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It¡¯s 3am and the cat is miaowing outside my bedroom door. They say that once you have a baby, you never sleep properly again, but 21 years since the birth of my first child, and despite a move to the countryside that has blessed me with pitch-black night skies and a silence so peaceful it¡¯s like wearing noise-cancelling headphones, I can testify: it¡¯s not just babies that keep you awake at night. But while it may take a few cups of coffee to get my brain going in the morning, one thing I¡¯ve never worried about is my skin¡¯s ability to recover, in spite of the nocturnal interruptions. I¡¯ve been writing about beauty for more than 25 years, and the one take-home mantra from every night-cream launch I¡¯ve attended has been this: your skin repairs itself at night. The get-out-of-jail-free card of the beauty industry, the ultimate in hope in a jar, is the knowledge that any product you use in the evening comes with an inbuilt superpower, something we make ourselves, for free. Sleep.
¡°If you want to assist your skin¡¯s recovery process, it makes biological sense to target the night-time,¡± says Dr Guy Meadows, co-founder and clinical director of The Sleep School. ¡°Sleep is the body¡¯s opportunity to grow and repair itself, after the active wear-and-tear of the day.¡± The first to capitalise on this was Est¨¦e Lauder with its Advanced Night Repair, introduced in 1982 (and now updated), and Guerlain with its Midnight Secret, which was renewed in 2016 following its launch in 1991. Not only does sleep-plus-skincare work as a formulation in its own right, it¡¯s a simple marketing tool that everyone relates to ¨C and it sells. Every minute, Est¨¦e Lauder reports selling 22 bottles of ANR, while Kiehl¡¯s, another innovator, sells a vial of its Midnight Recovery Concentrate every 60 seconds. So is it a coincidence that, after a year of global stress and anxiety, there¡¯s a whole new roster of sleep-related skincare launching? And how much of this is marketing, and how much of this is genuinely new research, technology and ingredients?
The answer, it seems, is a lot of both. While there¡¯s still much we don¡¯t know about how our body recharges at night, there have been ¡°solid studies¡± ¨C according to biochemist and skincare formulator Nausheen Qureshi ¨C that show our cells use our sleep time to repair themselves. Most of that restoration seems to occur within a small and precise window of opportunity from 10pm to 2am. ¡°The first third of our sleep is suggested to be the most helpful due to a sharp increase in growth hormone, which is responsible for skin-cell reproduction and regeneration,¡± says Meadows. What appears to be newer in terms of research is a proven link between lack of sleep and the skin¡¯s ageing. In 2014, Est¨¦e Lauder Companies commissioned an independent clinical study to discover the impact that chronic lack of sleep had on skin function and appearance, and it showed, for the first time, that a lack of sleep can accelerate the signs of ageing. ¡°Sleep is essential to keep the skin¡¯s natural repair rhythm in sync,¡± confirms Dr Nadine Pernodet, senior vice president of research and development at Est¨¦e Lauder. If that¡¯s made you feel anxious, then unfortunately you¡¯re only making things worse. Stress, manifesting as the hormone cortisol in our bloodstreams, is the enemy of sleep. Meadows confirms, ¡°Research shows that excess cortisol breaks down collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic, accelerating skin ageing.¡±
So is it worth trying out some of the newer launches? ¡°A lot has changed in the last five years with regards to skincare and ingredients,¡± says Qureshi. ¡°And skincare science is the same as any other science ¨C it keeps evolving.¡± Qureshi suggests looking for ingredients that are good for boosting repair at night, such as retinol (vitamin A), vitamins C and B, and essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and zinc. ¡°In terms of sleep and stress-busting, ingredients like retinol and its derivatives are proven over and over again to work.¡± Microalgae is also cropping up as a popular way to inhibit cortisol, with brands including Omorovicza and Elemis championing it. ¡°The aim here is to keep cortisol well and truly in its place by using the very best technology and delivery systems,¡± says Elemis global president and co-founder, Noella Gabriel, who recently launched Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen Night Genius.
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Look out, too, for smart skincare that attempts to calm on an emotional level. ¡°There¡¯s a relatively new notion of neuro-skincare, which is that your thoughts affect your skin quality, as good stress-free thoughts can release good chemicals,¡± says Qureshi. ¡°So there¡¯s an argument that using our other senses, such as smell, can double up on the effort to make the most of your skincare.¡± For example, the new First Fix serum from de Mamiel combines aromatherapy to trigger positive feelings with collagen-boosting ingredients.
Importantly, to get the most from your skincare and sleep think holistically. However innovative your serum, it won¡¯t come close to what a good slumber can do. Meadows suggests trying to sleep at the right time for you, according to whether you¡¯re an evening or a morning type. Don¡¯t drink caffeine after midday, or alcohol within two hours of going to bed. Exercise works best between 4 and 6pm. You might also want to try boosting your routine with supplements. Try The Organic Pharmacy¡¯s Retinol Night Serum, plus a scoop of its Arnica Soothing Muscle Soak in the bath and its Valerian Complex, a tincture that has tranquilising properties, for a gentle, three-pronged approach to ease you into a normal sleep pattern and topically improve your skin.
And when all else fails? Put the snoring partner on the sofa, sleep when the baby sleeps and, most of all, don¡¯t forget to put the cat out.?
Get to know the best night-time wonders for your skin
Est¨¦e Lauder Advanced Night Repair, ¡ê82
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De Mamiel First Fix, ¡ê130
Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask, ¡ê93
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Omorovicza Midnight Renewal, ¡ê140
Guerlain Midnight Secret, ¡ê24
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Elemis Ultra-Smart Pro-Collagen Night Genius, ¡ê195
The Organic Pharmacy Retinol Night Serum, ¡ê32
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Murad Night Fix Enzyme Treatment, ¡ê60
Skin & Tonic Sleep Recovery Night Oil, ¡ê30
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Kiehl¡¯s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, ¡ê40
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