We all know {sleep} is essential to your health. Those hours spent in the land of nod help your body to rest and recover; they’re essential to {de-stressing} and boosting your mental {wellbeing} too. But banking those eight hours each night could also be the secret to your best skin yet, thanks to the emergence of a new trend that’s caught Team Cult Beauty’s eye: overnight beauty.
Yep, this new slate of {skin care} superstars are specifically designed to work their magic while you catch some Z’s — sounds appealing, right? Our favourites tend to fall into two camps: on one side, you’ve got The Hard Workers, the active-packed treatments that are all about regeneration and skin renewal, so that you can wake up with a glow. On the other side, there’s The Recoverers, the ultra-hydrating, ceramide-packed barrier rebuilders that are all about giving your skin the TLC it deserves.
Both most certainly have their place in your routine, and in fact, we would recommend a healthy balance of the two for optimum overnight goodness. Here’s some of our favourites to help you get started — all that’s left for you to do is put on your PJs, climb under the covers and let your products get to work…
The Hard Workers
Part of {Pacifica’s} aptly named Wake Up Beautiful Collection, the {Wake Up Beautiful Overnight Retinoid Cream} is a light-as-a-feather-filled-pillow night cream that offers a serious punch of hydration. Granactive retinoid — a less irritating alternative to other retinoid derivatives — is the real star here, as it works to stimulate your skin’s collagen and elastin production, adding a healthy dose of radiance and reducing the appearance of fine lines. It can also help to unclog pores of all the dirt, debris and dead skin cells that can cause breakouts.
Powerful by name and by nature, the {Beauty Sleep Power Peel} by {Alpha-H} combines a cocktail of actives that mean serious business when it comes to exfoliating, resurfacing and repairing your skin while you snooze. A high concentration of AHA glycolic acid (14%, to be precise) gently sloughs away dead skin cells, revealing radiance and stopping pesky pimples in their tracks, while 0.5% retinol supports in the rejuvenation of your complexion for a plumped up finish. Our tip? Start slow with this one; the increased levels of active ingredients offer impressive results, but also have the potential for irritation or a compromised skin barrier. Start with once a week, before working up to twice a week if your skin is playing ball.
A double act to rival even the best evening entertainers (Ant and Dec, we’re looking at you), {Youth To The People’s} {ZZZ-Ya, Dullness} set combines a pair of glow-givers that will work hard to reveal the brightest, most radiant version of you come morning. The Kombucha Power Toner unites a host of powerhouse acids and prebiotic ferments — including 8% lactic acid and 3% glycolic acid — to smooth unwanted texture and reduce the appearance of pores, while the Superberry Dream Mask delivers a radiance boost with a medley of super fruit berries, plumping hyaluronic acid and brightening vitamin C. We promise you’ll wake with skin as juicy and hydrated as the morning dew.
