Your nighttime skincare routine is the most important one of the day. While you sleep, your skin repairs itself — and the right routine sets it up to do that work as effectively as possible. Here's how to build one that actually works.
Step 1: Double Cleanse
Start with an oil-based cleanser to dissolve makeup and sunscreen, followed by a gentle foaming or gel cleanser to clean the skin itself. Going to bed with any traces of makeup or SPF on your skin clogs pores and prevents proper cell renewal overnight.
Step 2: Tone or Essence
A hydrating toner or essence preps your skin to absorb the products that follow. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, or centella asiatica.
Step 3: Treat
This is where your active ingredients go — retinol, vitamin C, peptides, or whatever your skin needs. Night is the best time for actives because your skin is in repair mode and there's no UV exposure to degrade ingredients like vitamin C.
Step 4: Moisturise
Seal everything in with a rich night cream or facial oil. Nighttime is when you can use heavier, more occlusive formulas that would feel too greasy during the day.
Step 5: Switch to Silk
This is the step most people skip — but it may be the most important. All those products you've just applied? A cotton pillowcase will absorb a significant portion of them overnight. Silk doesn't. Your serums and moisturisers stay on your skin, working all night long.
Think of a silk pillowcase as the final step in your skincare routine — the one that protects everything else you've done.