Swap Slugging For Sleep Masks This Winter
WORDS Holly Ryan-Reid
Slathering a layer of petroleum jelly between you and your pillow may seem like a sane thing to do (especially in a quest for glazed donut skin) but in a season that’s trying its best to disrupt your skin's hydration, it isn’t the only – or most effective – way to seal in your skincare. Enter the latest crop of sleep masks; low-maintenance formulas designed to super-soak skin and maximise the repairing benefits of sleep, even if you get none. Acting as both a sealant for skincare layers and a barrier to protect moisture loss overnight, their primary purpose is to keep skin drenched.
What’s The Difference Between a Night Cream and a Sleep Mask?
Before you go open slather, it’s important to know the difference between a sleep mask and your regular night cream. “There are a few important differences that relate to textures, functions, and frequency of use,” says Joseph Haklani, Head of Product Development for Dr. Lewinn’s. “Night creams are usually thick, creamy products designed to slowly soak into the skin overnight whilst also creating a protective layer on the skin. They are intended for daily nighttime use,” says Haklani. “Sleep masks generally have a lighter texture, in most cases a gel or gel-cream format allowing for absorption.”
The biggest difference? “Sleep masks are recommended to be used a few times a week as the last step in your evening skincare routine,” says Haklani. “They provide much more intensive corrective treatment in comparison to a night moisturiser.” Designed to be used as an emergency repair tool when skin is highly sensitised – think the humble Lip Mask, where you can feel the difference on your lips as it soothes – sleep masks are the perfect antidote to a year of never-ending La Niña cycles and arctic temperature fronts. Your night cream is that evening glass of red; sleep masks are a delicious cocktail you save for special occasions.
What Does a Sleep Mask Actually Do?
Anyone who's lamented missing their beauty sleep will know that the body’s repair processes do their best work at night and sleep masks help those processes along. Next time you think you’ve gotten away with that post-midnight episode of Love Island, remind yourself that multiple scientific studies have shown perceived attractiveness, health and trustworthiness is rated lower among people who had poor sleep (coincidentally, three qualities very important on Love Island).
“Our nighttime sleep allows our cells to regenerate,” says Ingrid Seaburn, skin specialist. One of the key items on the cells’ agenda is repairing our skin’s barrier function. “Our skin barrier is very important to maintaining our skin's overall immune response. When that defence is down our skin's ability to fight disease, maintain health and be in good working order is compromised. Overnight restoration is essential.”
