Editor’s Pick: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Review

When it comes to choosing anti-aging skin care products that can stave off—or even reduce the appearance of—the early signs of skin aging, we most often look for formulas we use at night that get to work while we’re turning off for the day. One such skin care collection? Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery range. Kiehl’s recently sent us complimentary samples of the Midnight Recovery products to review and we can say confidently we’ll be replenishing our supply once they hit product empty status. Below we share our review of the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery products we tested.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate Review

Recommended For: Mature skin types 

Why We Love It: At Skincare.com, we take our serums and concentrates seriously. This is because serums and concentrates, such as the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, often focus on specific skin care needs and allow for us to completely customize our routines, according to our skin types. If you have mature skin or are looking to prevent the premature signs of skin aging (think: fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin, and more), the Midnight Recovery Concentrate from Kiehl’s may just be the nighttime serum you need in order to target these signs of aging and promote a youthful-looking complexion. This replenishing elixir is formulated with essential oils and distilled botanicals such as evening primrose oil, lavender essential oil, and one of Kiehl’s signature ingredients, squalene. It helps visibly restore the appearance of your skin come morning. After reviewing Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, our editors found that not only did their skin appear replenished with moisture come morning, their complexions appeared more radiant, too. What’s more, we found the actual spa-like act of applying the Midnight Recovery Concentrate was incredibly relaxing before bedtime and has since become a new go-to ritual!

How To Use: Apply 2-3 drops of Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate into the palms of your hands and apply to freshly-cleansed skin. Before massaging it into your skin, ensure that the product is evenly distributed by gently pressing your fingertips into your cheeks, forehead, and chin. Once the product has been applied all over your complexion, use the tips of your fingers to gently massage the product into your skin. When your facial massage is complete, allow the product to soak into your complexion before following up with an anti-aging night cream of your choice. For more on the benefits of facial massage, plus easy to do, at-home facial exercises, check out our guide to facial massage, here.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, $46-$122

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Review

Recommended For: Mature skin types

Why We Love It: At Skincare.com, we can get behind any skin care product that promises to work while we sleep and promotes better-looking skin come morning. So, when Kiehl’s sent over their Midnight Recovery Eye concentrate for us to review, you bet we all called dibs. Formulated with a blend of essential oils, botanicals, and other ingredients such as squalane, lavender essential oil, evening primrose, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and shea butter, the Midnight Recovery Eye concentrate is an anti-aging eye concentrate that focuses on strengthening and replenishing the delicate skin around our eye contour for fresher, younger-looking eyes. In addition, the Midnight Recovery Eye can reduce the appearance of puffiness, dark under-eye circles, fine lines—think: crow’s feet—and more! Our favorite part (aside from all that anti-aging goodness, of course)? The restorative eye concentrate does not contain parabens, silicones, mineral oils, and is fragrance-free.

How To Use: To use Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye concentrate, dispense about two drops of the formula onto your fingertips and apply by gently tapping the skin under your eyes and around the orbital bone. Be careful not to pull your skin while applying, as the skin around your eyes is delicate.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye, $37

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil Review

Recommended For: All skin types

Why We Love It: Whether you have dry skin, oily skin, or a combination of both, oil cleansers such as the Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil from Kiehl’s are a great way to cleanse the complexion and get rid of oil-based dirt and debris from the surface of skin. When it comes to oil cleansers that can cleanse our complexions and promote hydration, Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil is at the top of our list since reviewing! Formulated with an aromatic blend of pure essential oils, such as squalane, lavender essential oil, and evening primrose oil— which is known for being rich in Omega-6 fatty acids—this lightweight all-in-one cleansing formula can gently cleanse the skin and melt away face and eye makeup, excess oil, dirt, sunscreen, and other oil-based impurities from the surface of the skin, leaving the complexion feeling replenished. In addition, it is non-comedogenic—meaning, it won’t clog pores—soap-free, sulfate-free, and mineral-oil free, too! Use it on its own in your nighttime skin care regimen or as the first step in a Korean beauty-inspired double cleanse routine.

How To Use: To use the Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil on its own, simply pump a quarter-size amount of the formula into your hands and apply to dry skin in upward, circular motions. After about 30 seconds, wet your hands with lukewarm water and continue to massage your skin in upward circular motions. This step emulsifies the formula, turning it into a milky substance. After another 30 seconds, rinse your complexion well with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean washcloth or towel. To use the Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil in a Korean beauty-inspired double cleanse routine, apply the oil cleanser to dry skin— just like above— and massage to lift away makeup, sunscreen, excess oil, dirt, and impurities. After about 30 seconds, wet your hands with lukewarm water to emulsify the formula and continue to lift away any debris from skin’s surface. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water and follow up with a water-based cleanser— we share and review one of our favorites, here. After you’ve completed your double cleanser, use a clean washcloth or towel to pat your complexion dry and follow up with Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Midnight Recovery Eye concentrate. 

For more on Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil ($32), check out our full product review here.