Essano has quietly earned a reputation for punching well above its weight, delivering formulas that often rival the bigger luxury names on the beauty shelf. The New Zealand brand leans heavily into natural actives and transparent sourcing, a combo that gives it an underdog charm difficult not to root for.
Their latest overnight treatment, appropriately named Cocoon Rich Night Cream, promises to wrap skin in a cashmere-like veil while mending a frazzled barrier. The brand touts fermented postbiotics, cica, a ceramide complex, squalane and niacinamide as its frontline heroes, claiming the blend will soothe, replenish and lock in moisture so you wake up to calm, nourished skin.
To see if the cream lives up to its snug-sounding moniker, I swapped out my usual night moisturiser and spent two full weeks applying Cocoon Rich Night Cream as the final step in my evening routine. I took notes on texture, absorption, next-morning feel and, of course, the state of my temperamental combination skin.
Disclaimer: this is not a paid or sponsored review. The product was purchased with glooshi.com’s money, and every observation here reflects my personal experience. As always, results can vary depending on individual skin type, lifestyle and even climate, so consider this one data point in your decision-making process.
What Is Cocoon Rich Night Cream?
Cocoon Rich Night Cream is pitched as an overnight treatment, the kind of product meant to go on as the last step before bed and stay put until morning. Overnight treatments differ from daytime moisturisers by leaning richer and more occlusive; they create a light seal that keeps water in, shields against pillow friction and leverages the body’s nighttime repair cycle when skin is not exposed to sun, makeup or frequent touching.
Essano’s brief is straightforward: calm stressed skin and reinforce its barrier. The formula banks on fermented postbiotics to help maintain a balanced microbiome, cica to take down redness, a ceramide complex to patch up gaps in the lipid layer, plant-derived squalane for cushiony hydration and niacinamide for extra resilience. Rather than aiming for dramatic resurfacing, this cream is framed as a nightly insurance policy against dryness and irritation.
No prescription-level actives, no exfoliating acids, just a concentration on comfort and moisture retention. In practice that positions it for most skin types, especially those that skew dry or reactive when temperatures drop or central heating cranks up.
Did It Work?
In the spirit of scientific rigor I benched my ride-or-die night cream for three full nights before starting the trial, a gap I convinced myself qualified as a washout period worthy of a lab coat. Fourteen consecutive evenings with Cocoon Rich Night Cream then followed, which in my book is enough time for a moisturiser to show its true colors.
Application was straightforward: pea-sized scoop, warmed between palms then pressed over face and neck after serum. The first thing I noticed was the texture, a dense butter that melted quickly and, to its credit, sank in without leaving that clingy pillow-sticking film. Within ten minutes my skin felt cushioned yet not greasy, a balance some richer formulas struggle to strike.
Days 1 to 4 delivered immediate surface relief. I was fighting a patch of wind-induced redness along my cheeks and by morning three the flush had dialed down. Dry flakes around my nostrils softened too. No dramatic overnight transformation, but credible soothing all the same.
Midway through the test I looked for deeper changes: bounce, sustained hydration through the afternoon after washing off, fewer tight zones along the jaw. Here the results were mixed. My combination skin’s drier areas stayed comfortable, yet the normal zones occasionally felt borderline oily come morning, something I rarely get with my usual cream. Blotting paper confirmed extra shine though no clogged pores appeared, so it was more aesthetic than functional.
By day 14 the verdict was clear. Barrier feels intact, redness largely under control and no surprise breakouts. However I cannot say my skin looks markedly stronger or plumper than with my staple product. The cream excels at instant cocooning and overnight softness but the long-game resilience the marketing promised did not leap out at me.
So did it work? Partly. Cocoon Rich Night Cream absolutely comforts dry reactive skin and plays nicely with actives layered beneath, yet it stops short of being a must-have. I will finish the cream on travel nights when hotel air con threatens to parch my face but I will not be retiring my regular night cream just yet.
Main Ingredients Explained
The hero roster starts with fermented postbiotics, essentially beneficial bacterial fragments that help nudge the skin microbiome back into balance and calm low level inflammation. They are gentler than live probiotics yet still encourage a healthier surface environment which may explain the noticeable drop in redness during week one.
Cica, listed as Centella Asiatica extract, brings madecassoside and asiaticoside molecules that are famous for speeding up wound healing and taking the sting out of irritation. If you have ever slapped tiger balm on a scrape, you already know its soothing reputation. Here the percentage feels modest because the cream never veers into that medicinal herbal scent yet it is enough to temper angry patches overnight.
The ceramide complex partners with cholesterol mimicking fatty alcohols and hydrogenated lecithin to fill microscopic cracks in the lipid barrier. Think of ceramides as mortar between bricks in a wall. When they run low, water escapes and irritants slip in. Replenishing them was likely responsible for the reduction in flaky nostril corners I noticed after a few applications.
Plant derived squalane shows up high on the INCI list. It is lightweight, non reactive and structurally similar to the squalene your own sebaceous glands make, so it plugs moisture loss without suffocating the skin. That neutrality is helpful for combo faces that need cushion in dry zones but hate heavy occlusives elsewhere.
Rounding out the marquee group is niacinamide at what feels like a mid level dose. This B3 vitamin supports barrier repair, fades blotchiness and can slightly regulate oil flow. Over the two week trial it kept my T zone from tipping into breakout territory even though the formula leans rich.
Supporting players worth a shout include jojoba oil for slip, four weights of hyaluronic acid for water retention and shea butter for occlusion. Shea butter sits around a 0-2 on most comedogenicity scales yet some acne prone users still find it pore clogging. Comedogenic means an ingredient has the potential to trap dead cells and sebum in follicles which can lead to blackheads or pimples, so patch test if you are highly reactive.
The cream is free of animal byproducts and the squalane is plant sourced, making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians, though strict vegans may want to double check the origin of the lactobacillus ferment as fermentation mediums can vary.
No retinoids, salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide appear, so on paper the formula is pregnancy friendly. Still, dermatologists generally advise avoiding new topical products while pregnant without individual clearance, especially those containing fragrance, which this formula does list toward the end.
Lastly, a quick callout for the chromium oxide greens pigment that tints the cream a pale sage. It is cosmetic grade and inert but can leave a faint green cast if you slather too much, so stick to the recommended pea sized scoop.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
Here is the quick rundown after two weeks of nightly use.
What Works Well:
- Dense buttery texture melts in fast and still lets skin breathe
- Noticeable overnight relief for redness and flakiness
- Layers smoothly over serums and keeps drier patches cushioned till morning
- Vegan friendly blend of ceramides, niacinamide and postbiotics supports a calmer barrier
What to Consider:
- Richness may leave normal to oily areas a bit shiny by morning
- Long term results feel more like maintenance than a major upgrade
- Sits at the higher end of the brand’s price bracket which could give budget shoppers pause
My Final Thoughts
Night creams are the pyjamas of skincare: some feel instantly comforting yet look a touch sloppy in daylight while others promise silk but pinch in all the wrong places. Essano’s Cocoon Rich Night Cream falls comfortably into the first camp. It swaddles skin, settles redness and behaves well over actives, but after two diligent weeks I am not booking a skywriter to announce life-changing results. The brand’s talk of barrier strengthening is directionally accurate, just not jaw-dropping on my combination face.
If your skin veers dry, reactive or simply wants a plush blanket when the thermostat dips, Cocoon should suit you nicely. Oilier types may wake up looking dewy bordering on reflective and those chasing dramatic firming or brightening will need something punchier. I would hand a product to a friend who complains of winter flakiness, but my glow-obsessed colleague searching for next-level bounce would get a different recommendation.
On the impress-o-meter this lands at a respectable 7/10. I like it enough to keep the product in rotation for travel and heating-season emergencies but not enough to dethrone my current favourite. Recommendation status: yes, with the caveat that you match its strengths to your skin’s needs.
For anyone curious about alternatives I have road-tested a small pharmacy’s worth. The Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is my top all-rounder pick, ticking hydration, barrier support and price in one tidy pot. Fans of weightless cushioning might enjoy BIOSSANCE’s Squalane + Ectoin Overnight Rescue, which gives marine-level moisture without the morning shine. If a water-gel texture sounds more your speed LANEIGE’s classic Water Sleeping Mask remains unbeaten for plumpness by sunrise. And for those who relish a more clinical finish Medik8’s Advanced Night Restore layers a smart peptide complex over ceramides for a subtle yet noticeable boost in firmness.
Before we part ways a quick mother-hen reminder: patch test new products, even the gentle ones, and give any night cream at least a fortnight of consistent use before passing judgement. Results fade when the bottle gathers dust so maintain the habit if you like what you see.