UpCircle Night Cream Review Review: Worth It?

You wash your face, apply something rich, and still wake up with skin that feels tight across the cheeks. That specific frustration is what sent me looking at overnight moisturizers again.

Most night creams solve dryness by sitting on the skin like a lid. Few of them actually treat tone, texture, and dehydration at the same time.

The UpCircle Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide promises all three, plus an upcycling story built around leftover blueberries from the juice industry.

I used the 55ml jar nightly for four weeks on combination skin that leans dry along the jaw and congested around the nose. I also cross-checked the current ingredient list, the brand’s claims, and what long-term buyers are saying in 2026.

In a Nutshell

• The formula is genuinely well built. It leads with water, then shea butter, then a stack of plant oils: sunflower, rosehip, jojoba, castor, and blueberry seed oil. Niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate sit mid-list, which suggests useful but modest percentages.
• Best for normal, dry, and combination skin. The texture is rich without being suffocating. Very oily and acne-prone skin may find the oil load too heavy for nightly use.
• The “unscented” label needs an asterisk. There is no added fragrance, but vanilla fruit extract and cocoa extract give it a soft bakery-like smell. Most people love it. Fragrance-avoidant skin should still patch test.
• Absorption is the standout. It sinks in within two minutes and leaves a soft matte-satin finish, not a greasy film. Several long-term users apply it in the morning too.
• Pro-retinol is a marketing term here. The blueberry seed oil supplies carotenoids, not retinol. Expect gradual smoothing, not retinoid-level resurfacing.
• Glass jar, aluminium lid, no plastic. Beautiful and recyclable, but you dip fingers in, and the oils can oxidize faster once opened.

UpCircle Night Cream With Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide

Last update on 2026-08-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

This is UpCircle’s flagship overnight moisturizer, sold in a 55ml (1.85oz) glass jar at roughly $28.

The brand positions it as 99% natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologically approved. It won Best Moisturizer at the Fashion Spot’s natural beauty awards and picked up a Vegan Beauty Award in 2024.

Amazon shows a 4.3 star average across 10,000+ ratings, while UpCircle’s own site sits near 4.7. That gap is normal and worth noting.

The core pitch is simple. Niacinamide evens tone and refines pores. Hyaluronic acid holds water. Rosehip oil supports overnight repair. Upcycled blueberry extract adds antioxidants and blue-light defence.

The blue-light claim is the weakest part. Evidence for topical blue-light protection from a seed oil is thin, and I would ignore it entirely.

What remains is still a solid proposition: a barrier-friendly cream with two proven actives and a sensible oil blend, in packaging that avoids plastic.

Unboxing And First Impressions

The parcel arrived in a plain cardboard box with paper padding. No plastic film, no shrink wrap, no glossy insert.

The jar itself feels considerably more expensive than the price suggests. Thick frosted glass, a brushed aluminium screw lid, and a small paper card explaining the upcycling process.

Lifting the lid reveals a cardboard disc rather than a plastic seal. It is a nice touch, though it does soak up a little product over time.

The cream sits flush and flat, off-white with a faint beige tint from the oils. No whipped peak, no artificial gloss.

First smell impression: warm, faintly sweet, slightly nutty. It reads as vanilla and cocoa, because that is exactly what it is.

Weight matters here. The glass jar is heavy for 55ml, which feels luxurious on a bathroom shelf but makes it awkward for travel.

One small annoyance. The aluminium lid can stick slightly if you get cream on the threads. Wipe the rim occasionally.

Texture, Scent And Absorption

The texture is the reason people repurchase this cream.

It is a water-first emulsion, not a balm. Scooping a pea-sized amount gives you something closer to a thick lotion than a butter.

On contact it feels cool and dense. Warming it between fingertips thins it out immediately, and it spreads across the whole face with very little tugging.

Absorption took me around 90 to 120 seconds on clean, slightly damp skin. There is a brief tacky phase, then it settles into a soft, cushioned finish.

No greasy residue. No pilling under a facial oil. It also layered cleanly over a hyaluronic serum without balling up.

The scent fades within five minutes. If you dislike gourmand smells, that short window is your only exposure.

Dry skin types may want a facial oil on top during winter. On its own, this is a medium-weight moisturizer, not an occlusive heavyweight.

One consistent user complaint: it does not feel like “enough” in genuinely cold, dry climates.

Top 3 Alternative For UpCircle Night Cream

If the price, the jar, or the oil content does not suit you, these three are the strongest substitutes I have tested.

Last update on 2026-06-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream

Last update on 2026-08-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask

Last update on 2026-08-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

Andalou Naturals Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream

Inside The Formula: What Actually Does The Work

The full list is short by modern standards, which I appreciate.

Aqua, shea butter, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl glucoside, sunflower seed oil, rosehip fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, glycerin, castor seed oil, blueberry seed oil, niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, vanilla extract, cocoa extract, calendula extract, xanthan gum, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, benzyl alcohol.

Shea butter in second position is doing most of the emollient work. It softens, soothes, and carries antioxidants.

Niacinamide appears after eight other ingredients. That places it well below the 4-5% mark where tone-evening research is strongest. Expect subtle brightening over months, not weeks.

Sodium hyaluronate sits even lower. It contributes surface hydration and a plumper look, nothing dramatic.

Jojoba oil is the smart inclusion. It mimics human sebum and forms a light semi-occlusive layer without heaviness.

Salicylic acid here is almost certainly a preservative-level dose, not an exfoliating one. Still, sensitive or salicylate-reactive skin should note it.

Benzyl alcohol and sorbic acid handle preservation. Both are gentle, though benzyl alcohol is a known contact allergen for a small minority.

The Upcycled Blueberry Angle

UpCircle built its identity on rescued ingredients, starting with coffee grounds from London cafés.

Here, the hero is blueberry seed oil pressed from fruit left over after juicing. It would otherwise be waste.

The oil is high in linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid, plus carotenoids and tocopherols. Those carotenoids are where the “pro-retinol” phrasing comes from.

Honest translation: carotenoids are vitamin A precursors in a dietary sense. Applied topically in a seed oil, they behave as antioxidants, not as retinoids.

You will not get retinol results. You will not get retinol purging or peeling either, which is the actual selling point for sensitive skin.

I think the sustainability angle is real rather than performative. The sourcing is specific, the packaging is glass and aluminium, and refill options exist through the brand.

Whether that justifies the price is personal. If waste reduction matters to you, this is one of the more credible small brands operating in that space.

If you only care about clinical output, cheaper formulas deliver more actives per dollar.

My Four Week Skin Diary

Week one. Nothing dramatic. Skin felt comfortable on waking, and the usual morning tightness across my cheeks was gone by day four.

No stinging, no flushing, no congestion. That alone puts it ahead of several richer creams I have tried.

Week two. Texture around my chin looked smoother. I noticed makeup sitting better the following morning, which usually signals better overnight hydration.

Week three. The dull grey cast I get in winter lifted slightly. Subtle, and I would not have noticed without photos.

Two small closed comedones appeared along my hairline. Possibly the castor and shea combination, possibly unrelated. They cleared without intervention.

Week four. Skin looked calmer and more even overall. Fine dehydration lines under the eyes were softer.

What did not change: existing pigmentation, deeper expression lines, and pore size. Four weeks is short, but the niacinamide level here makes fast tone correction unlikely.

Product used: roughly one third of the jar. At nightly use, expect the 55ml to last about three months.

Who It Suits And Who Should Skip It

This cream suits normal, dry, dehydrated, and combination skin best. It also works well for reactive skin that cannot tolerate retinol or high-strength acids.

Mature skin looking for gentle overnight comfort will likely enjoy it. So will anyone rebuilding a compromised barrier after over-exfoliating.

Rosacea-prone skin generally does fine, given the calendula and the absence of added fragrance. Patch test anyway.

Now the honest exclusions.

Very oily or actively acne-prone skin should be cautious. Shea butter, castor oil, and coconut-adjacent emollients are common triggers for congestion.

Anyone strictly avoiding fragrance materials should know that vanilla and cocoa extracts contain naturally occurring aromatic compounds. The label says unscented, but your nose will disagree.

Niacinamide-sensitive people report flushing with UpCircle products generally. This cream has less than their serums, but the risk exists.

Bargain hunters will find better value elsewhere. You are paying partly for glass, ethics, and small-batch production.

Frequent travellers will hate the weight and the dip-in jar.

Pros And Cons

Pros

• Absorbs faster than almost any cream at this richness level, with no greasy film left behind
• Short, transparent ingredient list with niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, and rosehip oil all present
• Genuinely soothing on reactive skin, with no added synthetic fragrance or essential oils
• Plastic-free glass and aluminium packaging with a real upcycling story behind the blueberry extract
• Comfortable enough to double as a daytime moisturizer under makeup
• Strong long-term satisfaction, with a 4.3 star Amazon average across more than 10,000 ratings
• Dermatologically approved, vegan, and cruelty-free with award recognition behind it

Cons

• Active percentages appear low, so tone correction is slow and subtle
• The “pro-retinol” and “blue light protection” claims are marketing language, not proven performance
• Contains castor oil and shea butter, which can congest oily or breakout-prone skin
• Natural vanilla and cocoa scent contradicts the unscented positioning
• Jar packaging invites bacterial transfer and speeds oxidation of the plant oils
• Not occlusive enough for severe winter dryness without a layer of facial oil on top
• Around $28 for 55ml is steep compared with drugstore night creams containing ceramides

Packaging, Price And Value

The 55ml glass jar costs roughly $28, working out near $13 per ounce.

That places it above CeraVe and Naturium, and below Youth To The People and most department store creams. Mid-premium, essentially.

The packaging deserves credit. Glass, aluminium, cardboard, and no plastic anywhere. UpCircle also runs refill and recycling schemes in several markets.

The jar format is the trade-off. Dipping fingers introduces bacteria, and the unsaturated plant oils here will degrade faster once air hits them repeatedly.

Use a small spatula. Keep the lid tight. Finish it within six months of opening.

On cost-per-use, three months of nightly application from one jar is reasonable. That is roughly 30 cents a night.

Is it worth it? If you value clean formulation, sustainable sourcing, and gentle overnight comfort, yes.

If you want maximum actives for the money, no. A ceramide-rich drugstore cream plus a separate niacinamide serum will outperform it on paper for less.

Final Verdict

Last update on 2026-08-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

The UpCircle Night Cream is a very good moisturizer with an oversold ingredient story.

Strip away the pro-retinol and blue-light language and you are left with a well-balanced emulsion that hydrates, softens, and calms without weight. That is not a small achievement.

It earned a permanent slot in my winter routine for one reason: it never once irritated my skin, and it made mornings noticeably more comfortable.

Where it falls short is transformation. Pigmentation, deep lines, and stubborn texture need stronger tools than this.

Buy it if you have dry, combination, or reactive skin, dislike fragrance-heavy creams, and want packaging that does not add to landfill.

Skip it if you are oily, acne-prone, or shopping primarily on active percentages per dollar.

Rating: 4.2 out of 5. Excellent texture and ethics, modest clinical punch, slightly optimistic marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the UpCircle Night Cream actually unscented?

There is no added fragrance or essential oil, so the label is technically accurate. However, vanilla planifolia fruit extract and cocoa extract produce a warm, sweet smell that most users notice immediately. It dissipates within a few minutes of application. If you react to naturally occurring aromatic compounds, patch test on your inner arm first.

Can I use it in the morning as well as at night?

Yes. Many long-term users apply it twice daily, and it absorbs well enough to sit under sunscreen and makeup. The salicylic acid content is preservative-level, so daytime photosensitivity is not a meaningful concern. You still need SPF every morning regardless of which moisturizer you use.

Will it clog pores or cause breakouts?

It can, for some people. Shea butter and castor oil both sit fairly high in the list, and both are recognised triggers for congestion in oily and acne-prone skin. If you break out easily around your hairline or chin, start with three nights a week and monitor. Normal and dry skin rarely reports this issue.

Does it contain real retinol?

No. The “pro-retinol” description refers to carotenoids in the blueberry seed oil, which are vitamin A precursors in a nutritional sense. They act as antioxidants on the skin rather than converting into retinoic acid. This cream is safe alongside a separate retinoid, and it will not cause purging or peeling on its own.

Is it safe during pregnancy?

The formula contains no retinoids and only a preservative-level amount of salicylic acid, which is generally considered acceptable in leave-on products. That said, I am not a medical professional. Show the full ingredient list to your doctor or midwife before adding anything new during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

How long does one jar last?

Roughly three months with nightly use, based on a pea-sized amount each evening. Using it twice daily cuts that to around six or seven weeks. Once opened, aim to finish it within six months, since the unsaturated plant oils will oxidize over time in a jar.

How does it compare to CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream?

CeraVe offers ceramides, peptides, and a hygienic pump at a lower price, which makes it the stronger barrier-repair option on paper. UpCircle wins on texture, sensory experience, plant oil quality, and sustainability. Reactive skin often prefers UpCircle. Value-focused buyers usually prefer CeraVe.