Sleeptember: Your Skin’s Night Shift Starts Now
A guide to getting serious about your nighttime routine (because your pillow can't do all the work)
We love a solid morning routine - SPF, matcha, inbox zero aspirations - but let’s be real: the magic happens at night.
While you sleep, your skin’s natural repair processes kick into gear — boosting cell turnover, repairing daily damage, and strengthening the barrier. It’s a key recovery window, and your evening routine plays a major role in supporting it. If your nighttime skincare looks suspiciously similar to your morning one (minus the SPF), it might be time for a rethink.
Because Sleeptember is more than a cute name. It’s your reminder that good skin doesn’t stop at sunset.
Morning Routine: Protection Mode Activated
Your morning routine is all about defence. You’re prepping your skin to face the day’s drama — pollution, UV rays, blue light, questionable commuting conditions. This isn’t the time to go in with heavy-duty exfoliants or intense actives. It’s about giving your skin the tools to hold the line.
The morning MVPs:
Hydrating cleanse – Just enough to refresh without stripping. Try Wildsmith Skin’s Energising B5 Gel Cleanser, which gently sweeps away overnight oils while boosting hydration.
Antioxidants – Vitamin C, ferulic acid, green tea: the skin’s version of a panic button. The Synergie Skin Effica-C Serum is a client favourite here, combining a stable Vitamin C with ferulic acid for that antioxidant punch.
Barrier boosters – Think niacinamide, ceramides, peptides — the calm, competent types. Pfeffer Sal stocks LESSE’s Ritual Serum, designed to soothe and strengthen your skin’s frontline defence.
SPF – Always. Yes, even when it’s raining. No, makeup doesn’t count. Pfeffer Sal’s go-to is a lightweight, broad-spectrum mineral SPF that layers beautifully under makeup or solo.
Your job in the morning? Protect and prep. Your skin’s job? Stay resilient. Together, you make it through.
Night Routine: Time to Get Serious
Enter: The Regenerative Hours. While you sleep, your skin gets to work repairing damage, producing collagen, and pushing out all the nonsense it picked up during the day (read: grime, stress, city air, your ex’s energy, and whatever drama followed you home).
It’s the perfect time to use ingredients that actually do the heavy lifting — because your skin is more permeable, blood flow is increased, and no one’s interrupting the process with sunscreen or selfies.
What your nighttime routine should include:
Proper cleanse – Double if you’ve worn SPF or makeup. Think of it as taking off the day, both physically and emotionally. At Pfeffer Sal, we recommend starting with a gentle balm cleanser, followed by a hydrating gel or cream cleanser to fully clear the canvas.
Targeted treatments – Retinoids, AHAs, enzymes — now’s the time. Just don’t overdo it. Our therapists can help you find the perfect formulation in-clinic, whether that’s a Vitamin A serum or an AHA peel for a deeper weekly refresh.
Repair and replenish – Lipids, fatty acids, ceramides, and sleeping masks that hug the skin like a weighted blanket. Our favourite bedside companion? The Wildsmith Super Hydrating Overnight Mask, loaded with skin-loving hydration and barrier support.
Facial massage – Optional but delightful. Even 60 seconds can help drain puffiness, release tension, and ease you into wind-down mode. Plus, add a Gua Sha massage add-on at Pfeffer Sal for an extra sculpting and relaxing boost — think of it as a mini retreat for your face.
Want to up your nighttime routine further? Consider booking the Slow Touch Therapy Facial — an 80-minute treatment designed to nurture your skin and nervous system simultaneously. It combines deep cleansing, bespoke serums, and a profoundly calming massage to reboot your skin’s repair mode and ease daily stress.
It’s not just about applying products — it’s about creating a ritual that says, “I’m done for the day, and my skin is in good hands.”
Why Sleep Itself Matters
We’re not saying eight hours will solve all your skin concerns (although, wouldn’t that be nice?). But sleep deprivation throws everything out of sync — from collagen production to hydration levels to inflammation control.
Chronic lack of sleep can lead to:
Dehydration and dullness
Increased cortisol (hello, breakouts)
Slower wound healing
Under-eye puffiness and dark circles that no concealer can handle
Sleeptember is your cue to prioritise sleep like it’s a serum — essential, active, and deeply restorative.
If your back’s been carrying the weight of the day (literally), try Backatcha: Relax + Rewind — our ultimate tension-releasing back treatment. With a double cleanse, exfoliation, mask, a long massage and LED therapy, it’s the perfect way to reset both body and mind before bed.
Build Your Sleeptember Bedtime Ritual
Need help easing into the wind-down zone? Here are a few ways to make your nighttime routine something you actually look forward to:
Set your phone to ‘Do Not Disturb’ before you start your routine (you’re cleansing, not doomscrolling).
Mist your pillow, pop on a candle, or play a sleepy playlist while you do your skincare.
Try a Quickie facial in-clinic — a 50-minute skin reset designed specifically for post-work decompression. Like foreplay for your face.
Upgrade your usual cleanse with a massage — under the jaw, cheekbones, temples. Even a minute can calm your nervous system and help you shift into wind-down mode.
Morning is for protection. Night is for repair. And sleep? That’s your skin’s version of a full system reboot.
If your nighttime routine has been playing second fiddle to your morning SPF ritual, Sleeptember is your permission slip to switch things up. Because your skin deserves more than a cursory cleanse and a half-hearted moisturiser while you scroll in bed.
It deserves a wind-down. A reset. A little skin therapy at the end of the day.
So tonight, give your skin the night in it’s been waiting for. And no — your makeup wipes don’t count.
Ready to get serious about your nighttime skin? Visit Pfeffer Sal to discover tailored treatments, expert advice, and the very best products to help you maximise those regenerative hours. Because great skin doesn’t wait — and neither should you.
If you have any questions, you can always reach us at hello@pfeffersal.com or +44 (0) 203 8834 702.
THE DESTINATION FOR SKIN HEALTH
+44 (0) 20 3883 4702 - PFEFFERSAL.COM
THE STABLES, 10B WARREN MEWS, LONDON W1T 6BY
