I Tried Fresh's Lotus Night Cream and Woke Up With the Dreamiest Skin Ever

We put Fresh's Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream to the test after receiving a complimentary sample from the brand. Keep reading for our full product review.

A night cream is an integral part of my skincare routine. No matter what products are in my arsenal each morning, bedtime is the perfect opportunity to nourish and heal my skin while I sleep. That said, I know how important it is to find a night cream that does it all, such as the Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream, a bestseller from the skincare brand Fresh. Not only is this product packed with antioxidants that aim to support youthful-looking skin, but it also works to de-stress it, promising a radiant, soft complexion upon waking up.

I recently tested out a jar for myself to see if it truly delivers on its promises, evaluating the formula, feel, and, of course, efficacy. Would it bring me the ultimate beauty sleep, or is it all hype? Read on to find out.

About My Skin: Normal but dull in cold temperatures

I have pretty normal skin for the majority of the year, with the exception of winter when freezing temperatures and indoor heating cause my complexion to dry out. On a normal day, I start by washing my face with a soothing oil cleanser. Then I follow with a spritz of hydrating facial spray, such as Bronty’s Detox Tonic, and a moisturizer like Noto’s Deep Serum or Supernal’s Cosmic Glow Oil, letting it fully absorb before moving on to SPF and makeup. My bedtime routine is also pretty simple: I remove my makeup with the same oil cleanser and follow with a few spritzes of facial spray and a heavier night cream or mask.

While testing Fresh's Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream, I swapped it in for my usual nighttime cream, applying a generous amount to my face and neck each night after cleansing and using a facial spray, using my finger to press it into my skin. 

Ingredients: Lotus and peach leaf revive the skin

Fresh notes two ingredients as the key players of this product: Super Lotus and peach leaf extract. According to the brand, Super Lotus utilizes the entire lotus plant and is meant to hydrate, support radiance, and promote a youthful look through antioxidant protection. Peach leaf extract works to refresh and de-stress the skin overnight, making this cream beneficial to everyone—even those who aren’t necessarily seeking anti-aging benefits. However, these two ingredients are listed 15th and 16th on the list, which raises questions at how effective the concentrations of each really are. This cream has a pretty hefty ingredient list, though, so both are still closer to the top of the list.

This product is not considered clean by Byrdie’s standards due to its inclusion of BHT and PEGs.

The Feel: Hydrating and refreshing

This cream is like a refreshing, fruity nightcap for your skin. Its creamy consistency feels thicker when scooped out of the jar, but it quickly thins out and melts into the skin when applied. While it’s lighter than most of the night creams I’m used to, it does leave behind a very thin residue, but nothing that would transfer onto my pillowcase.

The Scent: A strong, fruity fragrance

This product has a fruity and refreshing scent—the perfect aromatic mood boost. However, while I personally loved it, it’s not for everybody. If you have even the slightest aversion to fruity-smelling products, you’ll probably want to skip out on this one—this tropical, peachy fragrance is potent. Fragranced skincare can sometimes cause irritation, but I didn’t experience any while using this product.

The Results: Radiant, softer skin

I couldn’t get enough of how nourishing this product felt and began to notice results almost instantly. It was refreshing to apply and my skin immediately felt more hydrated as it absorbed.

I woke up looking refreshed, revived, and ready to take on my day!

Over the course of the next 12 days, my dry patches began to improve. By the end of my testing period, my skin’s texture felt significantly smoother and softer. I still suffered from slight dryness, something I would begin to notice by midday, but there was a significant improvement overall.

The Science: According to Fresh’s own study, it works

Fresh performed a study on 60 subjects over the course of four weeks, which yielded similar results to my own. After using the product for one night, 90% of users said it improved their dull, fatigued complexion by morning while 92% noted that their skin looked revived and radiant and 97% said their skin felt nourished and smooth. After four weeks of use, 98% of users said their skin felt recovered from daily stress and noted improvement in their skin’s elasticity and bounce. Also, 95% noted their skin had a more refined texture.

While I tested this product for a total of 12 days and not four weeks, I can attest to the majority of these results. However, I didn’t use it long enough to experience noticeable changes in my skin’s elasticity.

The Value: It’s totally worth it

While $48 for a night cream isn’t exactly budget-friendly, you’re getting what you pay for. There’s a reason this product is one of the brand’s bestsellers—it really delivers results. Anti-aging benefits aside, its refreshing, glow-inducing effect makes it an effective night cream for all skin types. You can also snag the smaller size—just over half an ounce for $19—if you’d rather test it out before committing to the larger jar.

Similar Products: You have options

La Mer Crème de la Mer ($190): Before reviewing this product, I had the opportunity to put another top moisturizer to the test: La Mer’s Crème de la Mer. While Crème de la Mer can be used during the day or at night, I mostly used it as a night cream as it was too heavy to wear during the day. In terms of texture, the two are very different: Lotus Youth Preserve is very light for a night cream, absorbing into the skin quickly, while Crème de la Mer is much thicker and leaves behind a heavy layer of residue. Both are packed with antioxidants—La Mer with its Lime Tea Extract and Fresh with Super Lotus—and aim to provide hydrating relief from dry skin. Overall, I found that Fresh’s cream more effectively improved dryness and skin texture in the long term (and at a fraction of the price!), which makes it a clear winner for me.

Haoma Recovery Night Cream ($110): I found that the Lotus Youth Preserve night cream was pretty similar to the product I was already using regularly: Haoma’s Recovery Night Cream. Both are light in texture yet super hydrating, absorbing into the skin almost instantly. The Haoma cream boasts a clean ingredient list packed with reparative plant ingredients, while Fresh’s product, a little less than half the cost of Hoama’s, isn’t considered clean by Byrdie standards. I find both to be effective in soothing dryness, but Lotus Youth Preserve ultimately improved my skin’s texture over time more effectively than the Hoama cream. Plus, the radiance boost is a pretty nice bonus.