These overnight face masks improve the health and appearance of your skin without ruining your pillowcase.
From dry skin to stubborn acne, overnight face masks have a wide range of skin-healing benefits. Not to mention they can often tackle skin care concerns that quick 30-minute masks can’t. Because you wear them overnight, their enriching ingredients are given a true fighting chance to seep into your skin and mitigate problem areas for a full 6 to 8 hours.
People who experience dry skin, loss of elasticity and signs of aging, or dull, uneven skin tone may benefit most from overnight face masks, says Divya Shokeen, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist at Ocean Skin and Vein Institute. The mask that’ll benefit you most will be one that includes the correct ingredients to address your specific skin concerns. For example, people who need a hydration boost should look for hyaluronic acid and ceramides while people who want to combat signs of aging should opt for ingredients like retinol and vitamin C.
To help you find the best overnight face mask for your specific needs, we tested 23 of the top masks available today. Editors from our team applied each face mask at least three times a night for a minimum of two weeks and took note of expert-guided criteria such as ingredients and corresponding skin type. Then we rated each product based on attributes such as application, feel, effectiveness, and price.
Best Overall: Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask
Why We Like It: It’s packed full of hydrating ingredients that reduce dullness, uneven skintone, and dryness without leaving residue on your pillowcase.
It’s Worth Noting: We would’ve preferred the product cam with an applicator instead of having to apply it with our hands.
This rich, creamy overnight face mask takes our top spot because it gave our editor a hydrated glow, improved her uneven skin tone, and brightened up dull areas. We love its thick, buttery texture that melts into the skin without leaving any greasy residue (meaning you can avoid unsightly stains on your pillowcases).
While this mask isn’t fragrance-free, which we tend to prefer, its scent is light, and citrusy, and doesn’t overpower so it shouldn’t disturb you or a partner as you fall asleep. After using this facemask for two weeks, our skin felt smoother, softer, and firmer. We also loved the dewy glow it gave the cheeks—our editor even stopped applying highlighter during the day!
The only thing we would change about this face mask is the packaging. We wished the cylindrical jar was a bit rounder or included an applicator spoon so we could reach the bottom a little easier. And though it’s on the pricier side, we think the way it leaves your skin feeling the next morning is well worth the price.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Maqui, vitamin C, prickly pear, squalane, hyaluronic acid
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 2oz or 0.5oz
- Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination, and oily
Best Budget: Burt’s Bees Hydrating Overnight Face Mask
Why We Like It: It left us feeling hydrated, improved breakouts, and went on smoothly, all for a very affordable price.
It’s Worth Noting: If the scent of avocado isn’t your thing, this may not be the face mask for you.
This Burt’s Bees overnight facemask is chock-full of hydrating ingredients and probiotics to feed your skin what it needs as you sleep. When we tested it, we were impressed by how quickly it absorbed into our skin and how it didn’t leave any residue on our bedding—yet kept us feeling hydrated all night long.
We loved that it was creamy without being sticky, didn’t cause our editor to break out (which he’s prone to), and even improved the visibility of the bags under his eyes after two weeks of testing. Though we loved the yummy scent of avocado, it may not be the right fragrance for everyone. If you’re sensitive to scents or just don’t like the smell of avocado, opt for another budget-friendly option on this list.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Avocado oil, coconut oil, beeswax, probiotics
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 0.57oz or 2.5oz
- Skin Type: Normal, dry
Best for Uneven Texture: Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment
Why We Like It: It has a thin consistency that dries quickly and washes off in seconds, and it provides immediate results that improve skin texture.
It’s Worth Noting: If you have sensitive skin you may want to only use it two to three times per week.
Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow AHA Night Treatment produces visible results in just one night. After only a single snooze with this mask on our face, we were shocked by how smooth our skin felt. Our editor, who suffers from stubborn texture on her skin, noticed this face mask evened out her skin texture in just one night when all other products she’s tried have failed.
This face mask gave us brighter, plumper, more hydrated looking skin, too. It’s formula is a thin, jelly-like consistency that glides lightly onto the skin, which is great for anyone who doesn’t like sleeping in heavy creams.
The only downside to the strength of this superpowered face mask is that it may cause irritation to some if used too frequently. Our editor noticed some redness when she tried to use this mask every other day. But once she reduced application to every three days the redness subsided. We recommend starting with two applications per week and working up to three times a week.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: AHA/glycolic complex, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, quinoa peptide, watermelon enzymes
- Formula: Gel
- Size: 25ml or 60ml
- Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination, and oily
Best Soothing: Fresh Floral Recovery Redness Reducing Overnight Mask
Why We Like It: Its thick, creamy texture was soothing on the skin and left us feeling hydrated.
It’s Worth Noting: It takes a while to absorb into the skin.
After two weeks of using the Fresh Floral Recovery Redness Reducing Overnight Mask, our skin felt more hydrated and looked more even. Its super rich, creamy texture felt smooth, silky, and nourishing on our skin. And we loved that the fresh, natural scent was light and didn’t bother us at all as we tried to fall asleep.
Be aware that this face mask is pretty thick and takes about 10 minutes to fully absorb into the skin. For that reason, make sure to apply it well before laying down for bed so you avoid staining your bedding. It also may not be the best option for those who suffer from acne-prone skin.
Price at time of publication: $28 for 30ml or $69 for 100ml
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Floral extracts (passionflower, cornflower, cherry blossom, and peony), vitamin C, and squalane
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 30ml or 100ml
- Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination, and oily
Best for Acne: Sisley Paris Velvet Sleeping Mask
Why We Like It: It tackles both acne and dryness to smooth and soften skin.
It’s Worth Noting: It’s pretty pricey, but we think it’s worth it.
The Sisley Paris Velvet Sleeping Mask with Saffron Flowers is perfect for anyone who experiences acne as well as dry skin. Our editor, who is a long-time sufferer of acne, noticed her acne cleared up completely in the time she tested this face mask. It noticeably improved smoothness, softness, dryness, and blemishes.
We love that it’s light and doesn’t leave a trace of residue behind, making it safe for your bedding. While it does have a slight lavender scent, we didn’t find it overpowering. And though it’s one of the most expensive options on this list, the fact that it improves both acne and dryness at once, makes it worth the price in our book.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Thyme honey, shea butter, macadamia oil, cottonseed oil, kokum butter, Japanese Lilyturf, and Padina pavonica extracts
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 60ml
- Skin Type: Dry, acne-prone
Best for Combination Skin: Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Invigorating Sleeping Mask
Why We Like It: This product isn’t too thick or too thin, it’s just right, and it leaves your skin feeling smooth and refreshed.
It’s Worth Noting: It’s one of the most expensive options on this list.
We love the Sulwhasoo Timetreasure overnight face mask for combination skin because it hydrates, smooths, and firms without being so thick it’ll clog your pores. It absorbs quickly (in one to two minutes), doesn’t leave behind any residue, and we found it layered nicely with other products like retinol.
One of our favorite things about this product is that it comes with a super soft applicator brush that feels wonderfully soothing on the skin. And when we tested, we found that our skin felt calmer in the morning—and less likely to breakout. While this product is quite expensive, we think it’s a great option for those looking to tackle multiple skin concerns at once.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Concentrated Korean red pine, Korean herbal extracts
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 80ml
- Skin Type: All skin types, especially dry and/or mature skin
Best Hydrating: Saturday Skin Yuzu Vitamin C Sleep Mask
Why We Like It: It left our skin feeling softer and brighter after just one night of use, and it’s affordable to boot.
It’s Worth Noting: The included applicator is too small, while the product container is larger than it needs to be.
We were impressed that Saturday Skin’s Yuzu Vitamin C overnight face mask left our skin feeling softer and brighter after a single night. While it does have a citrus scent, it’s not overpowering and becomes undetectable within minutes.
It’s worth noting that the product leaves particles of yuzu on the skin, but we personally liked that aspect as it reminded us to wash it off in the morning. It’s also quite thick, but we felt that was necessary to keep the yuzu particles in place (we were glad to see they weren’t sliding off our face and into our bed). While we didn’t notice any improvement in acne with this mask, the hydration was so strong we noticed a reduction in fine lines. The editor that tested this product described it as a “facial in a bottle” and loved it so much, she made her mom try it too.
If we had to change something about this face mask, it would be the packaging. We found the container it came in took up more room than necessary on our bathroom counter and the C-shaped applicator was so tiny, it was difficult to use.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Yuzu extract and retinol (vitamin A)
- Formula: Gel
- Size: 50ml
- Skin Type: Normal, oily, combination, and dry
Best Anti-Aging: Augustinus Bader The Face Cream Mask
Why We Like It: It absorbs quickly and leaves the skin feeling firm, soft, and bright.
It’s Worth Noting: The small spatula-like applicator was difficult to use, so we applied it with our fingers.
After using this Augustinus Bader face mask, we noticed brighter, firmer, more even skin. While we didn’t experience any life-changing differences in elasticity or deep wrinkles, we know there’s only so much you can expect from a topical cream. And we were pleased with how balanced our skin looked and felt. Our editor even received compliments on how youthful her skin looked while using this product.
We love that it doesn’t have a scent, so it won’t keep you up at night. It absorbs incredibly fast (within seconds!), which is great for your pillowcase, but also means you need to work a little quickly when applying to make sure you distribute it evenly. While it does come with an applicator, we didn’t particularly like using it because it was hard to use and made us feel like it was wasting product.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Swiss grape and polysaccharide complex, ginseng extract, vitamin C
- Formula: Cream
- Size: 50ml
- Skin Type: All skin types
Best for Sensitive Skin: Farmacy 10% Niacinamide Night Mask
Why We Like It: It’s gentle on the skin while it hydrates, reduces redness, and gives a subtle glow.
It’s Worth Noting: It’s thick and takes up to 10 minutes to fully absorb.
Our editor, who has sensitive skin and suffers from irritation with certain products, loved this overnight face mask because it was gentle while also providing noticeable results. We noticed a reduction in redness around the nose, improved hydration, and a glowing complexion while using this mask.
While it didn’t seem to reduce the size of pores as it advertises, it definitely evened out skin texture overall and improved smoothness. We also love how it makes your skin feel plump in the morning. It’s worth noting that because it’s quite thick it takes a while to dry, so make sure to apply it well before bed.
Product Details:
- Ingredients: Niacinamide, panthenol, beta-glucan, blueberry seed oil
- Formula: Gel
- Size: 25ml or 50ml
- Skin Type: All skin types
Our Testing Process
To find the best overnight face masks available today, we spoke to experts about what to look for when shopping for a quality product. They discussed things like the benefits and drawbacks of overnight face masks, as well as what ingredients are worthwhile and which ones you should avoid. Experts we spoke to include:
- Bradley Glodny, MD, board-certified dermatologist in New York City
- Dr. Divya Shokeen, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist at Ocean Skin and Vein Institute
- Peter Young, MD, Medical Director at Nurx Dermatology
Then, our editors from the Health team personally tested 23 face masks at least three times per week for two weeks minimum. We carefully noted things like it’s consistency, whether or not it left residue, it’s scent and how our skin felt in the morning. We narrowed down our final list on expert-guided criteria such as application, feel and effectiveness.
What to Know About Overnight Face Masks
Ingredients
When shopping for an overnight face mask, it’s important to consider what you’re using it for— like acne, dry skin, dark spots, or anti-aging. Dr. Young recommends looking for ingredients like salicylic acid, retinol, or alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid if you’re hoping to reduce acne or oily skin.
On the other hand, if your skin is dry and you’re hoping to add hydration, Dr. Young says to keep an eye out for hyaluronic acid and ceramides. If your goal is to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, the best overnight face mask for you will include ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, and alpha hydroxy acids. Lastly, if you’re hoping to target pigmentation or dark spots, look for ingredients like kojic acid, tranexamic acid, and licorice root extract.
If you have sensitive skin, however, Dr. Shokeen recommends avoiding fragrances. Likewise, she warns to look out for alcohol (which can be drying) and pore-clogging ingredients like mineral oil, petrolatum, and lanolin (particularly if you have acne-prone or oily skin).
Benefits of Overnight Face Masks
The benefits of overnight face masks come down to what ingredients are in your product and what you’re using it for. Possible benefits include alleviation of redness, acne, or abnormal pigmentation, says Bradley Glodny, MD, board-certified dermatologist in New York City. However, the most common benefit of a quality face mask is enhanced hydration, he explains.
Dr. Shokeen also mentions that overnight face masks are great for skin repair and regeneration because your skin will be more receptive to the face mask’s ingredients at night time. That means your skin can improve from the regenerative properties of overnight masks.
Drawbacks of Overnight Face Masks
A potential downside to overnight face masks is the fact that you need to wear them, well, overnight. Dr. Glodny warns that some masks leave behind stains or residue on your pillowcase or bedding. And if the texture bothers you as you try to fall asleep, keeping you awake at night, it’s most likely doing more harm than good, as sleep is the most important thing to prioritize when it comes to your skin and overall health, Dr. Glodny adds. He recommends people avoid maks with strong fragrances for this reason—as the scent can potentially disturb your sleep.
More Overnight Face Masks to Consider
While these overnight face masks didn’t make our list, they may still be of interest to you:
- Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial Mask: This face mask absorbs quickly and goes gently onto the skin. But we didn’t see any noticeable results in our skin texture, brightness, or hydration after using it for two full weeks.
- COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask: This product layers really well and dries down quickly in a short 10 to 15 seconds. However, we didn’t love the tacky layer it left on our skin after drying and we didn’t feel like it produced any significant change in our skin other than making it feel a tad more hydrated.
- Cocokind Resurfacing Sleep Mask: While this overnight face mask helped with texture (our skin was definitely softer), it left a sticky, tacky feeling on our skin after application, which we didn’t love. It also caused some pilling when we tried to layer it with other products.
Your Questions, Answered
Which overnight face mask is best?
The best overnight face mask for you will depend on your skin type and your needs. If you’re hoping to improve brightness, uneven skintone, or dryness, we recommend Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask which left our skin feeling smoother, firmer, and moisturized after just two weeks of testing. If you’re searching for a product that will target acne, Sisley Paris Velvet Sleeping Mask with Saffron Flowers is a great option for fighting blemishes while you sleep.
Is an overnight face mask good for your face?
Dr. Young says that overnight face masks can be a great addition to your skin care routine if used correctly with the right ingredients for your skin type. He recommends purchasing a product that targets your particular skin type’s need such as hydration, anti-aging, or acne treatment. For hydration, look out for ingredients like hyaluronic acid or ceramides. For anti-aging needs, shoot for retinol and vitamin C. Lastly, for acne look for ingredients like salicylic acid, retinol, and benzoyl peroxide.
Do you wash off overnight face masks?
Yes, most overnight face masks should be washed off when you wake up after 6 to 8 hours of use, Dr. Glodny tells Health. To be sure, check the packaging’s instructions and follow as directed.
