Welcome to Robb Recommends, a regular series in which our editors and contributors endorse something they’ve tried and loved—and think will change your life for the better.
The best way to see results with your skincare regimen is to use specific products in the daytime, and others with your pre-bed routine. Case in point, the absolute best nighttime serum, in my book, is also one of this year’s best product launches. It’s the debut product from Nocturnal: Polar Night Renewal Serum.
This product has been a mainstay in my regime since I first tried it in the spring. I’m a guy who receives just about every product under the sun for work, so I’m often layering three or four serums to incorporate all of their different benefits; really, I love it when I can get everything from one singular serum.
Which is why I adore Nocturnal so much: I’m going to blame their hero ingredient, gold-encapsulated peptides (these are “signal peptides”), which deliver a sustained release of active ingredients as you slumber. These components are encased in gold to prevent any oxidization or enzymatic breakdown. A second type of peptide (“smart carrier peptides”) specifically binds to the cells that synthesize collagen and elastin. This duo of signal and carrier peptides is what gives Nocturnal replenishing abilities—and ones that last the entirety of your slumber, as opposed to wearing off within the first couple hours of rest).
Round all of that out with niacinamide and evening primrose extract, which help strengthen the skin’s barrier, as well as Nordic oat-derived lipids to soothe and balance skin. The result is a winning solution for anyone looking to improve the way their skin looks, feels, and functions in the long term.
Beyond its efficacy, a big reason Nocturnal approach resonates with me is its ethos. Nocturnal is a Japanese-Scandinavian-inspired brand (the portmanteau they use is “Japandi”), and it takes roots from its co-founders’ respective heritages. Simplicity, elegance, functionality—quality over quantity. Those founders, Daniel Kiyoi and Katey Hassan, are industry veterans who saw past employers pump out hundreds of products a year in some instances. Unsustainable and without much aim. That’s why they took a refined “less is more” approach to their brand, with a “more is more” approach to the actual serum itself. You get the Japanese detail from those gold-encased peptides (like the famous gold leaf that originates in Kanazawa), and the Nordic elements from those polar-harvested oats. Accordingly, the packaging is refillable—and with packaging this attractive, that’s hard not to appreciate.
And if I have a single complaint to lodge, it’s not at the brand or the product, but at the learning curve it takes to actually use the refills. You have to make sure you screw the new capsule in taut, or you might not be able to pump your product out effectively. I felt like a dunce when I sat there pumping 100 times, only to email the founders and ask what was wrong. “Try twisting it all the way when you install it,” they said, making me not feel like I was born yesterday. Sure enough, if it’s actually installed correctly, the refills work seamlessly. Lesson learned.
Authors
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Adam Hurly
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