10 best night oils that hydrate, firm and brighten all skin types

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

For a skin-renewing oil that also helps you unwind at bedtime, look to this impressive formula packed with no less than 23 oils. Before applying, we found inhaling the blend from the palm of our hands instantly promotes calmness thanks to the lavender, ylang-ylang and frankincense – this quickly became a PM ritual.

It also gives skin a helping hand in repair mode as we sleep. Stand-out actives include bakuchiol – a natural alternative to retinol – as well as nourishing avocado and rosehip oils. This literally lulled our tester to sleep at night and helped restore her dehydrated skin back to health leaving it brighter and radiant with ongoing use. And all with such a reasonable price tag.

Best: For a youthful glow

Rating: 9/10

The brand behind a collection of beautiful face oils has this stellar bottle in its line-up. If you’re looking for the skin-rejuvenating results of adding a retinoid to your routine, this uses hydroxypinacolone retinoate, which is known to be more effective than retinol with less irritation.

Vitamin C-packed rosehip and avocado oil are just some of the other ingredients that make up this youth-boosting blend that’s also a delight to smell with its delicate scent of rose. We found a softening to dark spots, fine lines and a definite glow using this consistently for a month. Well worth a skincare splurge.

Best: Alternative to retinol

Rating: 8/10

Look no further than this slick formula if you can’t use retinol formulations. This oil uses bidens pilosa also known as blackjack – a plant-based alternative to retinol to treat signs of ageing.  Other sustainably sourced ingredients include glow-boosting organic rosehip oil and skin-nourishing sea buckthorn oil that combine to produce a natural night oil that we found turned around a dry complexion with just one week of use. After three weeks we noticed even better results, with improvements to firmness too.

Best: For stressed-out skin

Rating: 8.5/10

While the therapeutic benefits of CBD are now well known for medical purposes, there’s also a beauty buzz around its benefits in skincare – thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It cleverly soothes and calms when combined with skin-rejuvenating retinol (although this can cause irritation and sensitivity to the skin for some). Our tester felt zero irritation and after one month’s use, skin felt smoother, pores looked smaller, and pigmentation wasn’t so prominent looking either, we thought.

Best: For uneven skin tone and fine lines

Rating: 9/10

PSA is the more affordable sister brand to beauty editor favourite Allies of Skin, but this night oil proves it’s just as powerful and effective. It contains a superior retinoid, which is purer than retinol and also less irritating to the skin. It’s paired with plant-based alternative bakuchiol that we found made a notable combination, as there was no sensitivity whatsoever when used night after night. Skin looked plumper when layered with a good night cream after just a few days, but give it a month and you’ll notice a softening of dark spots and fine lines, as well as brighter skin tone with pore size reduced too.

Best: For all-round skin rejuvenation

Rating: 9/10

Reach for this cult classic if you’re looking for an effective night oil that’s going to soften fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation and reduce pore size – all the signs of premature skin-ageing. Don’t let the bright blue formula put you off though; it gets its pigment from the blue tansy oil in the blend which is a calming anti-inflammatory, and it vanishes as soon as you massage in the oil anyway.

This is a blend with another next-generation retinoid that when used regularly you will see rejuvenating results over time. Expect to see more youthful skin, as our tester found out, after around four weeks. But the skin-softening and plumping takes effect within days – so much so that we noticed when we skipped using it.

Best: For sensitive skin

Rating: 8/10

From the French skincare brand that prioritises looking after the skin’s microbiome, comes this new skin-repairing oil that’s going to support and protect the skin barrier. It contains top-rated skin-soothers, oat oil and alpha-bisabolol, as well as jojoba oil, vitamin E and natural squalane – plus, rather excitingly, volcanic bacteria.

We found this blend promotes a calmer, more balanced complexion – perfect for skin on the delicate side or if you’ve overdone it using too many active ingredients. Suitable for day and night, our tester loved using it as part of her PM routine to let its restorative magic work overnight.

Best: For mature skin

Rating: 9/10

For next-level hydration, turn to this luxe serum-oil formulation with 30 per cent stabilised vitamin E which gets to work softening and smoothing dry skin instantly. Packed with omega-rich oils, this replenishing formula has stand-out ingredients like jojoba oil – which is known to balance natural oil production and hydrate skin on the dry side – as well as soothing calendula flower that keeps skin calm. The results speak for themselves as our tester’s parched skin would drink up the blend every evening. After using it for two weeks solid, the result was a soft and supple complexion.

Best: For wellness

Rating: 8/10

Press a few drops of this oil onto your face, lie back and close your eyes and you’ll transport yourself into a luxurious spa. Created and developed in the Surrey Hills of England, Tea and Tonic pack their skincare with British-grown actives. Our tester found the Cotswold lavender really stood out and calmed a racing mind before bed. Not only is it comforting, but restoring too as it quickly transformed a dehydrated and tired complexion.

Best: Value

Rating: 8.5/10

This multi-tasking oil is suitable for not only your face but the rest of your body and hair too. That’s because it contains nothing but one of the most talked-about skincare ingredients right now: squalane. And Biossance uses vegan, sustainably sourced squalane derived from sugarcane to fill the bottle with.

We naturally produce less and less of the body’s version (squalene) as we get older, so applying this powerhouse hydrator to your skin will give you instant hydrating results. Plus, give it a week and you’ll notice soft and smoother skin. This limited edition offer is a steal, as it’s a huge 200ml bottle, so there’s plenty to use all over the body. Our tester tried and loved it as a hair mask too, and as a styling product to tame frizz.