Few products are as iconic as the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum. Also known as ANR (or Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex), the brown dropper bottle has been around for decades. Similar to other products with cult followings– think Clarins Double Serum or Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion–ANR has undergone a handful of re-launches. This summer, Estee Lauder unveiled the fifth generation of this best-selling serum. I’m a few weeks into testing it out and here with a quick review.
What is it?
I’m not sure whether it’s true but Advanced Night Repair may actually be the first product to have spearheaded the serum step movement since it originally launched in 1982. I was 2. The treatment step in a routine, which falls between cleansing/toning and your moisturizer, serum did not gain popularity until, I’d say, the early 2000s. Estee Lauder was the first to tackle the connection between DNA damage and its effect on our skin. In short: aging. Meant to be used strictly overnight, the ANR formula is designed to do its hardest work during our skin’s most rested state, when it’s more receptive to healing and self-repair.
What’s in it?
The freshly re-introduced Advanced Night Repair focuses on deep hydration, firming, and bringing back overall radiance. After all, when you wake up, you’re meant to look rested. And glowing. The anti-aging medley in this formula includes Sodium Hyaluronate, Peptides, Baobab, Chamomile, Caffeine, and Algae Extracts as well as Bisabolol, Glycerin, and skin soothing probiotic ferment. All in all, this serum’s multifaceted approach to improving and maintaining healthy skin microbiome and delivering a more youthful appearance deserves a nod. If you’re worried about heavy fragrance, something the Estee Lauder brand borderline embraces, you’ll find ANR to be almost scent-less. It’s also oil-free, which is a huge bonus for my true textbook case combination skin.
How, When, etc
To see results of any type, stick with a nightly application for a few weeks. The updated formula seems to be working great on my forty-year-old skin and I can easily see myself becoming a loyalist. Again. Since ANR is lightweight in texture and absorbs fairly quickly, layering other products on top makes for a pretty seamless experience. Whether you prefer to seal your PM routine with an overnight gel mask, a richer cream, or a face oil, none will pill. The brand recommends using their Heart Ritual application technique: begin mid-forehead, move the tips of your fingers outward, and continue down your cheeks. Meet at the chin. I say go a step further and recreate the heart-shape move from the chin and down the sides of your neck to help assist lymphatic fluid drainage. One dropper-full dispenses plenty of product to cover your face and neck.
Yay or Nay
Having used Advanced Night Repair before, I think it’s important to note there is nothing dated about this formula, despite its having been available for decades. The latest round of improvements is impressive. If you’re over thirty, give it a try. I know that’s when I started to see results from anything labeled ‘anti-aging’.
$75 (1 oz), $105 (1.7 oz), $200 (3.9 oz and that’s the one I want) at esteelauder.com, sephora.com or ulta.com.
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