At the end of the day, it’s night—and here are our favourite morning and night products that do best when paired together.

In the world of skincare, one common question often arises: “Do I really need separate products for day and night?” While it may seem like an unnecessary step, the truth is that your skin has different needs depending on the time of day. Just as our bodies function differently in the morning versus the evening, so does our skin. A single product may offer some benefits, but it won’t necessarily provide the complete care your skin requires throughout a full twenty-four hour cycle. That’s because daytime skincare is primarily about protection, while nighttime skincare product focuses on repair and recovery. Here’s why using both is essential.

Start your day with these morning to night skincare products:

Day Care

During the day, our skin is exposed to environmental aggressors such as UV rays, pollution, and free radicals. That’s why daytime products are specifically formulated to shield and hydrate the skin while keeping it comfortable under make-up. Day-centric products also typically contain SPF to protect against sun damage, as well as antioxidants like vitamins C and E to neutralise harmful free radicals. Additionally, they are often lightweight in texture, ensuring they absorb quickly and provide a smooth base for make-up application. Hydration is another key feature, as the skin loses moisture throughout the day due to external factors. Some great options for daytime skincare include hydrating gels, brightening emulsions, and anti-pollution creams that offer an added layer of defense. However, it’s important to avoid certain ingredients, such as retinol, in your morning routine since they can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Anessa Sun Dual Care Day Serum SPF50+ PA++++

This hybrid sunscreen of both chemical and physical UV filters not only shields the skin from harmful rays but also nourishes it with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and collagen. Infused with plant-based extracts, it helps prevent dryness caused by sun exposure while keeping the skin soft and resilient. The lightweight, serum-like texture blends effortlessly, providing a smooth base for make-up and acts like a primer too.

Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream

The new Clarins Multi-Active collection is all about focusing on keeping skin energised, smooth, and radiant throughout the day. Suitable for all skin types, it features ninety-one percent natural ingredients, including the skin charger complex—a blend of niacinamide and sea holly extract—to strengthen the skin barrier and combat early signs of ageing.

La Mer Moisturizing Fresh Cream

La Mer’s Moisturizing Fresh Cream is ideal for the mornings thanks to its lightweight yet deeply hydrating formula. Designed to calm redness and strengthen the skin’s barrier, it’s infused with New Moisture Matrix Technology and Miracle Broth™ to enhance firmness, reduce fine lines, and protect against environmental stressors.

Shiseido Future Solution LX Universal Defense

Shiseido’s Universal Defense is an essential daytime skincare product from the Future Solution LX range, offering more than just sun protection. With SPF50+/PA++++, it shields skin from UV rays and environmental stress while hydrating to keep the skin smooth, plump, and luminous.

Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Fresh Day Serum

The C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is a highly potent fifteen percent vitamin C serum designed for morning use, offering powerful antioxidant protection while visibly firming and brightening the skin. Freshly mixed before first use, it remains stable and effective for up to a year, ensuring maximum potency. With a gentle pH of 2.5, this formula enhances skin radiance while supporting a more youthful, even-toned complexion.

Dermalogica BioLumin-C Vitamin C Serum

This high-performance serum is designed to brighten, firm, and smooth skin while addressing fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven tone. Unlike most vitamin C treatments, which are typically reserved for nighttime use, this advanced formula is stabilised for daytime wear, offering continuous protection against environmental stressors.

Switching over from your morning routine to the night skincare products:

Night Care

While you sleep, your skin enters a regenerative phase, working to repair damage from the day and produce new cells. Night creams are designed to support this natural renewal process with richer, more intensive formulas that deeply nourish the skin. Textures tend to be thicker, allowing them to penetrate the skin more effectively over several hours. Since they don’t contain SPF, they focus solely on repair and rejuvenation, helping you wake up with smoother, more supple skin.

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For those concerned with signs of ageing, night creams with ingredients like glycerin, tocopherol, and butylene glycol are particularly effective. There are also specialised treatments for mature skin, overnight moisture masks for added hydration, and even beginner-friendly night creams designed for those in their twenties. While it’s not necessarily wrong to use the same moisturiser around the clock, you might be missing out on key benefits that time-specific formulas provide. A night cream’s richer consistency may feel too heavy during the day, while a day cream’s SPF or lightweight texture may not deliver the overnight nourishment your skin craves. If you prefer a simplified routine, opt for a multipurpose moisturiser that offers hydration, protection, and skin-repairing ingredients.

However, if you want to maximise your skincare results, tailoring your regimen to your skin’s changing needs will ensure it stays radiant, resilient, and healthy at all times. At the end of the day—and night—the key to great skin is using the right products at the right time. By giving your skin exactly what it needs, when it needs it, you’ll enjoy a complexion that looks and feels its absolute best.

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What products will you need to achieve perfect skin from morning to night?

Anessa Night Sun Care Serum

Sun care for night time? It exists and it’s maybe something we should be integrating into our routines as soon as possible. The Anessa Night Sun Care Serum is a nighttime elixir designed to restore and hydrate skin affected by UV exposure. It works while you sleep, delivering deep nourishment to improve skin texture and minimise the appearance of wrinkles. Formulated for both face and body, it helps replenish moisture and support skin recovery, leaving it refreshed and revitalised by morning.

Clarins Multi-Active Night Cream

The nighttime version is designed to support the skin’s natural repair process while you sleep. Suitable for all skin types, its rich yet lightweight formula helps restore moisture, smooth texture, and enhance radiance. Infused with Clarins’ anti-pollution complex, it even protects and revitalises stressed skin for a healthier, more luminous complexion.

La Mer Rejuvenating Night Cream

The newest and first ever night cream from La Mer. Its thicker texture is akin to the richness of the Creme De La Mer but instead its formula is crafted to energise skin’s nocturnal renewal mode for a full look of rejuvenation.

Shiseido Future Solution LX  total Regenerating Night Cream

Designed to repair damage from the day and deeply hydrate overnight, this premium collection supports long-term skin health to regenerate the complexion as you sleep. Paired with Universal Defense, it provides a comprehensive skincare regimen that promotes resilience and a luminous complexion, ensuring the skin receives both protection and nourishment.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum

From the C-Firma in the day and once the sun sets its time to switch lanes to Drunk Elephant’s glycolic acid boosted night serum. Always proceed with caution when working with an AHA/BHA, but Drunk Elephant’s reputation for gentle formulas minimises this risk. Its smart blend of exfoliating acids gently lifts away dead skin cells, reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven tone.

Dermalogica BioLumin-C Night Restore

Dermalogica’s new BioLumin-C Night Restore is a powerful overnight serum designed to counteract daily environmental stressors. Throughout the day, skin battles UV rays and pollution, leading to dullness and dehydration. This formula harnesses the power of vitamin C to combat free radicals, while the Pro-Vitamin D Complex supports skin recovery and hydration. As the skin regenerates overnight, the serum works to strengthen the moisture barrier, enhance radiance, and even skin tone.