Sleeping masks and overnight peels attest to transform your skin in just one good night’s sleep, but can they stand true to their tall claims?
The beauty industry worldwide is currently in its woke era—inclusivity, representation, and transparency have become the driving forces behind the growth of many Gen Z-favourite skincare and beauty brands such as Farmacy, Glow Recipe, CeraVe, e.l.f Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty and the likes. However, despite the positive metamorphosis, there’s still room for the old ways of the cosmetic industry—coaxing people into believing over-exaggerated claims in the quest to attain “ideal” standards of beauty. Whitening face washes and lightening creams are prevalent in the market even today, and so are pore-vanishing face masks.
However, there is a promising category that has made it big, in spite of thriving on the claim of offering skin-bettering benefits overnight—sleeping masks and overnight peels. Infused with deeply nourishing ingredients or chemical actives, products targeted towards overnight repair have been mushrooming, from Laneige’s cult-favourite sleeping masks to overnight peels from skincare houses like Clinique, Elemis, Medik8, Murad Skincare, Augustinus Bader and many more. But can any product treat common skin woes in just a matter of a few hours? We ask three dermatologists to weigh in.
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Fresh Beauty's Black Tea overnight mask has rich and luscious cream texture that fortifies the barrier, firms the skin and makes it plumper over regular use. Image: Instagram.com/freshbeauty
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This gel-based mask from Pharmacy features 10 per cent of niacinamide to decongest pores, regular sebum production and reveal smoother skin. Image: Instagram/farmacybeauty
As mentioned earlier, overnight peels (containing chemical exfoliants) and sleeping masks (containing rich hydrators for deep-level nourishment) are the two products that do the hard work to improve your skin’s look and feel and fortify the barrier while you’re asleep. How does this occur? By the virtue of ingredients that enable the product to do so. While Sethi mentions ingredients like retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), and hyaluronic acid have the potential to provide visible benefits over time, Mumbai-based celebrity dermatologist Dr Madhuri Agarwal names ingredients like retinols, peels with a higher concentration of AHAs and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and hydrating ingredients that are thicker in density (in creamy formulations). However, “the infusion of certain chemical active ingredients may contribute to more immediate results, but the extent of improvement can vary,” explains Sethi. “These products can give benefits of hydration, brightness, and smooth skin but this is temporary, and the effects can wear out within hours if not used consistently.”
Can any product really deliver overnight results?
The honest answer to this question is highly subjective to one’s definition of results. Does your skin feel taut and parched? A ceramide cream will mitigate the dryness the next morning. Are you observing a lot of grime, dirt, and congestion? Using an exfoliative cleanser or face polish will tackle that immediately to some extent. But, can an overnight pimple-remedy assure the disappearance of the zit the next morning? Maybe, maybe not. This means a lot of factors can influence the overnight efficacy of a product—your key skin concern, the characteristics of your skin, and the formulation and purpose of the product.
“Generally, most beauty products cannot significantly improve the overall health or quality of the skin overnight. Achieving and maintaining healthy skin often requires consistent, long-term skincare practices,” says Sethi. However, Agarwal informs that there are no beauty products that improve the quality of the skin overnight as such improvements are often temporary. “Beauty products can offer short-term enhancements like improved hydration or texture. Significant long-term changes in the skin’s health usually require consistent use over time—on an average, it takes about 4-6 weeks of regular usage for skin products to show their results,” shares Sharad.
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Significant long-term changes in the skin’s health usually require consistent use over time—on an average, it takes about 4-6 weeks of regular usage, says Dr Jaishree Sharad. Image: Instagram.com/sulwhasoo_india
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“Overnight benefits are often more subtle, such as improved hydration, smoother texture, or reduced redness,” says Dr Kiran Sethi. Image: Pexels
Setting realistic expectations
While some beauty products may claim to deliver overnight results, it’s essential to approach such claims with a realistic understanding of what these products can achieve in a short period, says Sethi. She begins to exemplify, “Certain overnight products, such as chemical exfoliants (AHAs or BHAs), may promote gentle exfoliation while you sleep. The effects might be apparent when you wake up if your skin has severe build-up, but you will see the most lasting effects over time. Products containing hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or other humectants, can provide immediate hydration to the skin. This can result in a temporary plumping effect, reducing the appearance of fine lines, and giving the skin a smoother texture.” However, she also informs, “Sleeping masks and overnight peels are designed for nighttime use, not necessarily because they work better during the night, but because certain ingredients may be better tolerated or more effective when the skin is at rest. These products often contain active ingredients that work over several hours to address specific skincare concerns.”
“Overnight benefits are often more subtle, such as improved hydration, smoother texture, or reduced redness,” says Sethi. Moreover, when you use a product overnight that is meant for repair, in particular, the skin responds better as there are no external environmental factors or make-up that can obstruct its performance. “The products penetrate the skin and work better during the night and the chances of potential reactivity are also lesser at night as it is an enclosed space—no sunlight and pollution,” says Agarwal. In concurrence, Sharad cites that patience and consistency are the parameters to truly judge the efficaciousness of a product.
“Some products are designed for immediate effects, while others may require more time for cumulative benefits. Follow the recommended usage instructions and set expectations in accordance with the product,” concludes Sethi.
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