Susanne Kaufmann might still be a quiet luxury secret outside skincare circles yet those who know the Austrian spa founder swear by her meticulous formulas and Alpine botanicals. The brand has a sterling reputation for marrying clean ingredients with visible results so every new jar comes with high expectations.
The plainly named Moisturising Night Cream sounds almost modest for a product that promises to balance, hydrate and unify normal and combination skin while you sleep. According to the brand it relies on hyaluronic acid for bounce, houseleek and sunflower oils for moisture retention plus bisabolol to calm redness so you wake up to a calmer more even complexion. Application is the classic last step after cleansing, a gentle massage into face neck and décolletage then you simply clock out for the night.
I put this cream through a full two week test drive, logging texture, scent, absorption speed and next morning payoff to decide whether it deserves a spot on your bedside table and your budget.
Disclosure: this is not a paid or sponsored review. All thoughts here are my own and drawn from personal experience. As always with skincare individual results can differ depending on skin type, routine and countless other variables.
What Is Moisturising Night Cream?
This cream is an overnight treatment, a type of product designed to work while the skin is in repair mode during sleep. Overnight treatments are typically richer than day creams because they do not have to sit comfortably under makeup or sunscreen. The idea is simple: apply before bed, let the formula stay undisturbed for several hours and wake up to skin that has had time to absorb hydration and nutrients.
Susanne Kaufmann’s version targets normal and combination skin that needs balanced moisture rather than heavy occlusion. It pairs hyaluronic acid, a humectant that draws water into the skin, with lightweight plant oils to limit moisture loss. Houseleek extract and vitamin E add antioxidant support while bisabolol, a component of chamomile, aims to calm redness and irritation. The brand positions it as the final step after cleansing so the actives can sit directly on clean skin overnight.
In practical terms this places the product between a basic night cream and a specialised sleeping mask: substantial enough to seal in previous skincare yet still intended for nightly use without risk of congestion for combination skin. If you are new to overnight treatments think of them as maintenance crews working the night shift so daily moisturisers can stay lighter during waking hours.
Did It Work?
In the name of hard hitting beauty journalism I shelved my regular overnight treatment for three nights before starting the test run – very scientific if I do say so myself. I think two weeks is a fair window to judge any moisturiser so the next 14 evenings the Kaufmann jar took center stage on my nightstand.
Application was consistently pleasant. The cream has a light herbal scent that disappears after a minute and a velvety texture that spreads easily without the slip of silicone. I used a hazelnut sized dab for face neck and the stray swipe over my décolletage. On normal to combination skin it sinks in within thirty seconds leaving a faintly dewy film that never felt suffocating, though I did notice a bit of tackiness if I pressed my cheek to my pillow right away.
Nights 1 to 3 delivered the familiar quick win of hyaluronic acid: plumper cheeks and zero dry patches around the mouth when I woke up. Redness on the sides of my nose looked marginally toned down but nothing dramatic. By the one week mark the cream had settled into a predictable groove. My skin felt comfortable through central heating with no tightness yet my T zone looked shiny come morning, prompting a midweek blotting sheet habit I had ditched years ago.
Day 10 brought a tiny cluster of closed comedones on my chin. They cleared in two days with my usual BHA, so congestion was minor but worth noting if you are oily prone. The final stretch showed incremental gains rather than a glow up. Skin felt soft and balanced, my freckles looked the same, and fine expression lines around the eyes stayed unchanged. I did appreciate a calmer look after a long night out that usually leaves me ruddy so the bisabolol is doing some quiet work.
Overall the cream met its hydration and comfort claims, delivered mild soothing benefits, and did not spark any major breakouts. It fell short on the “unifying” promise for tone and texture and the extra morning shine keeps it shy of holy grail status for combination skin. I will finish the jar gladly but I will not rush to repurchase, especially at luxury pricing.
Main Ingredients Explained
The formula leans on humectants first, with sodium hyaluronate drawing water into the upper layers so skin looks instantly plusher. Glycerin and saccharide isomerate back it up, acting like tiny moisture magnets that stay active for hours rather than minutes. For seal-in power Susanne Kaufmann uses a duo of sunflower oils, both lightweight and rich in linoleic acid which helps reinforce the skin barrier while staying less greasy than heavier plant oils. Houseleek extract, a hardy Alpine succulent, brings antioxidants and a mild astringent effect that keeps the cream from feeling overly rich on a combination T zone.
Vitamin E appears twice, once in its stabilized ester form tocopheryl acetate and again as straight tocopherol. Together they neutralize free radicals created by daily pollution or UV exposure and they also work as in-jar preservatives so the cream can skip harsher synthetics. Bisabolol, the soothing hero distilled from chamomile oil, is present in a meaningful spot on the INCI list and is likely responsible for the reduced redness I noticed after late nights. It calms irritation while quietly boosting the skin’s own repair enzymes.
The texture comes from a blend of fatty alcohols (cetearyl, cetyl and stearyl) plus glyceryl stearate and its citrate cousin. These give the formula its velvety slip and a semi-occlusive finish. On the comedogenic scale none of these rate above a 3, yet if you are highly clog-prone remember that comedogenic means an ingredient has potential to block pores and trigger breakouts. I experienced one minor flare-up after a week but it cleared quickly with BHA, so monitor if you sit at the oily end of combination.
Good news for vegans and vegetarians: every ingredient on the list is plant-derived or synthetic so there are no hidden animal by-products. The formula is also free of silicones mineral oil and microplastics which will please the clean beauty crowd. It does contain a small amount of alcohol that could be drying on very sensitive skin plus fragrance listed as parfum. The scent is subtle and dissipates fast yet worth noting if you avoid perfumed skincare altogether.
Pregnancy considerations look favorable since the cream skips retinoids salicylic acid and strong essential oils. Still, dermatologists advise avoiding new topicals while expecting or nursing unless your physician gives the green light so proceed with the usual caution. Finally, if you practice nightly face massage this cream has enough cushion to glide without tugging which can make your bedtime ritual feel a bit more spa-like without resorting to heavier balms.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
After two weeks these are the practical takeaways worth noting.
What Works Well:
- Silky medium weight texture that spreads easily yet never feels greasy on normal or combination skin
- Reliable overnight hydration with hyaluronic acid and glycerin leaving cheeks noticeably plumper by morning
- Subtle soothing effect from bisabolol that tempers post party redness without stinging
- Plays nicely with a short face massage thanks to enough slip to prevent tugging
What to Consider:
- May leave a reflective T zone by morning if you lean oily requiring a quick blot
- Light plant oil blend can cause minor congestion on breakout-prone areas after consecutive use
- Luxury pricing feels high compared with the steady yet understated results
My Final Thoughts
Two weeks, one almost empty jar and several shiny foreheads later I can safely grade Susanne Kaufmann’s Moisturising Night Cream at a solid 7/10. It delivers exactly what it says on the tin: reliable overnight hydration, a touch of soothing comfort and that rested look marketing teams like to call “unified”. It just doesn’t push far beyond competent into transformative territory, particularly if you are chasing brightening or serious line smoothing. For normal or slightly dry combination skin that wants a silky cream rather than an occlusive mask it is a courteous guest on the nightstand. For oilier complexions or anyone who prefers to wake up matte this will feel like leaving the bedside lamp on all night – mildly irritating rather than deal breaking.
I have dated plenty of overnight treatments and feel I gave this one a fair shot by shelving my usual rotation of retinols, sleeping masks and night oils. Compared with the competition it wins on texture and calming ingredients, falls behind on wow factor and cost per result. I would recommend it to a friend who values clean, gentle formulas and enjoys a small dose of Alps-in-a-jar indulgence but I would also warn them to keep blotting papers handy.
If you want options my shelf testing has crowned a few other late night MVPs. Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is the dependable all rounder, covering hydration, barrier support and gentle brightening for every skin type at a friendlier price. For cloud-like moisture without heaviness LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask impresses with its water-gel bounce. If supple, cushiony skin is the goal ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Night Cream layers marine actives with enough lipids to make pillows jealous. And when I need overnight damage control the herbal-lavender blend of Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate still earns a spot in my emergency kit.
Before you slather anything new all over your face a few common sense notes. Patch test behind an ear or along the jaw, sorry to sound like an over-protective parent but reactions happen. Keep expectations realistic and remember results stick only as long as the routine does. Skincare is more marathon than sprint, even when the race is run while you sleep.