As the weather starts to turn, my skin hops aboard the struggle bus. She gets a little more dry, a touch more irritated and a whole lot more needy. That's when I know my skincare needs a little switch-up to accommodate the changing seasons. Now, I'm not a huge believer in drastically changing skincare when the seasons change (I'll still have to follow a rosacea protocol, no matter the weather), but I do see the benefit of adding more hydrating and moisturising ingredients to my routine. The main way I do that is by changing my evening skincare routine to include one of the best night creams for dry skin.
There are so many night creams out there that it's hard to decide which one to try first. As a beauty editor who has tried quite my fair share, I have a few favourites that stand out from the crowd; whether that be its beautiful texture, science-led ingredients or even trusty, affordable formula.
If you're on the hunt for your next best night cream, here are 11 of my favourites that are brilliant for various reasons but all fantastic for dry skin types.
1. Q+A Chamomile Night Cream
Q+A does some of the best affordable skincare out there. It's uncomplicated and effective. The Chamomile Night Cream is a brilliant option for sensitive, dry skin types as it contains calming ingredients such as (unsurprisingly) chamomile, bisabolol and jojoba seed oil. The texture is fairly lightweight but feels really rich and comforting on the skin.
2. E45 Face Night Cream
I'm a firm believer that some skincare should be boring; E45 is one of the brands and I mean that in the best possible way. Not every step in your skincare routine has to be fancy or expensive, sometimes you just need a good emollient that's going to get the job done. This does exactly that thanks to the inclusion of pentylene glycol, glycerin, cocoa butter and shea butter. The brand claims it to be great on eczema-prone skin (I can't personally vouch for this since I don't have eczema so always ask your GP or dermatologist if you're unsure), meaning it's designed for dry, irritated skin.
3. The Inkey List Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturiser
I'm yet to meet someone who has tried this and not loved it. It's one of the few creams I'd confidently say works for most skin types, particularly those struggling with both dryness and breakouts (though, I always recommend seeing a professional if you're struggling with your skin). It leaves a lovely dewy finish that isn't greasy or overly heavy. Beautiful both at nighttime and in the morning under make-up, which is ideal if you like to use the same moisturiser day and night.
4. Skin Rocks The Rich Moisturiser
Skin Rocks nails a formula—and this is no different. I've been through three tubs of The Rich Moisturiser and continue to love it. It has a rich, non-greasy formula that soaks into the skin well, leaving it feeling moisturised and plump the next day. It's one of the products in my stash that I don't have to think about when I use it; I know it always works well no matter what other products I'm using in my routine. There are three versions of the brand's moisturiser - the original, the Rich and the fragrance-free. A great option if you've got a few extra pennies to spend on your nightly cream this winter.
5. The Skin Diary Night Repair Therapy
A night cream for dry skin doesn't always mean you have to sacrifice focusing on other concerns like fine lines, you just need the right formula. Night Repair Therapy works in three phases using ingredients like retinyl-ester, cell-communicating peptides and ceramides to repair the skin without any irritation. I've found this to be brilliant at minimising dry skin while smoothing out my fine lines (particularly on my forehead area)—even with my rosacea.
6. Skinsense by Abi Cleeve Ceramide24 Recovery Support Night Cream
As the name suggests, this is a ceramide-rich moisturiser. Designed to support the skin's recovery as you sleep, this is formulated with ingredients like (you guessed it) ceramides, sweet almond oil, glycerin, niacinamide and lactic acid to help aid overnight cell renewal. It's a great all-rounder if you want a night cream to help moisturise skin without leaving it feeling greasy or heavy.
7. Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Sleepair Intensive Soothing Repair Mask
I'm a big fan of the Dr Jart+ Cicapair range, including the Sleepair Intensive Soothing Repair Mask. Called a repair mask, it's essentially a night cream that's a gel formula. It's a brilliant alternative if you want something to soothe your dry skin but aren't a big fan of rich creams, preferring a gel texture instead. It contains hydrating and calming ingredients like centella asiatica extracts, allantoin and glycerin.
It's designed to help with redness, which I can personally vouch for as a rosacea girlie as it reduced general redness in my skin, (though this is not a rosacea treatment, the reason it helped with redness is due to a combination of prescription creams, too) and left it feeling moisturised without any greasy residue.
8. Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream
I didn't expect to be as impressed with this moisturiser as I was; I used two bottles of it back-to-back (which, when you're a beauty editor whose job it is to test a bunch of products, is saying something). It has a ceramide-packed formula that works to rebuild the broken blocks in your skin barrier. As someone with regular skin barrier issues (think: dryness, irritation and redness), I got on so well with this cream. It made my skin feel hydrated and far less irritated without feeling too rich on my skin or causing breakouts. It's on the pricier side but if you're looking for a slightly higher-end moisturiser to help with an impaired barrier, it's a fantastic option.
9. Marie Reynolds Butter Balm
Think of this as a night cream / nighttime treatment hybrid. It's a thick formula that I like to apply over the top of a lightweight moisturiser when my skin is in need of some serious TLC. As the name suggests, it's a buttery balm texture that I like to massage into my fingertips before gently pressing into the dry areas of my skin avoiding areas prone to dermatitis like the corners of my nose. The next morning, my skin feels far less dry and irritated and my make-up sits far better on my skin. I love to get this out as the weather starts to turn.
10. Omorovicza Rejuvenating Night Cream
Want to treat yourself to something luxurious? Omorovicza is the one. It was difficult to narrow down one night cream from the brand because I actually love them all but this has the most beautiful, buttery texture. It works well at combatting dry skin, smells lovely and has the most enjoyable texture. It's pricey but if you love to use your nightly skincare routine as a little self-care moment, this will definitely make your skin feel cared for.
11. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Soothing Face and Body Balm B5
Last but by no means least (in my eyes, it's always the winner) is Cicaplast. Although this isn't a night cream, it's my daily go-to and has been for years. I love to dabble in various products (it is my job, after all), but if my skin is having a flare-up or I'm using strong actives or prescription products, this is consistently what I'm going back to. It's not necessarily designed to be used all over the face as a night cream, but that's exactly what I do. I slather a thick layer of this before bed and wake up with happy, irritation-free skin. It's never caused a breakout for my dry, rosacea-prone skin. I'll have at least two back-ups of this at any given time—it's that good.