For your skin
The overnight-repair antioxidant showing up in night creams. Small trials found melatonin creams improved texture, fine wrinkles, and tone with nightly use. A nice antioxidant layer for PM routines; pair with morning SPF for daytime protection.
Want the science? Keep reading ↓Mechanism of action
A potent endogenous antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and supports the skin's overnight repair and circadian rhythm; applied topically it buffers oxidative stress from UV and pollution.
Why we tier this moderate
2 cited papers across 1 country. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.
Cited research
Milani M, Sparavigna A, Antiaging efficacy of melatonin-based day and night creams: a randomized, split-face, assessor-blinded proof-of-concept trial, Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2018;11:51-57 — melatonin creams significantly improved skin tonicity and hydration and reduced roughness (n=22)
Milani M, Puviani M, Anti-Aging Efficacy of Melatonin-Based Cream: Clinical and Instrumental Skin Evaluation, Cosmetics (MDPI) 2018;5(4):60 — evaluator-blinded study (n=15, age over 45): significant reduction in coarse and fine wrinkles and melanin content
Sources: 10 clinical journals and regulatory databases across the US, EU, Korea, Japan, and China. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for the full list and what each outcome label means.