Monat may not dominate every beauty shelf yet it has built a reputation for pairing salon heritage with science driven formulas, and the brand certainly knows how to tease curiosity. Its latest jar of promises, Night Haven Overnight Age Control Cream, arrives with a title that sounds part sleep ritual part fairy tale ‑ a clever nod to the bedtime transformation it claims to deliver.
The official marketing speaks of a “pillow-soft” texture that melts into skin then spends the small hours plumping, lifting, smoothing, softening and generally leaving you brighter by morning. In brief, Monat says Night Haven offers overnight repair and nourishment, minimises fine lines, boosts elasticity and suits every skin type as long as you remember the tiny spatula and an upward massage.
I dedicated two full weeks to this cream, slotting it into my nightly routine to see if the reality lives up to the dreamy copy and whether the £65 price tag justifies its space on the nightstand.
Disclaimer: this review is neither paid nor sponsored. All observations are my own based on personal use and results can differ depending on individual skin needs and conditions.
What Is Night Haven Overnight Age Control Cream?
Night Haven is an overnight treatment, meaning it is designed to be the final step before lights out rather than a daytime moisturiser. Overnight treatments tend to be richer because skin naturally shifts into repair mode while we sleep. Cellular turnover speeds up, moisture loss increases and blood flow to the surface improves, giving active ingredients a better window to do their job. In practical terms this type of product aims to replace what evaporates through the night, support the skin barrier and deliver ingredients that perform best during the body’s own renewal cycle.
Monat positions Night Haven as a multi-tasking cream that tackles dryness, early signs of ageing and morning dullness all in one step. It combines emollients, oils and hydrators to cushion the skin while you rest, then claims to leave it smoother, plumper and more elastic by morning. The formula targets fine lines and uneven texture rather than acute concerns like acne or hyperpigmentation, so its role is general maintenance and gradual visible improvement rather than an intensive corrective treatment.
In short this is a nightly moisturiser with added anti-ageing bells and whistles intended for anyone who wants a single jar to handle basic hydration plus a bit of firming support while they sleep.
Did It Work?
I went full lab coat on this test drive by pressing pause on my regular overnight mask for three nights before cracking open Night Haven, which felt very scientific of me given my bathroom lacks both centrifuge and clipboard. Fourteen evenings struck me as a decent window to judge performance yet short enough to notice any dramatic hiccups.
Each night I scooped a pea sized blob with the spatula, warmed it between fingertips then worked it over face neck and the often forgotten collarbone area using the prescribed upward strokes. The texture really is feather light for something laden with oils; it melts quickly, leaving a velvety film rather than a greasy sheen. The scent sits somewhere between citrus peel and gardenia and fades within minutes so it never argued with my pillow.
Immediate payoff was purely sensorial: skin felt cushioned and calm with no tackiness, a detail my partner appreciated because cheek-to-cheek contact did not turn into a slip n slide. By morning one the promised radiance translated to a healthy but not mind blowing glow similar to what I get after a good sheet mask.
Days four through seven showed the most noticeable shift. I woke up with that faint post facial bounce and my driest patches around the nostrils stopped flaking. Makeup glided on a bit smoother which I chalk up to the blend of ceramides and butters reinforcing my moisture barrier. Fine lines on my forehead, however, looked more or less identical to the control photos I snapped on day zero. No lifting effect either, though to be fair I was not expecting a topical cream to defy gravity in a fortnight.
Week two maintained the hydration high but plateaued on visible improvement. I did not experience clogged pores or irritation, a win in my book, yet I also did not see additional brightening despite the botanical seed oil parade. The overall verdict at the fourteen day mark: Night Haven excels at overnight comfort and basic plumping, less so at meaningful wrinkle reduction or firmness claims.
Will I clear permanent shelf space for it? Probably not. It earns a respectable 7 out of 10 for doing the moisturising fundamentals well but it fails to outperform my current go to which costs slightly less and packs a mild retinoid punch. Still, if you crave a gentle, spa scented night cream that guarantees you will wake up soft and dewy this jar could be worth a whirl.
Night Haven Overnight Age Control Cream’s Main Ingredients Explained
At the core of Night Haven sits a trio of skin identical ceramides (NP, AP and EOP) paired with cholesterol and phytosphingosine. These lipids slot into the natural mortar between skin cells helping to mend a compromised barrier and lock in moisture, which explains the soft bounce I woke up with on most mornings. Sodium hyaluronate adds a water magnet effect by drawing in hydration from the environment so the plumping you feel is not just slick marketing.
The formula doubles down on nourishment with a buffet of plant oils: avocado, sunflower, jojoba, olive, carrot seed, meadowfoam plus more exotic baobab and moringa. They are rich in fatty acids and antioxidants that fend off overnight water loss and mild free radical damage. However a few of these, particularly coconut oil and avocado oil, rank moderate on the comedogenic scale meaning they can block pores for those who are blemish prone and that clogging can translate to whiteheads or breakouts.
Butters and esters like shea and trimethylolpropane triisostearate give the cream its plush, occlusive finish while dimethicone and its cousin dimethiconol provide that silicone slip which helps the product spread evenly without feeling greasy. Licorice root extract quietly adds a touch of brightening potential while the Bidens pilosa extract is a trendy plant alternative to retinol aimed at smoothing fine lines without typical retinoid irritation. It is worth noting the formula relies on fragrance plus a handful of citrus peel oils for its spa like scent. Those oils can be sensitising on reactive skin and may increase photosensitivity, though using this at night mitigates the latter.
Vegan readers take pause: the inclusion of cholesterol means the product may source from animals unless the brand clarifies a synthetic origin so strict vegans might skip it. Vegetarians generally consider topical cholesterol acceptable yet individual stances vary.
Pregnant or breastfeeding? Although the ingredient list avoids prescription level actives it does feature essential oils and licorice extract which some doctors advise limiting during pregnancy. As always check with your healthcare provider before adding any new topical while expecting.
One last call out for the sustainably minded: palm oil makes an appearance without an RSPO certification disclosure. If deforestation concerns guide your purchases you may want to reach out to Monat for sourcing details.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
Here is the quick pros and cons rundown after two weeks of nightly use.
What Works Well:
- Light soufflé texture melts in fast yet leaves a comfortable cocoon that never stains the pillow
- Ceramide rich formula delivers reliable overnight hydration so skin looks smooth and settled by morning
- No stinging or breakouts during the trial which makes it a safe pick for most skin types seeking gentle care
What to Consider:
- Fragrance and citrus oils give a spa vibe but may not suit very reactive skin
- Visible impact on fine lines and firmness stayed modest within the test window
- Price sits on the premium side for a cream that focuses mainly on comfort rather than transformative results
My Final Thoughts
Night Haven does what a competent overnight treatment should: it keeps transepidermal water loss at bay, lets skin greet sunrise with a polite handshake rather than a dramatic thirst request and feels luxuriously soft while doing so. After two weeks of dutiful nightly use, my complexion registered a clear uptick in suppleness and comfort yet stubborn expression lines refused to budge and any talk of “lifting” remained aspirational. A solid performance but not a standing ovation, which is why it sits at a perfectly respectable 7/10 on my scoreboard.
Who will love it? Anyone craving a gentle cocoon of ceramides and butters, is fragrance tolerant, and prefers a plush sensory experience over fast acting actives. Who might look elsewhere? Bargain hunters, retinoid devotees or anyone chasing hard core wrinkle reduction within a tight deadline. I would suggest it to a friend whose top priority is overnight nourishment but I would caveat that recommendation with the reminder that the wow factor lies in comfort rather than transformation.
If you fancy alternatives I have road tested, Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is an excellent allrounder that checks hydration, barrier support and wallet friendliness without playing favourites with skin types. For a lighter bouncy feel LANEIGE Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask delivers springy morning skin in a single scoop. Murad’s Resurgence Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream brings gentle yet noticeable smoothing thanks to its encapsulated retinol so worth a look if fine lines are bossing you around. Finally Lancôme’s Hydra Zen Nuit offers a calming gel cream texture that quenches and soothes when stress shows up on your face.
A quick nagging reminder before you dip into any new jar: patch test behind the ear or along the jawline for a couple of nights first (sorry to sound like an over protective parent but your barrier will thank you). Keep expectations realistic, use consistently and remember that the plush results you wake up to will only stick around if you stay loyal to the routine.