Sleeping your way to better skin is actually possible, thanks to the best overnight masks. They’re super-charged, highly concentrated versions of your favorite night cream that’ll leave your skin feeling bouncier than ever before the sun rises. “An overnight mask can help supercharge skin hydration by offering a concentrated dose of moisture, antioxidants, vitamins, and active ingredients to nourish the skin,” says Melanie Palm, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in San Diego. If the thought of slathering on a dense mask before laying your head on your precious silk pillowcase makes you shudder, fret not, because these fast-drying formulations stay on your skin throughout the night so your pores can enjoy every drop. No gatekeeping here: Below, our editors share their all-time favorite overnight masks for bright, bouncy skin by morning.
Suitable for all skin types (including sensitive!), the EltaMD Skin Recovery Night Mask is our favorite shortcut to smoother, softer skin by the a.m. As this rich, custardy cream features a cocktail of ingredients to address a multitude of skin concerns on our beauty checklist, including tone-brightening ginger root extract and soothing bisabolol to calm redness. As its fast-absorbing formula seeps into your skin, you’ll also be treated to EltaMD’s proprietary AA Complex, a blend of amino acids that support damaged areas of the skin barrier to prevent moisture loss and calm skin. Its soothing formula feels cooling and calming the moment it touches your skin, and its moisturizing properties are great for minimizing dryness—although we found in our testing that it doesn’t leave behind a greasy feel on oilier skin types.
“Whenever my skin is sending up an SOS situation—a hormonal breakout needs calming, or I got more sun than usual—I swap my usual moisturizer for this mask,” says contributing editor Deanna Pai, who struggles with acne and dark spots. “It dries in about 30 seconds with zero residue, which is a major plus, and I find that my skin is less red and more radiant by morning.”
