Night creams that brighten skin in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.
A good anti-aging night cream should restore moisture, fight wrinkles, and reduce dark spots overnight and over time. There are plenty of formulas out there that cost a ton of money, but these winners — backed by the Institute Beauty Lab — work just as hard at a fraction of the price.
The GH Beauty Lab regularly tests moisturizers of all kinds, and for our most recent night cream test, we rounded up 125 top night creams, narrowing the field to a final nine to find the best of the best with consumer and Lab testing. We recruited a panel of women aged 35+ to test each product daily for four weeks, giving feedback on its performance and overall satisfaction. Meanwhile, in the Lab, we measured for moisturiziation, firmness, and the improvement in the appearance of texture, skin tone, and wrinkles.
After tallying up scores from 2,035 questions, 2,640 hydration data points, and 4,560 data points from our complexion analyzer, we found the best night creams on the market. The below drugstore night creams are a collection of top-tested products in the Lab and GH Seal-holders, so you can rest assured knowing we stand by these picks.
1
BEST ANT-AGING DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM
Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Facial Cream
In recent Beauty Lab tests, this drugstore retinol formula scored highest for reducing the appearance of wrinkles, brightening skin, and hydrating. 100% of consumer testers agreed that it made skin feel more moisturized, and Lab tests confirmed, seeing a 20% increase in skin’s moisturization after just six hours and a 27% increase in firmness over four weeks. “It seemed to work as well as my prescription retinoid,” said one tester. “When I woke up each morning, my skin was firmer and smoother,” raves another, adding, “I can see that fine lines are less noticeable.”
2
BEST VALUE DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM
Garnier SkinActive Miracle Anti-Fatigue Night Cream
Thanks to hyaluronic acid and salicylic acid, this night cream hydrates and renews skin overnight to reduce the appearance of fine lines while hydrating. The Good Housekeeping Seal star’s formula is infused with a calming lavender scent to help you drift off to sleep.
3
MOST POPULAR DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM ON AMAZON
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer
This GH Seal star is packed with a fast acting and stabilized form of retinol to boost collagen production to minimize fine lines by amping up cell turnover. In recent testing, the day cream was also a standout with consumers saying they love that the retinol formula is effective without irritation. It also boasts over 4,000 reviews on Amazon with an average 4.2 star rating.
4
BEST FIRMING DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM
L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Volume Filler Night Cream
This gel-like cream received high marks in our tests for firming and moisturizing. It led to a 36% boost in skin firmness in four weeks, plus a 40% rise in moisturization, thanks to hyaluronic acid that attracts over one thousand times its weight in water.
5
BEST DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM FOR GLOWING SKIN
L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Night Cream Moisturizer
Apply this GH Seal star formula before bed for hydrated, refreshed skin. Ingredients like glycerin and beeswax hydrate and keep skin looking and feeling moisturized, while powerful anti-agers like LHA, a gentle derivative of salicylic acid, helps to stimulate surface skin renewal and slough off dull skin.
6
BEST DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer
An iteration of our top pick, this fragrance-free Olay formula is also free of retinol, making it gentler on sensitive skin. It’s still a powerful anti-ager, formulated with an advanced amino-peptide complex to penetrate the skin’s surface and regenerate while vitamins B and E soften skin. Brand research showed that a majority of women felt their skin was smoother and more moisturized after two weeks of use.
7
BEST SOFTENING DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM
Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Anti Wrinkle Cream
This GH Seal star is packed with a fast acting and stabilized form of retinol to boost collagen production to minimize fine lines by amping up cell turnover. In recent testing, the day cream was also a standout with consumers saying they love that the retinol formula is effective without being irritating. It also boasts over 4,000 reviews on Amazon with an average 4.2 star rating.
8
BEST DO-IT-ALL DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM
No7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Night Cream
Grab this GH Seal pick for softer and more moisturized skin. After four weeks, testers saw visible changes: 83% said wrinkles were smoothed, 78% reported that skin looked lifted, and 81% said skin tone looked more even. Heads up that while this night cream is suitable for sensitive skin, it is formulated with fragrance.
9
BEST DRUGSTORE NIGHT CREAM FOR DARK SPOTS
RoC Retinol Correxion Max Daily Hydration Creme
The potent retinol formula in this drugstore pick impressed our Beauty Lab experts. The skin star retinol reduces dark spots, targets wrinkles, and hydrates skin noticeably: after one week, this night cream left skin looking 32% smoother and more radiant. After four weeks, users reported a reduction in fine lines. After eight weeks, they saw fewer deep wrinkles and dark spots.