How to Create the Ultimate Nighttime Skincare Routine

Beauty sleep is a real thing: If you had to pick the perfect time to go all-in on self care, it should be during your night skincare routine. Your skin has different needs during the day and night, and what you put on your face before your head hits the pillow can make a huge difference in boosting your glow and the overall health of your skin. 

During the day, your skin is busy shielding itself from sunlight, blue light, and pollution. This means your morning routine should be all about protection. When you go to sleep at the end of the day, your skin has time to really get to work. “Think of the evening as a time of hydration and repair,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D. 

You may have heard about circadian rhythms, which tell your body when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. “Your skin has a circadian rhythm too, which determines the specific activities that occur within your skin depending on the time of the day,” says Dr. Zeichner. At night, these rhythms are focused on repair and renewal. “Skin cell turnover peaks overnight, so it makes sense to apply products that enhance this and stimulate collagen,” he says. 

Your skin also has specific needs as it works on overnight repair—like extra hydration to compensate for moisture loss. “At night, you get vasodilation, which means that your veins get bigger and the blood flow to your skin increases, so you might secrete more oil and sweat at night,” says dermatologist Anna Guanche, M.D. 

What does this all mean for you? We asked both derms to break down the best way to tailor your night skincare routine, no matter your skin type. Read on for their expert-approved tips.

1. Always remove your makeup before going to bed.  Your skin comes into contact with a lot of pollutants and grime throughout the day, which can cause irritation, clogged pores, and breakouts when you don’t wash your face. This is even more important if you’re wearing makeup and (hopefully) a layer of SPF. Our Milk Hydro Ungrip Makeup Remover + Cleansing Water lifts off lighter makeup, dirt, and impurities. The formula pairs micellar technology with blue agave extract to cleanse your skin like a super magnet and leave your face feeling soft, fresh, and bouncy. 2. Double cleanse for a totally clean complexion. If you’re wearing heavier makeup, double cleansing is the ideal way to reset your skin for the rest of your nighttime routine. We recommend melting away makeup and SPF with our Hydro Ungrip Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm, which will even get waterproof mascara off.   Once you’ve done your first round of cleansing, go back in with a gentle daily cleanser to make sure your complexion is totally clean. Our Vegan Milk Cleanser adds lots of nourishing and hydrating ingredients to the second step of your double cleanse so your skin doesn’t feel dry and tight.

3. Add topical melatonin to your night skincare routine.

You might already use melatonin in your nighttime routine to help you fall asleep, but it doesn’t just come in gummy form. This ingredient is both a hormone that your body naturally produces to help you feel sleepy and an antioxidant that helps to repair and brighten your skin.

"Bedtime is the best time to use [topical melatonin] because it will get absorbed into your system,” says Dr. Guanche. Try incorporating Melatonin Overnight Serum (our best nighttime serum) and Melatonin Overnight Lip Mask (our best overnight lip mask) into your evening routine. These hydrating products feature topical melatonin to help your skin and lips look rejuvenated as you snooze.

4. Boost skin repair and renewal with retinol.

Derms will often tell you that retinol is the holy grail of skincare. “Retinol actually goes in and changes the way your cells divide,” says Dr. Guanche. “It also regulates epidermal proliferation.” This means it can actively help renew your skin and build collagen overnight so you wake up with fresher, healthier, clearer skin.

Retinol can cause dryness and irritation on some skin types, so start by using it just once a week and gradually build up to every day. If you’re using any retinol products in your skincare routine, make sure to only incorporate them at night, since this ingredient can cause heightened sensitivity to sunlight. (Also make sure to regularly apply sunscreen during the day.)

5. Add extra hydration overnight.

The later it gets in the day, the more hydration your skin needs.

“Skin hydration levels typically start to decrease in the afternoon, into the evening,” says Dr. Zeichner. “This is why it’s important to apply moisturizer at night.” Dr. Guanche suggests using a thicker or more nourishing moisturizer before bed to help seal in moisture and active ingredients. Try our Vegan Milk Moisturizer, which has a lightweight but super hydrating formula that’s suitable for all skin types. We formulated it with nourishing plant-based milks and hyaluronic acid for plumper-looking, soothed skin. 

“I love hyaluronic acid because it’s hydrating but not oily,” says Dr. Guanche. “Even if you're acne-prone, your skin can look really plump without clogging your pores.”

6. Tailor your night skincare routine to your skin type. 

Tweaking your night skincare routine based on your skin type can take it to the next level. Here’s what derms recommend for every skin type:

Meet the Experts 

Joshua Zeichner, M.D. (he/him) is the Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology and an Associate Professor of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY. He is an award-winning leader in treating acne and rosacea and focuses his work on cosmeceuticals, skin care, and cosmetic dermatology.

Anna Guanche, M.D. (she/her) is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon specializing in cosmetic procedures. Her practice is Bella Skin Institute in Calabasas, CA, where she cares for all types of skin conditions with a special emphasis in the areas of cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery.