I’m Already on My Second Jar of This $135 Estée Lauder Cream
Collage: Bella Geraci; Source images: Estée Lauder, Paige Stables
The phrase “get your beauty sleep” has certainly earned its cliché status—but there is actual science behind those words: “At night, the skin is in a state of repair and regeneration with a higher cellular turnover, improved blood flow to the skin, enhanced moisture retention, and less exposure to external stressors [like UV rays],” says Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Entière Dermatology. “Nighttime skin care should support these natural physiological functions,” says Dr. Levin. Estée Lauder’s new Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Power Bounce Creme Moisturizer was formulated with a really good—and really productive—night’s sleep in mind and has officially earned Allure’s One to Watch title.
Getting a full eight hours isn’t required (though it's still encouraged) to see the glowing—and bouncy—benefits of this luxe new formula by morning. I’ve been taking about 60 seconds (sometimes less when I’m exhausted, sometimes more when I have the time to really sculpt my face with a gua sha tool) to massage on the pillow-soft Estée Lauder cream—which is formulated with a potent peptide, hydrators, and antioxidants (more on those ingredients below)—as the final step in my evening routine.
And there’s no better time to slather it on—from your forehead to your décolletage—than just before you hop under the covers. “[Night creams] provide an opportunity to deliver higher levels of moisturizing ingredients and allow other efficacious additives sufficient time to penetrate the skin by taking advantage of changes in the skin that follow circadian rhythms,” says cosmetic chemist Kelly A. Dobos. (A quick refresher: Circadian rhythms are your body’s internal 24-hour clock.) “The impact of circadian rhythms on the skin may impact the effectiveness of topical skin-care products and nighttime might just be the ideal time to support skin's natural repair mechanisms,” Dobos adds.
Because here’s the reality: As we age, our bodies start to produce less and less collagen, and the quality is lower, board-certified dermatologist Corey L. Hartman previously told Allure. Less collagen means less elasticity…and potentially more lines and more sagging. Plus, day-to-day stress and environmental factors show up on our faces, too, in the form of skin damage (such as those eleven lines between your brows or the spots the sun left behind).
Meet the experts:
Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Entière Dermatology in New York City.
Kelly A. Dobos is a cosmetic chemist.
Corey L. Hartman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist based in Birmingham, Alabama.
Nadine Pernodet, PhD, is senior vice president of bioscience, global R&D, at Estée Lauder.
Marisal Mou is a cosmetic chemist.
The ingredients
While the Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Power Bounce Creme Moisturizer is not the first cream to stay up late and work overnight to “reverse” what happened during the day, extensive research has been infused into the $135 shiny, midnight-blue jar. Estée Lauder has been studying collagen production for 30 years and, with the knowledge that natural collagen production peaks at night, Nadine Pernodet, PhD, senior vice president of bioscience, global R&D, at Estée Lauder and her team strategically combined eight hard-working ingredients (including acetyl hexapeptide-8, moringa extract, hibiscus morning bloom extract, algae extract, sigesbeckia extract, and vitamin E) to create the brand’s proprietary CollaNight-8 blend. “We wanted to boost all the activities necessary to rebuild the protein matrix to fight lines and wrinkles, rebuild firmness, and lift [the skin], which all happens at night,” says Dr. Pernodet.
Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Power Bounce Creme Moisturizer
$135.00, Ulta
With antioxidants, hydrators, anti-inflammatory ingredients, and peptides all packed into this cloudlike cream, you (and your skin) can rest easy. “It’s the combination of functional and efficacious ingredients that makes this product a star,” says cosmetic chemist Marisal Mou, noting that “acetyl hexapeptide-8, moringa, and algae replenish the skin’s natural collagen production.” The peptide acetyl hexapeptide-8, in particular, is a powerhouse and one of “the most efficacious” ingredients on the list, according to Dobos. “Peptides serve as messengers, signaling skin cells to perform specific functions, like the production of collagen or skin repair,” Dobos explains. She adds that acetyl hexapeptide-8 “may help to reduce the appearance of fine lines on the face and neck and has been shown to increase production of Type 1 collagen, which is essential for supple skin and tissue repair.”
The benefits don’t stop there: You’ll find tried-and-true ingredients packed into the cream, including hydrating shea butter, plus antioxidant-rich vitamins E and C. Says Dobos, “Overnight treatments deliver hydration to the skin all night long, reinforcing the skin barrier and restoring skin so it looks and feels fresh in the morning.” And there’s hydrogenated polyisobutene, “an occlusive ingredient that helps seal in moisture and bolsters the skin barrier,” she adds.
How I tested it
Though it goes heavy on hydration and plumping, you would never know from its unique weightless dry down on the skin. (It is infused with a citrusy floral scent that lingers a bit longer and may be irritating if you are sensitive to fragrance.) When you scoop out the cream (I aim for a quarter-size blob) it is ultrarich—much like a weighted blanket—but as you press it into your skin, the formula melts into a silky texture (more like lightweight cashmere). Dobos explains that “polymers and emollients like castor oil have been carefully combined to create a bouncy texture.” And that softness is what we hope our skin will have the next day.
Based on my reflection in the mirror and my skin’s silky feel, it’s working, which is why I’ve already emptied one jar (it took a few months to get to the bottom) and am well into my second. I’m in my early 30s (according to research everywhere, the time when collagen starts to be depleted) and while I don’t have etched lines, I appreciate this cream’s efforts to keep it that way while I get my beauty sleep.
Where to buy it
The pillow-soft Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Power Bounce Creme Moisturizer is $135 and available to shop at Ulta.com.
Discover more skin-care products to keep your skin soft and hydrated.
15 Best Drugstore Moisturizers For Low-Cost, High-Yield Hydration
16 Best Barrier Repair Products to Replenish Dry, Damaged Skin
Now watch Jordan Chiles' daily routine.
Follow Allure on Instagram and TikTok, or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things beauty.
Originally Appeared on Allure
