During the night, the body, including the skin, transitions into a phase focused on repair and revitalisation. Taking full advantage of your sleep duration – ideally around eight hours – is a simple way to promote the development of healthier and more joyful skin by the time morning arrives.

Given that the skin enters a reparative state during the night, formulas that support and enhance this process, and help skin cells on their way. It’s also the perfect time to counteract the detrimental effects of daily exposure to elements like pollution and sunlight, which contribute to the formation of free radical damage. Plus, it’s also really important to cleanse away the day’s make-up and surface grime, to prevent clogged pores, congestion and irritation.

What is the best evening skincare regime?

Here is a run-down of the key steps that can be adapted based upon your skin’s needs – plus my top product recommendations and how to effectively layer all your skincare before bed.

Remove your makeup and SPF

I’m a big fan of double cleansing. Start your evening skincare routine by removing your makeup (if you wear it), sunscreen, and oil and debris from the day. I recommend a gentle, non-foaming cleanser for this step, such as a cleansing balm or micellar water.

Complete your cleanse

For most people, a gentle cleanser that won’t strip your skin of natural oil and disrupt your skin’s microbiome is an easy go-to. But, sensitive and dry skin types, may benefit more from a hydrating cleanser, while oily and acne-prone skin types can opt for a gentle foaming cleanser.

Top recommendations:

Revision Skincare Gentle Cleansing Lotion: A mild, creamy cleanser that removes make-up, dirt and debris without upsetting the skin’s delicate moisture balance, making it ideal for dry or sensitive skin.

SkinBetter Science Oxygen Facial Wash: A multi-tasking cleanser with slow releasing alpha hydroxy acids and an infusion of oxygen to purify and refresh. Removes makeup, oil build-up and dead surface skin cells.

Revision Skincare Papaya Enzyme Cleanser: The Papaya Enzyme Cleanser leaves skin feeling smooth, refreshed and clean by clearing it of impurities like dead surface skin cells and oil. The Papaya Fruit Extract contains Papain, an enzyme that gently exfoliates for naturally vibrant skin.

Apply your actives

This step is where you can tailor your routine to your skin concerns, whether that’s a serum for hyperpigmentation or a prescription acne product like Tretinoin. For general skin health and age prevention, this is the stage where you’d apply your glycolic acid or retinoid (for example). But don’t mix too many active ingredients.  If you want to use glycolic acid and retinol, use them at opposite ends of the day (but always use retinol in the evening).

Top recommendations:

  • SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream: Retinoids are the hero ingredient for combatting fine lines and wrinkles. It’s an anti-ageing powerhouse that’s responsible for stimulating the fibroblasts to produce more of the skin’s essential proteins, resulting in firmer, smoother-looking skin. AHAs are key as well. Fine lines and wrinkles can look worse due to a build-up of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, but AHAs will exfoliate these away, resulting in wrinkles looking and feeling less deep. The SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream is a unique product that combines both of these ingredients, delivering powerful and restorative anti-ageing effects without irritation. Expect a significant reduction in the appearance of wrinkles in as little as four weeks.
  • Cyspera: If dark spots and pigmentation are a concern, anti-melanin creams like Cyspera, are highly effective for reducing pigmentation marks, and treating melasma, leaving a more even skin complexion in its wake. Its key active ingredient is cysteamine, which is proven to be even more effective than hydroquinone.
  • SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Overnight: This comprehensive treatment contains a generous 10% concentration of Glycolic Acid, created to deliver a true free acid value of 10% in a pH 3.5 formula, which is perfect for overnight use. Due to its low pH, the exfoliating ingredient can work better and remain potent for longer, delivering noticeable improvements in the overall tone and texture of the skin in a matter of weeks. Added Phytic Acid brightens dullness while a specialist Soothing Complex prevents inflammation and supports the skin barrier to minimise dry patches. Over time, skin looks more radiant and youthful.

Nourish your eye area

I’m a big fan of dedicated eye creams and think they’re an important part of any regime. When looking for eye creams, check for formulas that have active ingredients like retinol for anti-ageing and brightening or peptides, which boost hydration and help firm the skin.

Top recommendations:

  • SkinBetter Science EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream: The SkinBetter Science EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream contains a patented combination of a retinoid and an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), in an optimized formulation to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area.
  • Revision DEJ Eye Cream: This innovative eye cream fades the appearance of crow’s feet lines, crepiness and wrinkles by focusing on the skin’s dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ). The DEJ is important to your skin’s structure, allowing this cream to provide noticeable results, improving firmness and smoothness all around the eyes.
  • SkinBetter Science Interfuse Eye Cream: This eye cream is probably the most popular in the clinic, thanks to a special peptide that mimics the effects of anti-wrinkle injections. It’s also loaded with hydrators, vitamin C, and caffeine to reduce puffiness. It also has a proprietary yeast extract which reduces the appearance of dark circles.

Moisturise

Every skin type should end their evening skincare routine with moisturiser, even if your skin is oily or acne prone. Choose a skin barrier–repairing moisturiser to help rejuvenate the health of the skin. Look for ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid which lock in moisture.

Top recommendations:

Revision Skincare DEJ Daily Boosting Serum: This breakthrough serum boosts skin elasticity and strengthens the skin barrier. It’s designed to help protect the skin’s energy source, support the skin’s natural collagen and elastin production, improve the overall appearance of photodamage (including wrinkles, rough texture, and uneven tone), and support the delicate skin barrier.

SkinBetter Science Trio Rebalancing Moisturiser: The Trio Rebalancing Moisture Treatment is a high-performance, triple-action formula that helps to hydrate a compromised barrier and bring moisture back to the skin whilst visibly improving the look of fine lines, wrinkles and skin dryness.

 Meder Beauty Hydra-Fill Deep Hydration Concentrate: The intensely moisturising Hydra-Fill Concentrate has a very strong and instantly noticeable moisturising and filling effect. The scientifically backed formula with prebiotics and probiotics floods the skin with moisture, locking extra water into the deeper layers of your dermis.

If you’d like to discuss the options, or establish what’s right for your skin, click here to enquire or to book a consultation.