ELLE Edit: The Best Night Cream For Every Skin Type

Approved of by pretty-much everyone (it's Mackenzie Paterson's own top choice), Medik8's night cream is designed specifically to be used after a retinol serum (ideally, this retinol serum). Trust me: it'll even see you through the dreaded tretinoin purge with little trouble.

Gentle and restorative, it contains everything skin needs to stay hydrated and soothed while it renews itself, from barrier-boosting ceramides to regenerative peptides. An all-round success.

If you’re hoping to tackle a specific, tricky-to-treat issue, such as pigmentation or acute acne, I really advise turning away from the glittering shelves of Space NK and placing your trust in a dermatologist.

While in-person appointments are indeed costly, there is now a host of emerging brands that are making a professional prescription more accessible. Founded by Dr. Emma Craythorne, Klira is the latest offering to hit the market: and while it isn’t the most affordable, it is the most thoroughly tailored, making it perfect for those with more complicated complexions.

Take the in-depth quiz online and send off a few images of your skin, and Dr. Craythorne’s dispensing team will create what she calls “your ultimate night cream”, with prescription-only actives including tretinoin and high-strength azelaic acid on the cards. Aa a loyal user myself, I can tell you: she’s nailed it.

I came to this brand via its now-viral (and admittedly brilliant) cooling eye balm, which is so good at soothing tired screen eyes I keep one permanently on my desk. Now, I'm adding this equally impressive night treatment to my rotation: with a modest dose of alpha-hydroxy-acid (I'm super-sensitive and can use it with no issues) alongside vitamin C to brighten dullness and the brand's signature probiotics, it's an all-in-one power bank for depleted winter complexions.

Lumene is loved for its gentle, effective and generously priced night creams – and this recent addition to the family is one worth trying.

It's a suits-all formula with a focus on hydration, and is boosted with pre and probiotics to help feed your skin's microbiome, keeping things calm, balanced and resilient.

Now I'll be the first to admit that this under-the-radar brand won't win first prize for shelf appeal, but trust me: the entire line-up is excellent.

This cooling gel-cream features a list of ingredients you'll actually know and recognise, from jojoba seed and macadamia nut oils to probiotics to reinforce the barrier. It might feel light and watery, but you'll wake up looking supremely radiant. There's a delicious scent (obviously avoid this one if you're allergic or hyper-sensitive to fragranced oils) and it won't clog breakout-prone complexions.

When you've got easily congested skin, it can be tempting to wash it 37 times, then skip the moisturiser altogether. But acne-prone skin needs hydration too.

The key is consistency: wash with a gentle cleanser, then apply a simple hydrating lotion every morning and night. Working to specifically cull the acne-causing bacteria in the skin's microbiome, this new addition to La Roche-Posay's Effaclar line (which can be used both day and night) is ideal.

A note on product cocktailing: if you're experiencing a bout of breakouts, give this one a chance to work. Layering it over countless other serums, treatments and mists will not only interfere with the precise formulation, but might just upset your complexion further.

I've been impressed with everything I've tried from Mantle: the buzzy Scandi start-up making products that mollify the most ravaged of skin barriers.

This overnight mask is simply brilliant: the gel-textured formula feels light but packs in serious moisture, with bakuchiol to brighten and niacinamide to strengthen. Use it a few nights a week, and you'll sail through the coldest of forecasts.

Based on the brand's phenomenally popular Lip Sleeping Masks, this bouncy, jelly-like night treatment is essentially the frosting on your before-bed hydration routine. It doesn't feel heavy or claggy on skin, and over time it'll solve those stubborn dry patches and even make irritated, red complexions look brighter and calmer. If you're after that mega-quenched, just-had-a-facial plumpness, this is your fast-track.

Dr. Sturm's skincare philosophy revolves around bringing down inflammation in the skin, which makes sense when you consider that inflammation is the precursor to so many skin issues.

As someone that's familiar with both acne and rosacea, I was never not going to love this one: anything that'll keep my complexion calm and contented gets top marks over here. But Sturm's cult cream does more than simply hydrate and soothe: the cocktail of peptides and antioxidants also plumps and firms lacklustre skin as time goes on.

Murad's latest launch really fills a gap in the market. Exasoothe is designed specifically for eczema-prone skin, which of course needs highly specialised treatment. The star of the trio, this ultra-rich cream combines shea butter with barrier-restoring sugars, niacinamide and colloidal oatmeal to soothe any itchy patches. It's not overly greasy, and can be used by the most sensitive of skins.

Beauty Pie has been focused on creating science-driven, forensically formulated active treatments for a while now, and they are, frankly, nailing it.

This one is a development of the brand's much-loved Super Retinol cream, building on the original formula with added vitamin C (encapsulated, so it can work alongside the retinol) and ferulic acid, which studies have shown can increase the efficacy of retinoids in the skin. If you're hoping to tackle wrinkles and dark spots more than acne, this is the one to go for.

When your barrier isn't as strong as it could be, it leaves your skin's defences down, allowing transepidermal water loss to occur overnight (that's moisture evaporation to you and I).

No need to panic though, as building your barrier back up is easily done – with the right treatment. And with ceramides, glycerin and cucumber seed oil, Kate Somerville's endlessly recommended night balm is up to the task.

The thickest, richest texture I've tried in a night cream, Naturium's nocturnal hero is designed for the driest of skins. I used it over the top of a prescription retinoid, and it worked perfectly at reviving my hyper-dry, upset skin barrier.

K-Beauty favourite Glow Recipe creates products that'll look cute on your shelf, but that's not the reason to invest. My favourite from the line-up, this jelly-textured treatment is forensically formulated to resurface congested skin without damaging your crucial skin barrier. It's pH-balanced to negate the risk of sensitivity, and contains a blend of acids alongside watermelon enzymes and niacinamide to leave skin refreshed and radiant.

Dermalogica's new launch is one that really surpassed my expectations. A redness-reducing SOS cream, it's loaded with natural extracts that genuinely quell irritation in a matter of minutes, be it rosacea flares or a reaction from a too-strong exfoliator. Don't reserve this one solely for evening: it's a calming comfort blanket for morning, noon and night.

Noble Panacea's hard-working night treatment contains a potent cocktail of active ingredients to truly supercharge your routine.

Negating the need for serum layering, each (recyclable) sachet contains postbiotics, poly-hydroxy acid, retinol, peptides and ceramides, all encapsulated and programmed to be released into the skin at the optimal moment. Essentially, it's skincare that works alongside your circadian rhythm, allowing you to reap the benefits of multiple ingredients without irritation.

Once you've worked through the eight single-dose sachets (this one is designed to be used once-weekly) send them back to the brand for recycling, and keep your outer packaging topped up with a refill pack.

Sarah Chapman has created a flagship face cream for day and for night, with the nocturnal iteration being boosted by encapsulated retinoids that'll release gradually into the skin, prompting collagen production and cell turnover. Peptides enhance the skin-plumping effects, while probiotics keep the barrier calm and content. In short, this is an intensive, one-and-done treatment for more more mature skin.