Ingredient glossary
Melatonin
On your shelf ✓What Melatonin does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Melatonin · Also: N-Acetyl-5-Methoxytryptamine
In short: Melatonin delivers antioxidant and anti-aging support, suits sensitive skin best, and the evidence behind it is limited. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant.
- What it does
- Antioxidant, anti aging
- Best for
- Sensitive skin
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant
- Evidence
- Limited
- How long
- 8–12 weeks
The molecule
The Glow take
Nice to have, and nothing to overthink.
Melatonin plays a quiet supporting role, rounding out a formula rather than being the reason you buy it.
— Maya
What it does
- antioxidant
- anti aging
- soothing
limited evidenceOne small assessor blinded split face trial found antiaging benefits at three months, but the treated side also received an SPF 30 day cream and a liposphere carrier against an untreated control, so melatonin alone was not tested. The other two cited papers are narrative reviews describing it as a promising cutaneous antioxidant rather than reporting controlled topical outcomes.
On a label: unknown.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- photoaged
- mature
- sensitive
Approach with care
- pregnancy
- breastfeeding
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DryNeutral
- CombinationNeutral
- OilyNeutral
- SensitiveSuits
Often chosen for photoaged, mature. Take extra care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy, breastfeeding.
Where it fits in your routine
Give it eight to twelve weeks, and possibly less: that is simply when it was measured.
What was measured, and in whom
Measured on: improvement in dryness roughness and tonicity.
A split face, assessor blinded three month study enrolled 22 women with moderate to severe skin aging. Melatonin day and night creams, with the melatonin content not stated in the abstract, improved dryness, tonicity, surface microrelief and crows feet by month three against the untreated side. The day cream carried SPF 30 and the actives sat in a liposphere carrier, and the comparison was against no treatment rather than a vehicle, so the effect cannot be attributed to melatonin.
PMID:29416368(full)
Plays well with
Melatonin, answered
Is Melatonin safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Melatonin is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Melatonin?
Approach Melatonin with care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy and breastfeeding.
What concentration of Melatonin actually works?
Its concentration is rarely printed on the label, so use the ingredient list as your clue: near the top third it is likely doing real work, near the bottom it is more of a sprinkle.
During pregnancy
Treat Melatonin as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
Compare Melatonin with
Can you mix Melatonin with
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Sources & how we reviewed this
- PMID 29416368read in full
- PMID 30235383abstract only, the full text is paywalled
- PMID 39918482abstract only, the full text is paywalled