Short answer: Not everyone needs two, but the idea behind them is sound. During the day, skin needs protection and a texture that sits well under sunscreen and makeup. At night, measured water loss tends to be higher and skin is not in the sun, so many people use a richer cream then, and it is when ingredients such as retinol are generally used. Day creams are commonly lighter and night creams commonly richer, but that is a convention rather than a rule; the right texture depends on the formulation, your skin and the product’s directions. If you only want one moisturizer, choose one your skin is comfortable with around the clock and add sunscreen in the morning. If your skin feels dry by morning or greasy by noon, two creams may suit you better than one.

That is the decision. Here is what sits behind it.

What changes between day and night

Your skin is not doing the same thing at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. A study that measured skin every two hours around the clock found a daily rhythm in how much water evaporates through the skin: it is higher in the evening and at night than in the morning. That is one argument for a richer product at night, when measured water loss is higher and there is more time for a cream to sit undisturbed.

During the day, the priorities flip. The sun is up, so protection comes first. You may be wearing makeup, so the cream underneath needs to be light and quick to settle. And you are moving, sweating and touching your face, so a heavy cream tends to slide.

What a day cream is for

A day cream is commonly a lighter moisturizer built to sit under sunscreen, or in some cases to contain sunscreen itself. It typically hydrates without shine, settles fast, and often includes antioxidants, which is a sensible thing to have on skin that is about to spend the day in light and air.

If your day cream has an SPF number on it, it is regulated as a sunscreen and should be applied the way a sunscreen is: generously, and reapplied when you are outdoors. A thin layer of any SPF product gives less protection than the number suggests; apply it as generously as the directions say. If it does not have SPF, a separate broad-spectrum sunscreen goes on top. Do You Need Sunscreen Every Day? makes the case.

What a night cream is for

A night cream is commonly richer. It often has more of the smoothing and sealing ingredients that slow water loss, which is useful in the hours when measured water loss tends to be highest. It is not fighting makeup or shine, so it can afford to be heavier, though how rich it should be depends on the formulation, your skin and the product’s directions. Night is also when certain ingredients are generally used.

Retinol is the obvious one. It is generally used at night; follow the directions for your own product, and wear broad-spectrum sunscreen during the day. Many exfoliating acids are also used in the evening. A night cream applied over them adds comfort. How to Choose a Retinol Serum explains the timing.

Do you need two?

Two jars are not always necessary. The two situations are real: protection and a texture that works under sunscreen by day, and an undisturbed stretch of hours by night. Whether that calls for two products, and how light or rich each should be, depends on your skin and on the formulations you are using.

One cream is probably enough if your skin is comfortable all day and all night with the same product, and you are happy adding sunscreen in the morning.

Two creams make sense if your skin feels dry or tight by morning on your day cream, or your night cream is too heavy under makeup, or you use retinol or acids at night and want something richer over them.

Mature skin, which tends to make less oil and lose water more easily, often falls into the second group. How to Choose a Moisturizer for Mature Skin goes into the texture question.

How to use them

Morning: rinse or cleanse, toner or antioxidant spray, any serum, day cream, sunscreen. Evening: cleanse, toner or antioxidant spray, any serum or treatment, night cream. Esenté’s recommended routine is to apply moisturizer following the toner or antioxidant mist, while the skin is still slightly damp. That is Esenté’s approach rather than a rule about how moisturizer works; follow the directions on your own products. Skincare Order and Product Storage lays out the full sequence, and What Does Toner Actually Do? explains the toner step.

Victoria’s approach

Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare and Younger You Clinique, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2004 and is an experienced skincare educator. In the Esenté routine, a toner or antioxidant spray follows every cleanse, morning and night. Victoria draws on her professional experience at Younger You Clinique when evaluating skincare products and their performance.

Esenté makes the pair: the Hydra Day Crème and the Hydra-Plus Night Crème, along with the Night Renewal Set. Both are developed collaboratively by Victoria Nash with Esenté’s professional formulation and manufacturing partners, with Victoria providing product direction, ingredient research, professional-use feedback and performance requirements. Esenté recommends a clean cosmetic spatula for any cream taken from a jar. If you are deciding whether one cream or two suits your skin, the Ask Victoria page is the place to ask.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need both a day cream and a night cream?

Not necessarily. One moisturizer your skin is comfortable with, plus morning sunscreen, works for many people. Two creams may suit skin that feels dry by morning, or greasy under makeup, or that uses retinol or acids at night.

What is the difference between day cream and night cream?

Commonly, day cream is lighter, sits under sunscreen and makeup, and often contains antioxidants, while night cream is richer and slows water loss during the hours when it tends to be highest. Those are typical formulation approaches rather than rules; the right texture depends on the formulation, your skin and the product’s directions.

Can I use night cream during the day?

You can, if it is comfortable under makeup, though it will not protect you from the sun. If it contains retinol, follow the product’s directions; retinol is generally used at night.

Can I use day cream at night?

Yes, if your skin is comfortable with it by morning. If it has SPF, there is no benefit to wearing that overnight.

Why does skin lose more water at night?

Skin’s water loss follows a daily rhythm, measured in people as higher in the evening and at night than in the morning. That is one reason a richer cream at night makes sense.

Should I apply cream to damp skin?

Esenté recommends it. In the Esenté routine, moisturizer follows the toner or antioxidant mist while the skin is still slightly damp. That is Esenté’s recommended approach; follow the directions on your own product.

About the author. Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare and Younger You Clinique, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2004 and is an experienced skincare educator.

Reviewed by Victoria Nash, licensed aesthetician and founder of Esenté Skincare & Younger You Clinique. This article is educational and is not medical advice. Ask your dermatologist or licensed skincare professional about products appropriate for your own skin and medical history.