You might have just celebrated the big 3-0, and are now wondering if there is anything that would be drastically different in your life. Well, one thing’s for sure to change, and that is the condition of your skin. Transitioning into your thirties do indeed spell a new stage of life for your skin.
Unlike your teen years and twenties, the thirties are an important period where you should start paying more attention and care towards your skin, if you don’t already. You might have noticed a drop in the elasticity of your skin, or seen more sun spots appearing due to not religiously applying your sunscreen. Those fine lines on your forehead and the subtle hints of crow’s feet that gather at the corners of your eyes also seem to become more visible lately.
Witnessing these mature changes in your skin as you age is scary, and it also brings to mind that it is more crucial than ever to modify your skincare routine in order to target these concerns, and hopefully even turn back the clock. The best place to start would be to introduce a high-performing night cream into your routine to help you combat and alleviate these changes. Choose one that contains anti-ageing and skin-nourishing ingredients to help revitalize your skin and erase the weariness of time.
Reviews of the Top Night Creams to Use In Your 30s
Skinmedica Dermal Repair Cream
This luxurious, ultra-rich night cream is jam-packed with high levels of vitamins C and E, which are effective in fighting free radicals that contribute to fine lines and wrinkles. Besides that, the moisturizer also consists of the hydrating Sodium Hyaluronate that helps your skin retain high levels of moisture. As such, this cream is perfect for normal to dry skin users who are looking to boost their skin’s hydration levels while simultaneously fighting the early signs of ageing.
Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream
This affordable drugstore product is another impressive night cream worth trying. It acts as a defense against ageing through its rich, moisture-binding formula that penetrates the skin deeply to boost its elasticity and suppleness. It also contains an advanced amino-peptide complex that regenerates skin cells to keep wrinkles and crow’s feet at bay. Apply this before bedtime and enjoy a night of restful sleep, knowing that the cream is hard at work all night to maintain your skin’s youthfulness.
Replenix Restorative Nighttime Bio-Therapy
This night cream has an impressive moisture-retaining ability due to its ingredient list of ceramides, humectants, and emollients. Also, it lessens the impact of environmental stressors on your skin through skin-nourishing ingredients like Green Tea Polyphenols and Caffeine. In order to protect your skin from signs of ageing, this cream also includes apple-derived Stem Cells and Peptides that repair skin damage, and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Due to its paraben-free and hypoallergenic formula, this cream is ideal for those with sensitive and dry skin.
L'Oreal Paris, RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Night Cream Moisturizer
L’Oreal’s rich and non-greasy night moisturizer has been a mainstay among users’ anti-ageing skincare routine. It uses Pro Retinol to effectively combat wrinkles as well as Centella Asiatica to replenish and strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier. Incorporating this into your nightly regime is sure to give you firmer and more radiant-looking skin over time.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream
This luscious sleeping cream with a smooth and buttery texture might be just what your skin needs. It is perfect for those experiencing dry skin or looking to ward off fine lines and wrinkles. It is infused with Glutaline In-tense and Niacinamide to firm up your skin for a more bouncy texture. The included Sodium Hyaluronate also amps up your skin’s hydration levels to reduce wrinkle depth. Reviewers have fallen in love with this cream as they experience softer and well-hydrated skin after a night’s use.
Mario Badescu Vitamin E Night Cream
This lush night cream is enriched with the antioxidant, Vitamin E, a key ingredient for providing the skin with anti-ageing defense and protection. Vitamin E is notable for its ability in blocking free radicals from being absorbed by the skin, which aids in slowing down the process of wrinkle formation. Besides that, this cream also has Cocoa Butter, Cottonseed Oil, and Wheat Germ Oil, all of which are rich emollients that help enhance your skin’s hydration while promoting a smoother texture. Do note that a little of this product goes a long way and may require some time for its heavy texture to sink in completely.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. C + E Antioxidant Protect + Repair Moisturizer
If you have been neglecting sunscreen in your twenties and are now suffering from sun damage, then this will be your go-to night cream. This moisturizer is imbued with Lime Pearl Extract and anti-pollution Exopolysaccharides which repairs skin damage caused by extensive UV exposure, environmental stressors, and pollution. Another unique ingredient used in this cream is the 5% THD Ascorbate, which is less irritating compared to other Vitamin C derivatives. Vitamin C is known for preventing and repairing premature signs of ageing. While the texture of the cream may feel rich and creamy on your skin, it does not leave behind a greasy residue.
Kate Somerville Deep Tissue Repair Cream with Peptide K8
As suggested by its name, this night cream consists of the brand’s unique Peptide K8 formula which promotes cell repair on your skin’s surface, thereby overturning skin damage. In addition, the cream is also infused with its Advanced Moisture Complex that effectively retains the skin’s inner moisture, resulting in a more youthful and supple complexion. This has been a cult favorite among users for countless years due to the cream’s impressive ability in warding off skin ageing.
Shiseido Future Solution Lx Total Regenerating Cream
This lavish cream by Shiseido serves to intensely hydrate and revitalize the skin during your slumber. It is developed with the brand’s proprietary Skin Genecell 1P that specifically targets premature ageing such as wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity. Fans of this product complimented on its amazing ability to fight skin ageing as they reported a vast improvement in skin suppleness while helping to keep those dreaded fine lines away. As a little of this cream goes a long way, it is worth every bit of its exorbitant price tag.
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream With Super 7 Complex
This lotus-infused cream by Fresh is one of the best night creams your skin will thank you for. Due to the high levels of Polyphenols found within the Lotus flower, Lotus Root Extract has powerful antioxidants that will protect you from wrinkle-causing free radicals. Besides this star ingredient, the cream is also enriched with Maca Root Extract to boost your skin’s luminosity, giving you a youthful glow. This lightweight cream is perfect for all skin types and provides up to 24 hours of intense hydration.
Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Night Cream
Formulated with Glycolic Acid, which is a gentle chemical exfoliant that sloughs off dead skin cells to reveal brighter-looking skin, this nighttime moisturizer helps to renew and re-energize your skin as you sleep. In addition, the night cream has also helped users to combat their acne troubles while lightening redness and scarring to give them a more even-toned complexion. Wake up to soft, moisturized, and radiant skin after using this.
Biotherm Blue Therapy Night Cream
This cream is created using A. Flos aquae which is known for its skin-firming ability, L. ochroleuca which has repairative properties, and Pure Thermal Plankton to regenerate and soothe the skin. With an impressive ingredient list, this night cream is definitely one for your beauty arsenal. One reviewer even mentioned that the cream helped to reduce 70% of her fine lines within the first month of usage, as well as reducing leftover acne scars. The rich texture of this moisturizer absorbs quickly into the skin to give you a velvety-smooth finish without causing your skin to break out.
Guerlain Super Aqua-Creme Night Balm
This night balm is your go-to product if you want to gift your skin with suppleness and glowing radiance. It is developed using the brand’s Aquacomplex which purifies cellular water to improve circulation and provide age-defying hydration. The end result is the smoothing out of fine lines or wrinkles that might be present on your skin while giving you a youthful glow. Another side benefit is the cream’s light, floral notes of Aqua Flower, Ylang Ylang, and Jasmine which are sure to relax your senses and lull you into a restful sleep.
Lancome Renergie Lift Multi-Action Night Lifting And Firming Night Cream
Feeling a loss in your skin’s elasticity recently? This product by Lancome is developed using its Multi-Tension technology which serves three skin-enhancing actions: Lift, Firm, and Tighten. This is the ultimate night cream to purchase if you are looking to enhance the suppleness of your skin and prevent future skin sagginess. Its ultra hydrating formula also keeps your skin well-moisturized and comfortable, making it perfect for normal to dry skin users. Moreover, this cream is not heavily perfumed, and thus unlikely to cause skin irritation.
Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral Enriched Oil-free Renewal Night Cream
This oil-free night cream by Origins is perfect for normal to oily skin users who are looking to boost their skin’s moisture levels and erase the early signs of ageing. It is formulated with time-released resurfacers, as well as Vitamins C, E, and H, to combat ageing and sun damage, thereby revealing younger-looking and healthier skin. The lightweight cream sinks into the skin fast, leaving it with a silky-smooth texture and no stickiness. Moreover, this gentle moisturizer does not sting or cause breakouts, hence making it ideal for sensitive and troubled skin users.
There is a plethora of high-performing night creams on the market, each of which target different skin concerns. It’s time to listen to what your skin really needs in this new life stage, and determine the nighttime moisturizer that would be most suitable for you.
Why It’s Time to Start Using a Night Cream
Contrary to the mistaken belief that day and night creams are mostly similar and just another marketing gimmick to persuade you to spend more, the effectiveness of a night cream is vastly different from the functions of a day cream. This will then be reflected in your skin’s quality over time.
To clarify, a day cream is used to protect your skin and maintain its hydration levels all day long. In order for it to go on smoothly under your makeup or prevent you from looking like an oily mess, day creams normally have a lighter and thinner consistency compared to the richer, heavier night creams. Additionally, some day creams are also infused with SPF to provide you with protection against sun damage. Moreover, day creams normally do not contain active ingredients such as retinols, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), vitamin C, and so on as these ingredients can enhance skin sensitivity when exposed to sunlight.
On the other hand, night creams usually feature these active ingredients to target different skin types and concerns. For instance, vitamin A-rich retinol combats skin discoloration and fine lines while promoting skin renewal. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that has impressive wrinkle-fighting abilities while AHAs gently slough away dead skin and other surface debris to reveal a brighter, more even-toned complexion. As such, night creams are an essential step in your daily regime that helps your skin to reset itself while you sleep. Besides targeting specific skin issues, they also help your skin with cell turnover, promote tissue repair and regeneration, and is your first line of defense against premature skin ageing.
So, if you are currently in your 30s, and want to maintain a glowing, youthful-looking, and even-toned complexion for years to come, you definitely should be religiously applying a night cream before bedtime every night.
Night Cream: Your New BFF in Your 30s
Besides sunscreen and a day moisturizer, a night cream should be an indispensable skincare product in your routine. Most of us tend to lead hectic lifestyles with little room for a breather, and it may become easy to neglect taking care of your skin on a consistent basis. This is where the convenience of a night cream comes in. Due to the nature of this cream being used only at night, you can slather this on your face then catch up on your sleep while letting it work its magic. This will not only help you save time, but also ensures your skin is getting the right amount of care and restoration each night.
How to Correctly Apply the Night Cream
To get the full benefits of applying a night cream, there is a trick to it. In order to defy gravity, and prevent environmental stressors from making your skin lose its vitality and suppleness, using the right technique can greatly boost the effect of your night cream.
- Warm It With Your Hands: take a dime-sized portion of the cream and place it onto the center of your palm. Use your other hand to spread the cream a little, and gently rub it in a circular motion between both palms. By doing so, you are using your body’s naturally higher temperature to warm up the cream, which will help the product sink into your skin better during application.
- Apply In Circular, Upward Motions: pat the cream onto your face. Then use light, circular motions in an upward fashion. This gentle massage will not only help your skin fully absorb the cream, but also stimulate blood circulation to enhance oxygen and nutrient supply to the skin cells, thereby promoting healthier cells. In addition, the upward strokes can help to avert premature wrinkles and potential sagging of your skin.
Remember to apply it as the last step in your routine as night creams often have a heavier texture compared to other products such as essences and serums.
Other Skincare Tips You Should Use in Your 30s
As we have previously covered, your current skin condition is no longer like its youthful, budding self that you used to enjoy in your adolescent years. Beside consistently using a night cream, we share some tips below on what you should do for your skin once you approach the thirties:
- Use a Hydrating Toner: it is common to experience dryer, more sensitive skin due to the constant exposure to environmental stressors and pollution over the years. This is an even bigger problem if you have lived in urban areas your whole life. Thus, it is essential to maintain your skin’s hydration levels in order to alleviate these issues. Choose a toner with hydrating ingredients to replenish your skin’s moisture, as well as provide a clean slate for other products to penetrate your skin better.
- Layer On the Sunscreen: if you haven’t already develop the good habit of religiously using your sunscreen since your teen years, this is definitely the time to start doing so. After all, UV rays are the leading cause for those unsightly sun spots, hyperpigmentation, and other types of skin discoloration. If you have sensitive skin, try physical sunscreens that has Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide in them as these are less likely to irritate your skin. Repeat after me: Sunscreens are your new religion.
- Go For Skin-Brightening Actives: dull and tired-looking skin are also another prevalent concern among most 30-somethings. This could be due to a lack of sleep, a busy work schedule or just your skin losing its radiance due to age. Whatever the reason may be, fret not, as there are a variety of actives that can address the problem. Look for products that contain Vitamin C to tackle skin dullness and sun spots. To fix melasma and brown patches, Kojic Acid, Hydroquinone, and Azelaic Acid will be your best bet.
- Use Chemical Exfoliants Regularly: a complementary method to alleviate skin dullness is to use a chemical exfoliant to get rid of the surface debris on your skin. Regular exfoliation also ensures that your other skincare products are better absorbed into the skin. Benzoyl Peroxide is a great choice as it easily penetrates the pores and has antibacterial properties. Other alternatives include BHAs like Salicylic Acid, as well as AHAs such as Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, and Mandelic Acid.
- Invest In An Eye Cream: besides caring for your face, the delicate skin around your eyes also require special care. In fact, the eye areas are most prone to showing visible signs of ageing such as crow’s feet and heavy eye bags that don’t seem to go away. To combat ageing, choose products with hydration-boosting ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid or Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitamin E, and Glycerin. These will plump up your skin to restore its suppleness while diminishing fine lines. Caffeine is also another star ingredient in firming up the skin and getting rid of your eye bags. Keep your eye creams in the refrigerator as the cooler temperature can boost the efficacy of the product.
- Include Retinols in Your Routine: retinols are rich in Vitamin A which is an essential ingredient used in collagen production for skin repair. As you age, your body’s ability to synthesize Vitamin A diminishes which is why you should use Vitamin A-rich products like retinols or retinoids to eradicate premature signs of ageing. Another good thing about using a retinol is that it is also effective in resolving related acne and pigmentation issues.
Incorporating these skincare tips into your routine do seem like a lot of hassle and are time-intensive. But trust me, the results will be worth it.
Wrap Up
Maintaining a healthy, youthful, and radiant complexion in your 30s is more than doable. There’s no reason you should feel a sense of impending doom that skin issues like dullness and fine lines cannot be avoided. With the proper care and techniques, you will definitely be able to feel good and look even better for years to come. After all, 30s are the new 20s right?