Ask the Expert: Why do night-time skincare products use different ingredients?

The expert:

Nicci Anstey is global training and education director for British skincare brand Elemis and works with the company’s co-founder Noella Gabriel on treatment and product development.

Our skin behaves differently at night and as such requires certain ingredients to support its activity – skin follows a circadian rhythm overnight, creating waves of activity that trigger cells to perform important processes at
specific times.
While we sleep, our skin is busy with the processes of renewal such as detoxifying, repairing and rebalancing after a busy day, which is why it’s important to use an overnight treatment with a lipid-rich base and ingredients such as marine actives to increase oxygenation.

Our body temperature also changes. We perspire and our skin loses moisture and precious minerals. To counteract this, a night-time treatment needs to provide a rich source of minerals and hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Texture is also important because if you choose something too rich it will block skin from perspiring, causing congestion.
Another factor to consider is the position in which clients sleep because it is the primary cause of static sleep wrinkles. If you sleep with your face pressed up against a pillow it can create compression, inhibiting oxygen flow and causing a crumpled effect in the morning.

Ingredients such as peptides counteract this by supporting the skin’s structure, so clients wake up crease-free.
Even the aromatic of a product should be different. For example, a daytime product might have an uplifting blend to refresh skin in the morning, whereas a night one should have a soothing, relaxing fragrance to help clients unwind.