Night Cream For Every Skin Type

Moisturizing is crucial in a good skincare routine. Whether your skin is oily, dry, acne-prone, aging, or a combination, lack of moisture will result in wrinkles, dullness, and even oiliness. 

So there are two kinds of "moisturizers" : humectants and emollients

Humectants bind water to the skin cells. A very common humectants is glycerin, and the most popular one in the skincare world right now is hyaluronic acid (listed as Sodium Hyaluronate in the ingredients). Hyaluronic acid can be injected into the skin to "fill" lips or wrinkles (fillers). This ingredient has a similar plumping affect when applied to the skin topically, since it holds a lot of water and brings natural radiance to dry, dull skin.

Emollients smooth out dry skin cells and help repair and protect. These ingredients often appear as plant oils, providing a somewhat "occlusive" barrier that will trap in moisture and block out bacteria, allowing the skin to stay soft despite the harsh environment.

The best creams or lotions include both humectants and emollients to help maintain and improve the skin's look and feel over time.

Read on to see my 4 favourite nighttime moisturizers, and why each one works great for specific skin types.

The Repairwear Sculpting Night Cream from Clinique came as a complete surprise, since I really underestimated its moisturizing capabilities. This is a true gel-cream that feels thin and light when you scoop it out, but goes on thick and almost oily. It's perfect for my combination skin since it doesn't congest my T-zone and it hydrates my dry cheeks. This might not have enough moisture for dry skin, but it's a fantastic product for normal to oily. My skin always looks fresh, clear and really bouncy after using this night cream.



Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Yellow Tea) Leaf Extract, Betula Alba (Birch) Bark Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Extract, Coleus Barbatus Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Centella Asiatica (Hydrocotyl) Extract, Adenosine Phosphate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Creatine, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Sigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul's Wort) Extract, Jojoba Esters, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein, Decarboxy Carnosine HCL, Dimethicone, Acetyl Carnitine HCL, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholestrol, Whey Protein/ Protéine du Petit-Lait, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Caffeine, Sea Whip Extract, Linolenic Acid, Phytantriol, Sodium RNA, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Yeast Extract, PEG-150, Tetrahexydecyl Ascorbate, Polyquaternium-51, Potassium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Socium Hexametaphosphate, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol





I am SO happy that Joe Fresh came out with a skincare line, and I'm even happier now that I love it. Their Replenish Night Cream is under $20 and is packed with great ingredients: aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and a bunch of plant oils. It's ideal for normal to dry skin since the formula is quite oily and it can leave combo skin feeling congested if too much is applied. I always use this in the winter, or on particularly dry patches. Look for the line at Loblaws stores.



Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Peg-150 Sterate, Steareth-20, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Sterate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (and) Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Cyclopentasiloxane, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (and) Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Tocopherol. 

This AHA Cream is my favourite Miracle 10 product ever. It's a lightweight moisturizer packed with one of the best Alpha Hydroxy Acids for sensitive, acne-prone skin: Lactic Acid. The professional face peel I had done at the Miracle 10 Clinic a few months back (link) used a high dose of lactic acid to almost dissolve the top layer of dead skin cells on my face, resulting in a more even, radiant and clear complexion. And it worked. I usually mix this cream with a tiny bit of my Hyaluronic Gel (featured next) since it can leave my skin feeling a bit dry when applied alone. I would 100% repurchase this cream once it runs out.



Ingredients: Aqua, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Glycerin, Lactic acid, Cetearyl alcohol, Sodium lactate, Glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic acid, C12-15 Alkyl benzoate, Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, Tocopheryl acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) oil, Dipentaerythrityl hexacaprylate/hexacaprate, Tridecyl trimellitate, Tridecyl stearate, Neopentyl glycol dicaprate/dicaprylate, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Ceteareth-20, Dimethicone, Xanthan gum, Disodium EDTA, Ammonium lactate, Arginine, Cholesterol.

The Hyaluronic Acid Night Gel is an amazing "booster" to any moisturizer that needs a little oomph. The ingredient itself isn't expensive, so don't be fooled into spending $50 on a simple moisturizer with Sodium Hyaluronate, unless it has added benefits like the two pricer options listed above.



Ingredients: Purified water, sorbitol, hyaluronic acid, carbomer 940, glycogen, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and citric acid.

Hyaluronic acid (if you couldn't tell already) is a fab ingredient. Not only does it visibly plump up your skin, but it also helps skin cells replicate and repair themselves. It's a naturally present compound in our body and skin, which tends to deflate and lose it's high water content as we age.

In skin conditions where water is evaporating too quickly from the skin cells (eczema) topical treatments including hyaluronic acid will be prescribed to help treat the dry, damaged skin. It is also a fantastic ingredient to look for if you're trying to heal a minor burn. Just make sure that the product you're using isn't fragranced or irritating, since that will make everything worse.

I encountered a funny situation with this particular product - one night I left the jar open and the gel significantly deflated. Looking at the ingredient list, I realized that I could add a bit more purified water (I used Avène Thermal Water) to rehydrate it. Knowing that Hyaluronic Acid particles can absorb 1000x their weight in water, the gel absorbed it within seconds and was plumped back up to it's thin consistency. Love this stuff.

xx