The Difference Between Night Creams and Night Masks

A well-rounded evening skin routine should always start with a solid cleanser to rid the skin’s surface of the dirt and impurities lingering from the day. It’s simple: Skin that’s bogged down with grime has a tougher time repairing itself overnight, putting our coveted beauty sleep in serious jeopardy. Thus, daily cleansing is certainly a concept we can fully get behind—no questions asked. Where things can get a little foggy is moisturizing at night. There are night masks—also referred to as leave-on masks and sleeping masks/packs—and then there are night creams. Both offer hydrating benefits, but which one is better for you to use? And more importantly, what’s the difference? To find out, keep reading!

NIGHT CREAM

Since skin does the bulk of its repairing and regenerating while we snooze, night creams are generally formulated to help tackle a wide bevy of skin concerns from the appearance of wrinkles to a lack of moisture. They won’t make up for a lack of sleep altogether, but they can help your skin look less dull come morning. Common ingredients found in night cream formulas include retinol, glycolic and hyaluronic acids, as well as deeply-nourishing and protective emollients, vitamins, and minerals. The texture of night cream is typically thicker and heavier than its daytime counterpart, and won’t offer any SPF protection since UV damage is not a factor at night.  

Our favorites: Vichy Idéalia Skin Sleep, Decleor Aroma White C+ Recovery Brightening Night Cream, Garnier Miracle Anti-Fatigue Sleeping Cream

P.S.–Are you applying your night cream the right way? A celebrity facialist—and Skincare.com expert—shares the essential steps, here!

NIGHT MASKS 

Night masks are worn the same way as a night cream, applied onto the skin as a last step in an evening routine. Since they are intended to stay on the skin overnight, they typically are formulated with gentle ingredients that absorb quickly—no greasy residue on your pillow here folks—and work while you are catching those beauty zzz’s (lazy girls, rejoice!). You won’t see their full potential after a few minutes, but rather after several hours. Like night creams, they are nourishing and hydrating to help you achieve a healthy-looking complexion.

Our favorites: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque, The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, Lancôme Énergie De Vie Night Mask

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NIGHT CREAM AND NIGHT MASKS 

If night cream and night masks are sounding pretty similar to you right now, that’s because they are. The biggest difference between the two boils down to the formula. Night masks formulas are often more concentrated with hydrating and anti-aging ingredients, similar to what you’d expect from a serum. We recommend using night cream as your daily source of evening hydration, and incorporating a night mask a few times per week to up the ante a bit.