Soothe your skin (and your soul) with this pre-sleep regime
There's a specific kind of relief that arrives with September: the nights start drawing in, the fake tan gets swapped for a jumper, and suddenly a nine o'clock bedtime doesn't sound so unreasonable. Call it the autumn reset. After a summer of festivals, holidays and falling asleep with your makeup still on (we've all been there), your skin, and your nervous system, are ready to slow down.
A good pre-sleep regime isn't just about the last step of your skincare routine, though. It's the 15 minutes before that, to, the ritual of dimming the lights, putting your phone in another room and giving yourself permission to properly stop for the day. Skin repairs itself while you sleep, so the products you apply beforehand are working the night shift, but so is your mood, and there's nothing like a considered, cosy routine to signal to your whole self that it's time to rest.
If you want the full science bit on why nighttime skincare works so hard, our Ultimate Guide To Nighttime Skin Care is worth a read. Otherwise, here's how we're building our regime for the season ahead.
What is a pre-sleep regime?
A pre-sleep regime (or bedtime routine) is the string of habits and skincare steps you work through in the last hour or so before bed, designed to help skin repair overnight and to signal to your body that it's time to switch off. It's not only about the products, either. Lighting, screen time and how you wind down all play a part, since sleep quality is shaped by more than a good night cream.
Skin does a lot of its repair work while you sleep: cell turnover increases, blood flow to the skin rises, and the skin barrier becomes more receptive to active ingredients, which is why night tends to be the best time for treatments like retinal or an overnight mask. A well-built regime also tends to include a few non-skincare habits, dim lighting, a phone left in another room, a pillow mist or bath oil, that support the body's natural wind-down process.
Typically, a pre-sleep regime covers:
- Setting the environment (dim lighting, screens away, a calming scent)
- Cleansing to remove the day's makeup, SPF and grime
- Treating with any serums or actives
- Caring for the eye and lip area
- Locking in moisture with a night cream or facial oil
- A wind-down ritual for the mind, such as a bath, reading or a magnesium supplement
The ultimate pre-sleep regime step by step
Step 1: Set the Scene
Before a single product touches your face, your environment deserves some attention. A pre-sleep regime that starts and ends at your bathroom sink is only half the job; the other half is the bed you're climbing into.
A few spritzes of the Restful Pillow Mist, from ESPA, over your pillow is a small habit that does a lot of heavy lifting. Cradling you in a fusion of soporific grace of lavender, clary sage, and bergamot, this pillow spray will help to reduce cortisol levels. Sleep, like most things, responds well to consistency.
Then there's what you're actually resting your head on. Swapping a cotton pillowcase for the Slip Pure Silk Queen Pillowcase, from Slip, means less friction on your face and hair overnight, so you wake up without the crease marks or the "why does my fringe look like that" moment. It's the kind of upgrade that feels indulgent but is really just common sense once you've tried it. Our full sleep and wellbeing edit has more for anyone looking to build out their bedroom ritual further.
Step 2. Cleanse Away the Day
Whatever your evening's involved, cleansing properly is non-negotiable. Sleeping in makeup, SPF and a day's worth of London (or wherever you've been) air is one of the fastest ways to wake up with skin that looks tired before you've even opened your eyes.
The ELEMIS Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm has earned its cult status for a reason. Massaged in dry, it melts away even stubborn makeup, then emulsifies with water into a milky rinse that leaves skin feeling soft rather than stripped. Think of it as the equivalent of taking your bra off the second you get home: an immediate, physical exhale.
£52.00
Step 3: Treat, Then Rest
This is where the real overnight repair work happens, so it's worth not rushing it. Skin's natural renewal process ramps up while you sleep, which makes nighttime the ideal window for the ingredients that need a bit more patience during the day.
A few nights a week, the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Serum is our pick for skin-smoothing, texture-refining results without the guesswork; the brand's encapsulated retinal technology is designed to be more tolerable than traditional retinol, so you can build up gradually. On the nights you want something a little more indulgent than corrective, reach for the Fresh Black Tea Peptide Firming Overnight Mask. The brand's potent Black Tea Complex with the added addition of elasticity peptides works away while you sleep, so skin looks firmer and more awake by morning, which feels like cheating in the best way. Our full night treatments edit and overnight masks are both worth a browse if you want to build out a rotation.
£36.00
£34.00
Step 4: Give Your Eyes and Lips Some Love
The eyes and lips tend to get forgotten in a rushed routine, but they're often the first places that show a summer of long days and short sleep.
The Summer Fridays Jet Lag Overnight Eye Serum does exactly what the name promises. A cooling metal applicator helps depuff on contact, while peptides and squalane work through the night so the eye area looks more rested by morning, regardless of how the actual sleep went. For lips, the LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask in Berry is a five-minute habit worth building. Vitamin C and antioxidants get to work overnight, so lips feel noticeably softer by the time you reach for your coffee.
£46.00
£21.00
Step 5: Lock In the Moisture
Once everything else has had a moment to absorb, moisture is what seals the deal, particularly as the air turns colder and drier outside (and the central heating clicks back on indoors).
We're fans of the Youth To The People Adaptogen Moisture Cream for this step. This rich, non-comedogenic cream with added peptides is perfect for sensitive and dry skin, providing 24-hour hydration. If your skin's asking for something richer as the temperature drops further, a heavier-duty option is worth graduating to.
£54.00
Step 6: Calm the Mind Before You Close Your Eyes
Soothed skin and a busy mind don't tend to mix well, so the final step of any good pre-sleep regime happens away from the mirror entirely.
A warm bath with a few capfuls of the Aromatherapy Associates Relax Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil is one of the simplest ways to draw a line under the day. Vetivert, chamomile and sandalwood essential oils turn a quick shower into something closer to a ritual, and the brand's cult following will tell you it's worth the extra 10 minutes. For anyone whose mind tends to race once the lights go off, The Nue Co. Magnesium Ease is a supplement worth having on your bedside table; magnesium is well known for supporting a sense of calm before bed, and this blend adds L-theanine into the mix too.
£45.00
£45.00
FAQs About Building a Pre-Sleep Regime
What order should you apply your skincare at night?
As a general rule, go from thinnest to thickest texture so make sure you cleanse first, then treat with any serums or actives, then follow with eye and lip care, before finishing with a moisturiser or facial oil to lock everything in. Overnight masks are usually applied as your final step, in place of (or occasionally on top of) a regular moisturiser.
Does a bedtime routine actually help you sleep better?
A consistent wind-down routine helps signal to your body that it's time to rest, which can make falling asleep easier over time. Small, repeatable habits, such as a pillow mist, a bath oil or a set skincare order, work by creating a sense of predictability that a busy mind tends to respond well to.
Do I need a separate night cream to my day moisturiser?
Not necessarily, though it's worth considering. Night formulas are often richer and typically leave out SPF, and some contain active ingredients (like retinal) that are best used away from daylight. If you prefer to keep things simple, a good lightweight moisture cream can usually be used morning and night.
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
