The Best Night Serums for Every Skin Type

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Our night time rest is vital to our overall health — it helps with muscle recovery, weight management and of course, cognitive and emotional processing. While you rest, your body focuses on repairing itself — and that includes its largest organ, your skin. While cellular repair kicks into gear, it makes sense to boost recovery with skin-supporting night serums and can be a great time to add active ingredients that might not be appropriate during daylight hours. With that in mind, we rounded up our favourite night serums, for every skin type.

Best Night Serums, According to Skin Type

About Time We Met Repair Serum, $85 for 30ml

Skincare brand About Time We Met uses sandalwood as a key ingredient in its all range. This serum is a natural blemish treatment, suitable for all skin types. Its intensive formula sees sandalwood oil and niacinamide combine to soothe skin and reduce the appearance of pigmentation. Witch hazel extract and natural salicylic acid derived from willow bark also work together to reduce the appearance of breakouts.

After one week of use, 100% of participants in a brand-conducted consumer study noticed their skin felt soothed and less irritated. And after four weeks of use, 92% of participants in a consumer study noticed a reduction in the appearance of breakouts. 

Estee Lauder, Advanced Night Repair Serum, $130 for 30ml

This is a product I always come back to and is perfect for when your skin feels sensitised and can’t handle actives like retinol or acids. The power is all in the delivery. The serum uses peptides — what exactly are peptides you ask? They are generally made up of between 2-30 amino acids bound together. Peptides are used because they send signals to skin cells prompting processes that may be sluggish. In Advanced Night Repair’s case, Tripeptide-32 supports the skin’s natural circadian rhythm, meaning it sends signals to the skin to accelerate repair during the night. This is why despite an ingredients list that’s not chockers with actives (mainly hyaluronic acid and antioxidants) the product delivers results. While it says it’s a night serum, AR can be used during the day. The antioxidant properties in the formulation will protect your complexion from external aggressors like pollution. The serum is hydrating and oil-free, making it pretty much perfect for everyone.

Oily Skin: SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defence, $129

SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defence Serum has a 4.6-star rating with 123 reviews at Adore Beauty. I am a devotee of Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum ($233) and Phyto Corrective Gel ($105) –— while their products sit at the pricier end of the spectrum they work.

If you’re experiencing blemishes, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and congestion I would highly recommend Blemish + Age Defence which has an ingredients list that will make blemishes quake in their boots. Glycolic Acid is in there, removing sluggish dead skin while minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. Then Salicylic Acid, the only oil-soluble acid joins the party, getting deep into your pores, breaking down sebum and minimising blackheads and breakouts. Meanwhile 2% Dioic Acid targets pigmentation — so you’ll be less likely to develop those pesky post-inflammatory marks. All these acids put this serum firmly in the “night time only” bucket — but they will make the most of your beauty sleep.

Textured Skin: Sunday Riley, Good Genes Serum, $183

Remember how Cleopatra took sour milk baths to brighten her skin? That glamorous but time-consuming activity has been replaced by lactic acid serums like Sunday Riley’s Good Genes. Good Genes packs a whopping 40% Lactic Acid. Of all the acids lactic acid has the largest molecular structure. Compared to an acid like glycolic, lactic acid sits on the surface of the skin and is tolerated better by people with sensitivities and can be used more regularly. This creant serum provides INSTANT results. You will wake up with a calmer, smoother complexion. Liquorice is included in the formula to brighten pigmentation, coupled with soothing arnica. Good Genes is also a perfect pre-event pick me up. A frequently used backstage hack is mixing Sunday Riley’s Ceramic Slip Cleanser ($52.00) with Good Genes for a plumping and detoxifying 10-minute mask.

For anti-ageing: Retinol!

Retinols are such a varied category I took recommendations from the team. Lyndsey, our Entertainment Editor — who has one of the best complexions I’ve seen in my life — loves The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane ($12.20). Another hotly recommended range is the Medik8 Crystal Retinal suite (which provides a graded program for retinal newbies. Commencing at Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1 ($75.50) the range moves up to Medik8 Crystal Retinal 10 ($153.60).  Medik8 developed Retinal as to be closer to retinoic acid – traditional retinol is converted by the body into retinaldehyde and then Retinoic Acid. Because Retinal requires only one conversion, it is active at lower strengths.

Final mention? If you have younger skin like our similarly flawlessly complected Entertainment Producer Basmah, her pick Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil ($82.00-$157.00) might be your friend. Formulated with trans-retinol ester, blue tansy, German chamomile and avocado oil the product provides the regenerative benefits of gentle retinol without side effects like drying or over stripping. You can apply this oil directly, or layer it over your night cream or serum.