In This Story:
Despite putting in ample effort during the day, if your skin still feels far from fabulous, perhaps it’s time to jump onto a nighttime skincare routine.
Now, we all know one should never sleep with makeup on, as our skin needs time to recover from the stress of the day. Your skin’s restoration process peaks at night; our skin repairs the DNA damage suffered during the day due to the sun, dust, dirt, and grime, at night.
Once the sun’s down, our body’s asleep, and environmental stressors are at bay, our skin restores itself to generate new cells, circulates blood flow, reduces inflammation, and gives our epidermis the rest it deserves to #WakeUpToHealthySkin.
Let’s take a look at why our skin needs a nighttime routine and how to build one, whether you are just starting out or are an advanced beauty maven. While you may have a CSMS routine in place for the day, a nighttime skincare routine demands advanced care.
Why Is A Nighttime Skincare Routine Important?
Following a structured skincare routine before you hit the hay is crucial for multiple reasons; let’s address them so we leave no stones unturned.
-
Environmental & Physical Stressors
During the day, our skin comes in contact with harmful UV rays from the sun, dust, and other pollutants that can take a toll on the skin. These stressors lead to an increased risk of fine lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness, hyperpigmentation, as well as other skin concerns.
-
Best Time For Restoration
Your skin's natural repair and renewal mechanisms are most active during the night. While you sleep, the skin's blood flow increases, allowing it to absorb nutrients and oxygen more efficiently.
-
More Stable Skin Cells
While you sleep, your skin is in a relatively stable condition. This means it’s less prone to external factors that can disrupt the efficacy of your skincare products, such as sweating, touch, or exposure to sun and pollution.
-
Moisture Loss Prevention
The skin loses moisture at nighttime, and the regular use of a good nighttime moisturiser enriched with ceramides can help lock in hydration, preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL), which can lead to dryness and dehydration.
-
Lack Of Direct Sunlight
The absence of direct sunlight during nighttime reduces the risk of UV damage. This makes the evening an ideal time to use night-specific products such as retinoids and exfoliants which may increase photosensitivity without the threat of UV radiation.
-
Slows Down Premature Ageing
Between the ages of 25 and 30, we begin to lose 1% of collagen annually. This process accelerates after the age of 40. Without proper care, your skin may age faster. The lack of moisture and nutrients can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness.
Night Skincare Routine - For Beginners
If you are just starting out, you might get overwhelmed with the flurry of skincare products on the market. So, to get a head start, begin with a simple night routine designed for beginners. Just as your morning CSMS routine, the night routine kicks off with a cleanser, only leaving out the last step of sun protection. For obvious reasons, we can skip sunscreen and swap it with two night-appropriate steps – under-eye and lip care. Since we are asleep, we won’t be straining our eyes or lips, making nighttime perfect for repair.
If you want to uncomplicate your night routine, just remember this and you will be good to go:
Cleanse > Repair > Hydrate
Cleanse
Cleanser
Start with a water-based cleanser that acts as a makeup remover and a face wash. A hydrating cleanser will easily eliminate dirt and impurities while adding ample moisture that your skin will need over the course of the night. A moisture-lock technology will replenish lost hydration and seal excess moisture so you wake up with healthy skin.
Nykaa Recommends: Foxtale The Daily Duet Gentle Cleanser Hydrating Face Wash
Repair
Serum
As you enter your 20s, not only are you losing collagen, but the pace of collagen production begins slowing down. This means you need a formulation that boosts collagen production, increases cell regeneration, and repairs signs of ageing and damage. The perfect ingredient for all these concerns is retinol. Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A that is most active at night, in the absence of direct sunlight. It exfoliates the skin, gets absorbed into your epidermis, and improves skin recovery.
Nykaa Recommends: Neutrogena Visible Repair Anti-Ageing Retinol + Peptide Night Face Serum
Under Eye Serum
The skin under your eyes is extremely delicate and undergoes damage when exposed to the sun, pollutants, impurities, makeup, lack of sleep, stress, and constant rubbing and touching. You need a potent serum that reduces pigmentation, inflammation, puffiness, sunkenness, and loose skin. Gyloclic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin C are the perfect trifecta to repair, hydrate, and boost the glow in your under eye region.
Nykaa Recommends: L'Oreal Paris Glycolic Bright Dark Circle Eye Serum
Lip Treatment
At night, when you are not licking, biting, or pulling your lips, the skin on the lips gets time to reset and restore all the moisture loss and damage it suffers during the day. Our lips don’t have any hair, oil, or sweat glands and hence, they can get dry, cracked, and damaged if we don’t hydrate them overnight.
Nykaa Recommends: Minimalist 8% L-Ascorbic Acid Lip Treatment Balm
Hydrate
Moisturiser
You need a potent night cream that’s laden with retinol and niacinamide for hydration and repair. One that can restore moisture for up to 12 hours and calm the skin, keeping irritation and inflammation at bay. Supplement the moisture your skin loses during the night with a glow-boosting night cream, so you can wake up to plumper, more youthful skin.
Nykaa Recommends: Olay Retinol 24 Night Cream
Night Skincare Routine - Advanced
If you are a veteran skincare enthusiast, we don’t need to tell you about the importance of healing your skin at night. So, here are a few additional steps in your advanced nighttime skincare routine, if you are ready to invest in your skin for the long haul.
Cleanse
Makeup Removing Cleanser
Heavy-duty makeup calls for double cleansing. If you want Korean-inspired glass skin, you need to begin double cleansing. Start with an oil-based cleanser or a makeup remover to emulsify the makeup and unclog the pores.
Nykaa Recommends: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water For Sensitive Skin
Gentle Cleanser
Once you have cleansed your skin with an oil-based cleanser, a cleansing balm, or a makeup remover, it’s time to wash off the emulsion with a gentle water-based or foaming cleanser. A gentle cleanser with niacinamide, glycerin, and panthenol will preserve the skin’s barrier, retain moisture, and make your skin feel soft, smooth, and squeaky clean.
Nykaa Recommends: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Repair
Toner
If you have enlarged pores that need tightening, a toner has got to be your go-to solution. Toners regulate your skin’s pH levels and also soothe and revive the skin. It can also double as a face mist for that extra dose of hydration.
Nykaa Recommends: Kama Ayurveda Pure Rose Water Toner
Serum
Continue your streak of hydration, but this time with the power of tripeptide-32, a wonder ingredient that helps hydrate, radiate, tone, strengthen, firm, anti-oxidate, and wrinkle-repair. Proven to be effective for Indian skin, this serum will improve skin health and elasticity by a mile.
Nykaa Recommends: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum
Gua Sha
With age, our skin starts to droop and sag, which can makes us look older, sooner. Give your skin a natural lift with this one tool – a gua sha. A gua sha, when used correctly, can drain the skin of any tension or build-up. It reduces puffiness and inflammation, and with constant use, it can sculpt your face for a chiselled look. When you use a gua sha tool at night, it can help you sleep better!
Nykaa Recommends: Nykaa Naturals Gua Sha Stone - Green Jade
Eye Cream
With your eyes getting the rest they deserve at night, an eye cream is the perfect solution to de-puff and de-stress. Reduce puffiness, sun damage, sunken eyes, and pigmentation with the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum, made with 10% ginseng, 2% vitamin A, retinal, glycerin, niacinamide, and cholesterol. This serum moisturises, revives, and rejuvenates the under eye skin.
Nykaa Recommends: Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum
Lip Care
The Ordinary’s squalane and amino acids lip balm is literally every concert girlie’s favourite lip product, given the long-lasting hydration and nourishment it delivers. The lip balm does wonders for your lips when applied at night, when physical and environmental stressors aren’t hindering the natural healing process.
Nykaa Recommends: The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm
Hydrate
Night Moisturiser
With supercharged ingredients such as bionymph peptide complex, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins C and E, this moisturiser diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and improves the look and feel of your skin, maximising smoothness, moisturising the skin’s outer layers, and visibly brightening and evening skin tone.
Nykaa Recommends: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream
Sleep Mask
The final product in your advanced night routine has to be a sleep mask that helps illuminate the skin while you snooze. This face mask is made of lotus flower, Kakadu plum, pineapple, pumpkin oil, and blood orange, all of which are super ingredients that help recover your radiance while hyaluronic acid retains moisture and nourishment.
Nykaa Recommends: Dot & Key Glow C Sleep Mask Vitamin C Overnight Radiance Recovery
Key Takeaway
Indulging in a separate skincare routine at night has multiple benefits, but most importantly, it helps you restore, repair, and rejuvenate at night when your skin’s healing capabilities are at their peak. If you are a beginner, focus on damage control, and if you are a skincare enthusiast, focus on repair and maintenance with a more elaborate routine that will bring back your youthful glow.
Cleanse, repair, and hydrate to wake up to healthy skin!
FAQs
-
What is the importance of a nighttime skincare routine?
Your skin undergoes damage during the day due to the sun, dust, dirt, and other impurities. At night, your skin cells are more stable, making them less volatile and better suited for products to adequately absorb.
-
What is the difference between a daytime and nighttime routine?
A daytime skincare routine focuses on preparing and protecting your skin for the day, while a nighttime routine focuses on cleansing, repairing, and hydrating. There are certain ingredients such as retinol, peptides, ceramides, and glycolic acid that work better at night, in the absence of direct sunlight.
-
Should I do my nighttime skincare routine every night?
Ideally yes; when you maintain consistency, your skin becomes more susceptible to adapting to the products to offer better results.
-
What nighttime routine should I follow as a beginner?
As a beginner, you don’t need to indulge in an elaborate routine. Simply focus on waking up to healthy skin by following these 3 steps:
- Cleanse
- Repair
- Hydrate
-
How to build the perfect nighttime routine?
Wake up to healthy skin with our ultimate nighttime routine.
- Makeup Remover or Oil-Based Cleanser
- Gentle, Water-Based Cleanser
- Toner
- Serum
- Moisturiser
- Eye Cream
- Lip Repair
- Sleep Mask
- Gua Sha
