Night care products
If you want to keep your skin beautiful and healthy in the long run, you cannot do without careful skin care. It is mainly divided into two areas: day care and night care. The formulations for day care products are completely different from those for night care products. This is not a clever marketing strategy, but scientifically sound and of great importance. After all, our skin has completely different needs at night than during the day.
This is why night care products differ from day care products.
Our body uses our sleep at night to regenerate. This is true not only for muscles, bones, and brain, but also for the skin. To support the skin’s natural regeneration process, there are night care products. They contain special active ingredients that boost the repair mechanism and are usually much richer than the rather light day care products. And that’s a good thing, because when a person sleeps, the regenerating ingredients have enough time to unfold their effect optimally.
The optimal care ritual before night: It’s all about the right products
The most important basic rule before going to bed: wash off thoroughly during the day. This means that sweat, dirt and make-up residues must be carefully removed. If the pores are clogged, even the best night care products won’t do any good. Dermatologists also warn against fine dust particles remaining on the skin: the tiny particles penetrate the pores and promote the formation of free radicals there, which in turn leads to a breakdown of collagen. The result: the skin loses elasticity and looks tired. And finally, clogged pores promote impurities such as pimples and blackheads. Therefore, night care products for cleansing should not be missing in any bathroom. This can be a cleansing milk or a mild washing gel, but also micellar water or a washing foam. Tonic is very suitable for impure skin.
After cleansing, the actual night care products follow. They must always be adapted to the individual skin type. In principle, you should never refrain from applying cream, because this way the skin replenishes moisture that was removed during cleansing. In addition, certain ingredients are particularly suitable for night care products: the anti-ageing ingredient retinol, for example, which is also known as vitamin A. It has a photosensitising effect, so that the skin is more sensitive to sunlight and can react to too much UV radiation with blistering and redness.
Oily and impure skin needs night care products that are as light as possible. They balance sebum production overnight and refine the pores.
Sensitive and delicate skin, on the other hand, needs soothing night care products. Here, for example, soothing thermal water is recommended, which helps against irritation and suppresses an unpleasant feeling of heat.
For very dry skin, it is important that the night care products provide long-lasting moisture overnight.
Water-in-oil formulations form a rich protective film on the skin, because here water droplets are enveloped by nourishing oils, which means that the proportion of oils and fats is particularly high. Appropriate night care products are therefore particularly suitable for dry skin types.
If the first wrinkles are already visible, night care products with a retinol content are recommended. The substance is a real anti-aging booster and contributes to a reduced wrinkle depth as well as improved skin elasticity.
Normal and unproblematic skin tolerates all night care products in principle. A rich night cream with vitamin E, a valuable antioxidant that protects the skin cells, and vitamin C optimally nourishes the complexion during the night.
Which night care products are available?
The classic is the night cream. It is best patted gently into the skin. Vitamins, enzymes, and minerals reduce UVB-induced damage and promote the skin’s own repair process. This allows the skin to effectively repair cell damage and plump itself up again.
For the sensitive eye area, a special oil-free eye night care is recommended. It moisturises the eye area and reduces small crow’s feet.
Facial oils smooth wrinkles caused by dryness and are particularly useful in winter, when the skin is stressed by cold and dry heating air. They contain antioxidants and can strengthen the moisture barrier.
If you want to pamper your skin, treat it to an overnight mask once a week. It is even more effective than classic night care products because the ingredients are more concentrated. There are masks that do not need to be washed off and can therefore work optimally overnight.
Night care for men
Since men’s skin is usually more robust and thicker than women’s skin, men should use special night care products. They are perfectly adapted to the needs of men’s skin, prevent signs of ageing, supply the skin with nutrients and stimulate the blood circulation without unnecessarily stimulating the skin.
Ingredients profiles for night care products
Vitamin A/Retinol
INCI: Retinol
CAS number: 68-26-8
Effect: normalises skin functions, prevents DNA damage in skin cells, contributes to healthy cell division of keratinocytes in the epidermis, repairs skin damage, has skin-softening, smoothing and thickening properties, can reduce the depth of wrinkles, anti-ageing active ingredient, helps against acne
Use in night care products for: dry, mature, and flaky skin
Vitamin C
INCI: L-ascorbic acid
CAS number: 50-81-7
Effect: improves the natural skin healing process, protects against environmental stress and irritation as an antioxidant, reduces redness, repairs skin damage
Use in night care: for all skin types
Vitamin E
INCI: tocopherol
CAS number: 54-28-4
Effect: protects against free radicals, supports the regeneration of the skin, improves the surface structure, increases the moisture-binding capacity of the skin, prevents premature skin ageing
Ceramides
Different types of ceramides: Ceramides 1 (EOS), Ceramides 2 (NS), Ceramides 3 (NP), Ceramides 4 (EOH), Ceramides 5 (AS), Ceramides 6 (AP), Ceramides 7 (AH), Ceramides 8 (NH), Ceramides 9 (EOP)
Definition: Lipids that occur in the skin and make up about 50 percent of the skin’s composition.
Effect: Ceramides in night care products improve the moisture supply and strengthen the skin barrier.
Hyaluronic Acid
INCI: Hyaluronic Acid
CAS number: 9004-61-9
Effect: has the ability to bind very large amounts of water, forms an invisible air-permeable film, protects the skin from drying out.
Vitamin B3
INCI: Niacinamide
CAS number: 98-92-0
Effect: Strengthens the skin barrier, improves the appearance of fine wrinkles and lines, reduces hyperpigmentation, sebum regulation
Sophisticated night care products at Cosmacon
Under no circumstances should “just any” cream be used for night care, because the skin needs support during regeneration at night. Cosmacon is happy to develop high-quality night care products for every skin type for you.
Literature:
Farris P, Zeichner J, Berson D.J Drugs Dermatol. 2016 Jul 1;15(7):863-8.
Draelos ZD, Donald A.J Drugs Dermatol. 2018 Jun 1;17(6):671-676.