This Barrier-Boosting Night Cream Is A Cult-Favorite For A Reason — & It’ll Make Your Skin *So* Healthy & Strong

Even though the never-ending stream of brand launches and product offerings would have you believe otherwise, a more complicated skin care routine doesn’t necessarily mean it will be more effective. Instead, focusing on being consistent with a few products that are formulated with science-backed ingredients will deliver more meaningful results. That’s the philosophy behind U.K.-based brand Medik8, which set out with the goal of demystifying skin care by bringing the attention back to the basics. While that translates to a vitamin C product and sunscreen in the morning, in the evening, Medik8 believes in targeting and restoring the skin with a vitamin A serum and nourishing moisturizer. The brand’s Advanced Night Ceramide was designed to be used as the final step in your nighttime routine, helping to restore the skin barrier and improve smoothness and firmness in just seven days (according to Medik8’s independent consumer study).

As with all of Medik8’s products, the night cream is vegan, cruelty-free, and made without common irritants and questionable additives like fragrances, dyes, parabens, and phthalates. If you’re looking for a new nightly moisturizer, keep reading to learn more about the key ingredients behind Medik8’s best-selling formula, as well as the four additional products that complete the brand’s guide to a full evening skin care routine.

Medik8 Advanced Night Ceramide

Designed to be used as the final step in your nighttime skin care routine, Medik8’s Advanced Night Ceramide Signature Night Cream was formulated to help replenish skin while you sleep. As its name suggests, the primary ingredient behind the moisturizer is a complex of several ceramides that work together to support a strong, healthy skin barrier. Not only do these ceramides help to create a protective barrier that keeps out bacteria and reduces the chance of irritation, but they also help your skin retain moisture. Because ceramides are a type of lipid that are naturally found in the skin, they can (and should!) be used by all skin types, but you may find them especially helpful if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Also included in the night cream is an antioxidant-rich complex of peptides, dragon fruit extract, and saskatoon berry extract to help plump up skin, brighten, and add more protection against damaging factors like pollution and UV exposure. And finally, there’s N-acetyl glucosamine, which Medik8 says is helpful for boosting the benefits of any retinoid products in your routine.

Complete Your Evening Skin Care Routine

Whether you’re new to a skin care routine or looking to make adjustments to your existing regimen, Medik8 makes the whole thing simpler with their selection of carefully formulated products. Here’s a look at a full nightly lineup:

Medik8 Micellar Mousse

Washing your face at the end of the day is essential because it removes makeup and sunscreen in addition to clearing your pores of the dead skin cells and oil that accumulate throughout the day. This Micellar Mousse caters to all skin types with its gentle fo am texture that combines moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and moringa seed extract with cleansing spheres called micelles. While micelles are known for their ability to grab onto makeup and oils, Medik8 infuses its micelles with olive oil to deliver a dose of nourishment to the skin.

Medik8 Press & Glow Daily Exfoliating PHA Tonic

Regularly exfoliating helps to remove the dead skin cells that can leave your complexion looking dull and even contribute to acne. But it can also be drying if you exfoliate too often or use exfoliants that are too harsh, which is why Medik8 formulated its Press & Glow toner with gluconolactone. Part of a group of chemical exfoliants known as polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), gluconolactone has become increasingly popular over the last several years because it provides mild exfoliation while also helping to hydrate the skin. Combined with brightening and soothing ingredients like prickly pear extract, aloe vera, and acai extract, the toner should be applied after cleansing and can be used several times a week or even every day depending on how your skin tolerates it.

Medik8 HYDR8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum

Next up, you’ll want to start restoring hydration to your skin with a serum like Medik8’s HYDR8 B5 serum. The fragrance-free formula uses panthenol (aka vitamin B5) and hyaluronic acid to draw moisture to your skin and help leave it feeling softer and looking more plump.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal

Just before applying your moisturizer, Medik8 also recommends using a product with vitamin A (commonly referred to as a retinoid or retinol). While prescription-strength retinoids (and even weaker over-the-counter retinols) are beloved by dermatologists for their ability to improve skin texture and tone by increasing skin cell turnover and boosting collagen production, they’re also notoriously irritating. That’s why Medik8’s Crystal Retinal uses an encapsulated form of the vitamin A ingredient, which slows down the rate of retinol absorption in the skin to minimize the risk of irritation. The beauty award-winner is further customizable because Medik8 offers the product in five different strengths so that those with sensitive skin can use the serum, as well as those who have worked their way up to a stronger retinol tolerance. If you’re new to the Crystal Retinal, Medik8 recommends phasing the product in by applying the serum twice a week for two weeks and gradually building up to nightly use as your skin begins to tolerate it.