7 best skincare products for a restorative night-time routine, UAE 2025

These overnight wonders tackle dullness, dryness, fine lines, and dark spots

Last updated:
Lakshana N Palat, Assistant Features Editor
5 MIN READ
Essentially, a good nighttime skincare routine is your skin's secret weapon for staying healthy, radiant, and youthful.
Essentially, a good nighttime skincare routine is your skin's secret weapon for staying healthy, radiant, and youthful.
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Why let your nighttime routine stop at brushing your teeth and fluffing your pillows when your skin can work overtime while you sleep? The beauty of a good night’s rest isn’t just waking up refreshed—it’s waking up with skin that looks like you’ve just had a professional facial. While you catch up on your Zzzs, the right skincare products can repair, hydrate, and rejuvenate, leaving you glowing by morning. Think of it as beauty sleep on turbo mode. From luxurious oils and serums to deeply nourishing creams and masks, these overnight wonders are packed with powerful ingredients designed to tackle everything from dullness and dryness to fine lines and dark spots. In this guide, we’ve rounded up the 7 best skincare products for 2025 in the UAE that transform your skin while you snooze—because waking up refreshed should always be part of your morning routine.

For our recommendations and expertise on night-time skincare, we spoke to Sheetal Dev, an Abu Dhabi-based skin specialist.

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1) Best Anti-Ageing Serum: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

For those seeking to reduce the visible signs of aging, Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum is a must-try. This deeply penetrating formula features 'night peptides,' a patented ingredient backed by 40 years of research, working alongside hyaluronic acid to tackle issues like loss of firmness, uneven skin tone, fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness. Users have reported noticeable improvements, including smaller-looking pores, while the oil-free formula keeps skin hydrated without any greasy residue.

2) Best Mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

Laneige’s Water Sleeping Mask is a K-beauty favourite that envelops your skin in nourishing ingredients overnight. Hydrating masks like this one can give your skin an extra boost, ensuring you wake up with refreshed and rejuvenated skin. This hypoallergenic mask features a potent probiotic-derived complex that smooths and brightens the skin while reducing dead skin cells. Squalane, derived from sugar cane, enhances hydration and boosts elasticity, while niacinamide and Saururus chinensis extract (a plant with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties) help revitalise your complexion. With its lightweight formula, this mask works wonders when left on overnight—just rinse off in the morning. For the best results, use once or twice a week.

3) Best Night Oil: Sunday Riley Luna Retinol Sleeping Night Oil

Sunday Riley Luna Retinol Sleeping Night Oil is a comforting skincare reat to apply before bed. As Dev explains, this powerful yet gentle oil combines retinol with soothing botanicals like lavender and chamomile, ensuring you get all the benefits of anti-aging without the irritation. While you sleep, it works to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone, boosting collagen production for a smoother, plumper complexion. The lightweight formula absorbs quickly, so you can simply apply a few drops, let it work its magic overnight, and wake up to glowing, revitalized skin. Luna tackles multiple skin concerns in one easy step, making it a must-have for anyone looking to wake up with fresh, youthful skin every morning.

4) Best Vitamin C serum: Dennis Gross Dr. Vitamin C Lactic 15% Vitamin C Firm & Brighten Serum

Need a little TLC for your skin? Dr. Dennis Gross’ C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum is here. This serum can pack a punch with 15% vitamin C, which brightens and firms your skin while tackling those pesky dark spots and fine lines. Infused with lactic acid, it gently exfoliates, leaving your skin feeling smoother and more radiant. "It works as a nighttime pick-me-up, so you can wake up to visibly refreshed skin," adds Dev. The rich formula absorbs quickly without any greasy residue, making it an easy step in your routine before bed. By morning, you might just notice a brighter, even-toned complexion that’s ready to take on the day. A must-have for anyone looking to elevate their skincare game with minimal effort.

5) Best Night-Time Cream: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream can be a real indulgence for your bedtime skincare ritual. Packed with Japanese purple rice, this rich, velvety cream floods your skin with hydration and antioxidants, restoring bounce and glow as you sleep. Its lush formula is nourishing, as it delivers botanicals and squalane to lock in moisture and boost elasticity overnight. Perfect for dry or tired skin, it transforms your complexion into a dewy, radiant dream by morning. With every application, it’s like gifting your skin a spa treatment—so you wake up looking luminous, refreshed, and ready to take on the day.

6) Best Gentle Cleanser: La Roche-Posay

Kick off your nighttime skincare routine with La Roche-Posay’s fan-favorite cleanser. Formulated with prebiotic thermal water, ceramide-3, niacinamide, and glycerin, it effectively removes dirt, makeup, and impurities while preserving your skin’s natural moisture barrier and pH balance. With over glowing reviews and an impressive 4.6-star rating, users love how it leaves skin feeling clean and hydrated without any greasy residue. Those with sensitive skin especially appreciate its gentle formula, making it perfect for everyday use.

7) Best Gel Moisturiser: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Fragrance-Free Facial Moisturizer

If rich, heavy moisturisers tend to irritate your skin, Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost is a refreshing alternative. This lightweight gel moisturizer is packed with emollients and antioxidants, delivering intense hydration without weighing your skin down. Its purified hyaluronic acid complex locks in moisture for hours, keeping your skin soft and supple. With a broad-spectrum SPF 25, it doubles as daytime protection against harmful UV rays and environmental pollutants. The oil-free, non-comedogenic formula suits all skin types and absorbs in seconds, leaving behind a quenched, refreshed feel.

Why do you need a good night-time routine?

A good nighttime skincare routine isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity to keep your skin healthy, radiant, and resilient. To build an effective routine, you need a few essential steps and carefully chosen products tailored to your skin type and concerns. Here's a breakdown, explained by Dev.

1. Cleanser

Start by thoroughly cleansing your face to remove dirt, oil, makeup, and pollutants. Opt for a gentle cleanser that won’t strip your skin of its natural moisture. Double cleansing—using an oil-based cleanser followed by a water-based one—is ideal for heavy makeup wearers.

2. Toner (Optional)

A toner helps to rebalance your skin’s pH and preps it to absorb other products more effectively. Choose a hydrating or clarifying toner depending on your needs.

3. Treatment products

Depending on your concerns, choose targeted treatments like serums or essences:

  • Vitamin C or niacinamide: For brightening and tackling hyperpigmentation.

  • Retinol or peptides: To boost collagen and reduce signs of aging.

  • Exfoliating acids (AHAs/BHAs): For smoother skin and unclogging pores. Use sparingly, about 1–2 times a week.

4. Hydration

  • Eye cream: Apply an eye cream to hydrate the delicate under-eye area and reduce puffiness, dark circles, or fine lines.

  • Moisturiser: Lock in hydration with a rich nighttime moisturizer or a sleeping mask. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, or squalane to deeply nourish your skin.

5. Lip care

Don’t forget your lips! A hydrating lip balm or overnight lip mask can prevent dryness and keep them soft.

Essentially, a good nighttime skincare routine is your skin's secret weapon for staying healthy, radiant, and youthful. At night, your skin naturally goes into repair mode, working hard to regenerate cells, boost collagen production, and heal from the day’s wear and tear. This is the ideal time to provide it with the right nutrients, hydration, and treatments. A well-curated nighttime routine removes dirt, oil, and makeup, preventing clogged pores and breakouts.

It also helps address specific concerns like fine lines, dark spots, and uneven texture with targeted products. Plus, deeply hydrating creams and serums can restore moisture levels, leaving your skin plump and refreshed by morning. Without this routine, your skin faces the risk of dullness, premature aging, and a compromised barrier. Think of it as self-care for your skin—working while you sleep so you wake up glowing and ready to take on the day.

Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.

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