Beauty Products That Will Put You to Sleep

Great news: It’s still Sleep Awareness Week. But if you have trouble falling or staying asleep, the week can be a moot point. And you are not alone: According to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Dermalogica, 90 percent of women say they don’t sleep soundly every night.

As we are all fully aware, sleep is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. Feeling rested lowers stress, sharpens our attention, and improves our overall well-being. But did you know that just a few nights of missed sleep can actually affect your skin, too?

“Sleep deprivation can not only affect how we feel physically, but it can also wreak havoc on your skin,” says Beth Bialko, Associate Director of Global Curriculum at Dermalogica. “Just a few nights of missed sleep can show up on your skin with signs of dullness, fine lines, and dark circles.”

Maybe you’ve tried or are tempted to test out some of the usual sleep aid tricks: teas, melatonin (or alternatives), or even apps or bedtime stories. But have you considered what you’re putting on your face before bed as a sleep trick? Turns out, your face lotions and oils could be working harder—not only moisturizing, but also putting you to sleep.

While aromatherapy relaxing scents are an ancient sleeping aid, the concept of motion-activated lavender that releases as you toss and turn is pretty darn revolutionary—as is the concept of proactively (instead of the usual reactionary products) utilizing a product that can address the root cause of sleeplessness, and help change your sleeping habits. The future of sleep is now, friend.

Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon—which costs $80, and is launching on March 15—is a gel treatment that repairs and recovers the skin’s natural lipid layers while you sleep. With ingredients like kakadu plum extract (which has a unique combination of water and oil soluble antioxidants) and tamarind seed extract (which has a similar structure to hyaluronic acid), the gel readily absorbs into the skin and boosts hydration.

But even more impressive than plumped skin is the science of encapsulated, motion-activated essential oils that soothe the senses as you toss and turn to help promote deeper sleep—and in addition, healthier-looking skin. More scientifically, Dermalogica has encapsulated part of the essential oil fragrance in biodegradable, polymeric microcapsules. As you move in your sleep, these microcapsules rupture (most will do so on the initial application, but some will be left to release in the middle of the night), releasing a potent form of lavender called lavandin oil, along with some other hard hitters in the aromatherapy world, including patchouli and sandalwood. This works throughout the night to promote deep, restful sleep.

“Since your skin is most receptive to active ingredients at night, Sound Sleep Cocoon was developed to not only help enhance the skin’s repair process at night, but also promote deep, restful sleep,” says Bialko. “Because the skin is nocturnal, Sound Sleep Cocoon was also formulated to work with the skin’s natural circadian rhythms, especially during the skin’s regeneration mode, which peaks between 9 pm and midnight. Sound Sleep Cocoon promotes restful sleep with motion-activated encapsulated essential oils and reduces signs of skin fatigue to give you healthier, glowing skin by morning.”

Another skincare brand looking to help you get to bed is de Mamiel. London-based acupuncturist, aromatherapist, and healing holistic facialist Annee de Mamiel believes skincare is far more than superficial. Each product is meticulously handmade on a farm just outside of London—and then, de Mamiel takes it one step further by blessing each batch of product, playing them music for 24 hours while they settle in sound baths.

But the Sleep Series, launched last October, takes this holistic approach into the scientific realm. It looks into the causes of what keeps people awake, and then addresses each one of these specific causes so that gradually, over time, the quality of your sleep is improved.

“Creating a product that makes you sleepy wasn’t enough; my intention has always been to give you a product that supports quality sleep by addressing the root cause, and not the symptom,” says de Mamiel. There are two elements to her Sleep Series: Sleep, which is made up of the Settle, Soothe, and Anchor blends (all meant to address stress that keeps you awake), and Awake, which contains the Rise and Shine blends (all meant to stimulate the body and mind to feel more refreshed).

But most important is repetition: Include your chosen formulations in your everyday skincare regime, as the Sleep Series must be used regularly to experience true, quality sleep. Rub on your pulse points and chest before bed, consciously breathing it in, too.

“That’s the whole point of de Mamiel, to slow down and be able to live with stress, but work out how to manage it better without carrying it from day to day,” says de Mamiel. “Looking at what keeps us awake, why aren’t we having quality sleep, and then building a formula that supports that. So, base oils that are really rich in magnesium and B Vitamins, and all minerals that help us sleep and able to support the body to absorb tryptophan, to get to the point of getting serotonin, then melatonin, which will help us sleep. Look at why we can’t get to sleep: cortisol, circadian rhythms, and inflammation in the body. They aren’t an overnight miracle; they work on rebalancing the body. Those imbalances have been there probably for a long time, so they aren’t going to work overnight.”

Have you tried a skincare or aromatherapy product that has helped you sleep better? Tell us all about it!

Keep on snoozing away:

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