The Best Sleeping Masks To Brighten And Hydrate Mature Skin
Who doesn’t want to wake up looking ten times better than they did when they went to sleep? That’s the beauty of products that work overnight. And when it comes to addressing the needs of mature skin (think duller, dryer skin with less defined contours), a sleeping mask can be a great addition to your skin care routine.
Vogue’s pick of the best sleeping masks for mature skin at a glance:
If you’ve not used a sleeping mask before, you might not be familiar with what they do, so let us break it down for you. A sleeping mask is essentially an intensive overnight treatment that works to support skin’s natural overnight repair systems while you sleep. This can be everything from boosting hydration, DNA repair and improving cell turnover to increasing radiance and collagen production.
Scroll on to discover the best sleeping masks for mature skin, along with an explanation of what they are and how they work.
In this article:
Best for jet-lagged skin: Aesop Sublime Replenishing Night Masque
Aesop
Sublime Replenishing Night Masque
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A great option for periodically fatigued-looking skin, Aesop’s Sublime Replenishing Night Masque is packed with vitamins B, C, E and F, which help restore lost moisture levels and balance the health of skin if it’s a bit out of kilter. Although deeply hydrating, the mask itself has a gel cream texture which feels lightweight, so it’s also ideal for travelling, especially to warmer climes.
- Ingredients: Vitamins B, C, E, frankincense, saccharide isomerate
Best intensive sleeping mask: Naturium Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream
Naturium
Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Dry, thirsty skin will drink up this intensely hydrating overnight mask. Full of nutrient-rich ingredients like squalane, kakadu plum and plant-based triglycerides, the rich cream formula can be layered on thickly while you sleep and helps you wake the next morning with skin that is nourished, moisturised and brighter than ever.
- Ingredients: Squalane, kakadu plum, plant-based triglycerides
Best peel-off mask: Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask
Medicube
Collagen Night Wrapping Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: It may be a viral sensation on TikTok, but this collagen mask is also a great addition to any mature skincare routine. Infused with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerine, there’s also the aforementioned collagen to support firmer skin, as well as niacinamide, which helps to even tone and texture. The fact that it’s fun to use and peels off the next morning is an added bonus.
- Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid and glycerine, collagen, niacinamide
Best for vitamin A users: Medik8 Advanced Night Restore
Medik8
Advanced Night Restore
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: If you’re suffering from dry, flaky, red or irritated skin, it’s likely your skin barrier has been compromised. Although this is a night cream, we love applying it in a thicker layer just before bed and letting it soak in overnight, leaving the complex of ceramides to do their job. The result is skin that looks visibly plumper and more refreshed, as well as more even and less angry-looking. It’s also a great cream to apply if you’re a frequent user of vitamin A and enjoy a little extra cushioning after application.
- Ingredients: Midnight Antioxidant Complex, ceramides
Best for visible ageing: Augustinus Bader The Face Cream Mask
Augustinus Bader
The Face Cream Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: To tackle classic signs of ageing like dullness, dryness and dark spots in one swoop, this luxurious cream mask will come up trumps. Infused with the brand’s signature TFC8 technology, the formula helps support skin’s natural collagen production as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and brighten hyperpigmentation.
- Ingredients: TFC8 complex
Best nourishing sleeping mask: Elemis Superfood Midnight Facial
Elemis
Superfood Midnight Facial
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: An absolute pleasure to use from start to finish, this refreshing gel cream helps drench skin that’s dull and dehydrated in moisture. As well as containing potent sources of vitamin C and extracts which are rich in omega fatty acids, the cream also contains banana flower extract, which has plenty of prebiotic properties to keep the skin’s microbiome happy and healthy. It also contributes to the dreamy scent which envelops you as you drift off to sleep.
- Ingredients: Camu camu, cocoa butter, banana flower extract
Best for bouncier skin: Bubble Over Night Hydrating Sleep Mask
Bubble
Over Night Hydrating Sleep Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A well-formulated and affordable overnight mask, try this if you’re looking for boosted hydration and a more refined skin texture. Designed to be used once or twice a week, it contains a gentle acid complex to slough away dead cells and promote fresher-looking skin, as well as moisture-binding ingredients and arnica to soothe redness and inflammation.
- Ingredients: Maple sap, mandelic acid, kojic acid, sodium PCA, biosaccharide gum, arnica
Best for oily skin: Boots Collagen Sleep Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: This own-brand Collagen Sleep Mask is formulated with a host of ingredients, including marine collagen, all of which can help improve firmness and boost elasticity overnight. The lightweight sleep mask isn’t as rich as some others, which might be good for oily skin, but it still offers enough hydration so that you wake looking refreshed.
- Ingredients: Marine soluble collagen, glaucine, red algae extract
Best for very dry skin: Byoma Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask
Byoma
Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A great peel-off option if you don’t like the idea of single-use masks, this gel-textured facial treatment uses actives like a tri ceramide complex to boost elasticity, improve plumpness and increase hydration to give skin a glass-like finish in around 20 minutes. You’ll know that the mask is ready to peel off when the pink turns clear.
- Ingredients: Bio-collagen, tri-ceramide complex
Best for firming: Fresh Black Tea Peptide Firming Overnight Mask
Fresh
Black Tea Peptide Firming Overnight Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A great sleeping mask for anyone concerned with firming and lifting sagging skin. Harnessing the potency of black tea extract as well as peptides, this formula helps soften fine lines and wrinkles, improve the elasticity and therefore improve the contours of the face. A ceramide complex also helps boost lipid production in the skin, which contributes to a more youthful-looking appearance.
- Ingredients: Mauritian black tea extract, verbena peptide, ceramide NP
Best for luxurious texture: Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask
Sisley
Velvet Sleeping Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: If a luxurious texture is one of your priorities in an overnight mask, then you can’t go wrong with this pampering formula from the luxury French brand. Formulated to support skin’s natural night-time activity, the mask is full of nourishing, hydrating and skin barrier-strengthening extracts. It’s also great if you suffer from patches of irritation or flaky skin, helping to make skin feel like new come morning.
- Ingredients: Thyme, honey, macadamia, cottonseed extracts, shea butter, kokum butter, saffron flower extract
Best for a thick night cream: Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon
Dermalogica
Sound Sleep Cocoon
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Although technically a night cream, the Sound Sleep Cocoon is a cleverly formulated gel cream that is best used in a thick layer on skin overnight. As well as using actives that are rich in vitamin C for a more even skin tone and a more hydrated appearance, it also uses neurocosmetic technology. This is enacted by adding encapsulated, motion-activated French lavender, patchouli and sandalwood essential oils, all of which help induce relaxation and calm before bed.
- Ingredients: Kakadu plum extract, tamarind seed polysaccharide
FAQs
What is a sleeping mask?
A sleeping mask is a specially formulated overnight treatment, primarily designed to support skin’s overnight repair processes and boost hydration while you sleep. Some may vary with the addition of ingredients like lactic acid, which is good for gentle exfoliation and skin texture refinement, so you must have a skin goal in mind when choosing the best sleeping mask for your skin. Mature skin in general tends to be drier and thinner, so a sleeping mask can be a nice addition to your skincare routine if it contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and collagen-boosting actives. Think of a sleeping mask as the ultimate multitasker, doing the hard work for you while you snooze.
How does it differ from a night cream?
While night creams tend to be daily use hydrating and barrier-repairing moisturisers that prevent water loss, sleeping masks are a more intensive treatment. They are also likely to contain higher concentrations of active ingredients so that they can work harder for you while you’re asleep.
What ingredients should I look for in a sleeping mask?
Just as with any skincare product, look carefully at the ingredients and judge based on what your skin needs. Most sleeping masks contain hydrating ingredients as standard, such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, but there are also those that contain additional brightening ingredients like niacinamide, barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides and skin rejuvenating ingredients like peptides.
How often can I use a sleeping mask?
How often you use a sleeping mask depends entirely on the product itself and your skin goals. While some sleeping masks are purely about hydration and repair and can be used every night while you sleep, others may instruct you to use them two to three times a week. Always check the usage guidelines on your product.