and Anti-Aging Repair

MBR is the German skincare line favored by the most serious of skincare aficionados. For the ultimate in nighttime hydration, skin expert and Knockout Beauty founder Cayli Cavaco recommends the brand’s Face Cream Smooth 100, a powerful anti-aging cream to be used in the evenings followed by the MBR Night Oil, a finishing touch to the face cream formulated with concentrated chlorella and seaweed oil. “The Face Cream Smooth 100 is a treasure trove of beauty solutions,” she says. “It rejuvenates the cells, protects the skin’s immune response, promotes collagen production, and increases the skin’s water-binding capacity. The list is quite long and impressive and I haven’t even mentioned it’s Botox-like effect on relaxing mimic lines! The Night Oil is the perfect sealant to follow with; it provides calming nourishment and an out-of-this-world glow.”

Plant-Powered Hydration to Repair Free Radical Damage

This luxurious face cream rich in nutritious oils contains active compounds to eliminate fine lines and boost your collagen prodcution, for a firmer complexion overall. Sturm’s Face Cream Rich uses the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers of purslane and skullcap to strengthen skin cells and protect against free radical damage, while vitamin E complex, shea butter, and Panthenol to provide deep hydration and additional softness. Renowned for her unforgettable makeup looks on such notables as Debby Ryan, Helena Christensen, and Laura Harrier, New York-based Misha Shahzada elaborates further on why Sturm’s Face Cream Rich is a part of her summer evening skin regimen. “I have always preferred an evening-heavy skincare routine, simply because I like the products to work their magic while I sleep,” she says. “I love to combine Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Face Cream Rich in conjunction with her Hyaluronic Serum and apply at nighttime because I find that it really penetrates the surface and I wake up with very hydrated skin, especially since I only splash cold water on my face in the morning. I love to use this cream all year round—more sparingly in the humid summer months. Unlike many other rich creams, I never break out from this one, nor does it ever clog my pores. It’s a staple on my shelf and in my kit!”

For Overnight Softening, Smoothing, and Even-Toned Skin

A quick-absorbing, skin-quenching solution to transform dry summer skin. The healing mixture uses plant-based ceramides and Schisandra fruit to help maintain skin’s elasticity and firmness, while softening with rich Illipe butter. This hydrating skin remedy is being used routinely this summer by New York-based makeup artist Alice Lane. “I thought nothing would come between me and my beloved face oil,” she says. “Then I tried the Goopgenes face cream, and I was delighted! It’s so nourishing and gentle. My clients love it, too, especially in the evenings after being in warmer weather where the sun can take its toll on your skin.”

For Radiance With a Vitamin C Boost

Crème de la Nuit is infused with with clinical-grade vitamin C to restore the skin overnight and give a profoundly plumped-up visage in the morning. When she’s not creating makeup cover looks for Gisele Bündchen, makeup artist Jenna Anton balances her summer nighttime regimen with Odacité’s product. “It is full of restorative vitamin C and Ashwagandha, along with hyaluronic acid and blue-green algae,” Anton says. “This cream is ideal for your nighttime skin care routine, to heal and hydrate skin. I also use it on my clients’ skin before I apply makeup. Even when my client’s sleep has been interrupted, it’s a great pick-me-up, acting as a radiance booster and giving the appearance of a full night’s rest.”

For an Even Deeper Hydration Boost

A deep hydration solution that uses holistic ingredients formulated from Dr. Hadayat Adhami’s plant-based skincare line, Vivoderm. This multi-active cream, infused with aloe vera and chamomile, addresses uneven, dry skin that’s in desperate need of intense moisture, promising twelve hours of hydration. Celebrity makeup artist Mellody Vere says she uses the cream for its healing composition and overnight softening benefits. “This cream is super decadent and uses natural ingredients with no synthetics,” she adds. “I apply it at night and my skin drinks it up. It’s a great, clean, simple concoction to make your skin supple and vibrant naturally.”