Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Serum Might Be The Only One You’ll Ever Need

These days, if you spend any time online in any capacity, you probably find yourself bombarded with beauty products. Personally, I’m besieged (happily, I might add) to get ads for all kinds of items that make promises that I tend to find not only bold, but unbelievable. I am, after all, a woman in her early 40s; all those night creams and serums, weight loss promises and tanning lotions and on and on and on are made specifically for my consumption.

So I could be forgiven, then, for eye-rolling over products that seem to make promises they can’t possibly keep. In the case of Estée Lauder’s — the longtime workhorse of the beauty industry — Advanced Night Repair Serum, I’d be wrong.

The serum, which has been considered a holy grail product since its debut in 1982, now promises to “visibly repair tired, stressed skin in just three nights.” Curious to call B.S. on such a claim, I gave it a whirl. And, well, shit, I was very pleasantly surprised with the results.

Stats

• Price: $85, $128, and $255 for 1oz., 1.7oz, and 3.9oz, respectively
• Who it’s for: This product is designed for people who want to brighten and repair their skin, quickly.

The Ingredients

• Night peptide: An exclusive-to-Estee-Lauder ingredient that helps support your skin’s renewal and helps with firming.
• Hyaluronic acid: Helps hydrate the skin and lock in moisture.
• Caffeine: An antioxidant that reduces irritation and helps defend skin from the “visible effects of free radical damage” during the day.

The Results

The brand claims that the product will provide 128% more moisture, create a 14% drop in fine lines and boost elasticity by 10%… overnight. And while I can’t be certain about the fine lines or how rested I looked, I can attest to the boost in radiance and overall suppleness of my skin. In other words, the ingredients somehow do their thing so well that I really did see a change in my skin overnight. It was calmer, more buoyant even.

So I kept using it; they did say it took three days, after all. Curious to understand it all, I reached out to the team at Estée Lauder, as well as Dr. Dara Spearman, dermatologist and owner of Radiant Dermatology Associates. In particular, I wanted to know why it was important to have a nighttime serum — does it really support the skin’s natural day/night rhythm of protection by day and renewal at night?

“When it was first introduced, this was one of the first nighttime serums on the market. It helps repair and rejuvenate the skin, while at nighttime the skin is more likely to repair faster,” she told me via email. “During the day, it helps improve the skin’s protective barrier, allowing it to fight against the sun and UV rays,” she continued. “At night, the Night Peptide boosts the skin’s renewal process, helping it heal faster, and improving the regeneration cycle.”

But, I told her, I’d long thought that you were meant to use different products at night and in the morning. And while yes, she said this is generally true, I’ve noticed that using it both morning and night has had — over the course of a few weeks — had great benefits for my skin.

It also fits nicely into my routine, as it were. I wash my face — currently using Tata Harper’s Clarifying Cleanser, and I put this on right after — then try to gently pat the serum into my skin and let it seep in. Then, once it feels a bit “dry,” I continue with my SPF lotion (Well People Daygleamer Mineral Sunscreen) in the morning, and nighttime moisturizer (Laneige Water Bank Sleeping Mask) in the evening.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• It’s effective in what it says it will do: As I write this, it’s high-allergy season, yet my face isn’t nearly as dry as it usually is this time of year.
• My skin looks plumper and bouncier.
• It simplifies my busy mom routine to have only one product to use at this step both morning and night.
• A little goes a long way.

Cons:

• It’s not cheap, and since you’re using it twice a day, you can go through the product quickly.
• It’s a bit tacky on your hands (but, notably, not your face), so I have found myself washing my hands post-application.

The Final Verdict

This stuff just works. It may be more expensive than what I usually buy, but I can see myself restocking this, especially when the seasons turn come fall. My skin is supple, soft and just looks better and brighter than it did before I started using it. To me, that’s worth all the money in spades.

TL;DR

My bank account will just have to forgive me, because this serum is staying on my bathroom counter for good.

Had To Share highlights the products and finds that Scary Mommy editors and contributors love so much, we just had to share in the group chat.