Lying in my bed, I feel as though I’m floating on a cool cloud or sleeping on a silk cover laid out on a morning-fresh velvet lawn.
But I am not living in a five-star spa – fat chance of that with three kids at university. Rather, I am testing out a pair of beautifully soft peptide-infused pyjamas. And to my absolute astonishment, they appear to be making a difference to my 53-year-old body.
One of the most annoying things about middle age is that your skin dehydrates.
Historically, winter has always been a time when my legs have looked lizard-like, but my mid-50s are proving to be something of a dire turning point – all 12 months of the year I am now walking around like a human Gobi desert.
So when I heard about Swiss brand Dagsmejan’s nightwear brand – tagline ‘skincare you can sleep in’ – I was extremely keen to give the pyjamas a go, despite my scepticism.
The pyjamas are made from a soft fabric which they have called NATTCOLLAGEN™.
‘Originally we wanted to create sleepwear that would actively promote better sleep,’ says co-founder Catarina Dahlin. ‘Staying the right temperature is a basic sleep need, so the fabric regulates temperature.’
How have they put the moisturiser into the nightwear, and isn’t it rather uncomfortable?
Alice Smellie wearing Swiss brand Dagsmejan’s pyjamas, which are designed to regulate the body’s temperature during the night
Alice says the fabric of the pyjamas, which cost £120 for the T-shirt and £130 for the trousers, ‘feels fluid and soft on my skin’
Catarina says marine collagen peptides are permanently ‘embedded into the fibres’, rather than being a temporary (damp) surface coating. ‘The fibre is then spun into yarn and made into garments.’
The peptides aren’t directly absorbed by the skin but form an ideal, more moist (‘but not obviously moist’) environment.
‘The peptides capture water molecules in the air and thus create a more hydrating microclimate,’ says Catarina.
‘The skin is able to breathe and it doesn’t lose as much moisture. Humidity and temperature are balanced and a hydrated skin barrier reduces signs of ageing.’
It still sounds rather gimmicky, but I’m told independent testing was done in a controlled study of 20 men and women aged over 35.
What’s known as corneometry – a gold standard for hydration measuring – was used and this revealed that the skin of the test participants was 40 per cent more hydrated after four weeks of wearing the pyjamas, and 12 per cent smoother, while the users also had smaller pores. (Twenty people isn’t many, of course.)
Catarina emphasises that you don’t need to change anything about your body moisturising habits whilst wearing the pyjamas, which reassures me.
I think I’m pretty good at moisturising – usually twice a day and with whatever moisturiser is to hand.
The pyjamas are infused with collagen to hydrate the skin during the night. Alice wearing the navy set
So I decide to run my own trial. I can’t find anyone with a corneometer outside the walls of an academic institution, so instead I buy a Beautypro Hydratest Skin Analysis Device (£29, beautypro.com) – a DIY gadget to measure the moisture and oil content of the skin.
Then I visit the upmarket Belgravia clinic of Dr David Jack, where I am allowed to use his professional facial Skin Scan machine to check whether the hydration of the skin on my knee broadly correlates with the readings I’m getting on the home gadget. I have to get into a very odd pose to contort my knee into the machine but those years of Pilates finally come good.
According to both of these, I am basically a husk. My hydration is so low that I’m surprised I don’t snap like a dead twig.
When I start the test, doing the measurements in the middle of the day, the skin on my knee measures 31 per cent hydrated (31 to 35 is ‘dry’ and less than 31 is ‘dehydrated’ on the Beautypro). My stomach is 34 per cent and my shin is 33 per cent. Yikes!
Could the magic PJs be the solution? Dr Jack is sceptical about skincare in the form of fabric.
‘Surely the only thing we could really do is to create an occlusive [damp] environment? And that would be rather odd to sleep in.’
He recommends intermittent exfoliation with salicylic acid or azelaic acid. ‘There are some good retinoid body creams available, obviously SPF and a moisturiser with ceramides and some occlusives [ingredients that hold in moisture].’
I spend a week wearing the pyjamas. They are by some margin the most expensive nightwear I’ve ever owned: the T-shirt is £120 and the trousers £130.
The fabric is fine and surprisingly flattering considering it is so thin. It feels fluid and soft on my skin and it comes in navy blue, deep lilac or muted aquamarine.
I can’t say I instantly notice any difference; I am not waking up with silky legs and I have to wash the pyjamas every couple of days to ensure I wear them consistently – washing doesn’t affect the effectiveness but, as recommended, I don’t tumble-dry them.
I continue with my normal routine – usually a shower in the morning and moisturising after, then applying SPF to exposed skin; and if I go to the gym, showering and moisturising again in the evening.
After a few days, I test the hydration in my legs again at the same time of day. My shin measures 34 per cent, as does my knee, and my stomach has barely moved the dial at 35 per cent. So, overall, it has gone up a little. I am teetering in the direction of normal.
Of course, hydration varies enormously at this time of year. I am wearing jeans for the first time in months and I wonder whether they are making my skin more dry because of friction and harsh fabric.
I persevere with the PJs for another few weeks, after which the figures show 37 per cent on my knee, 36 on my shin and 39 per cent on my stomach. I’ve moved entirely out of ‘dry’!
They aren’t miraculous results and this is certainly no clinical study but my skin looks and feels smoother and I feel as though I’m sleeping more soundly.
However, the PJs are very expensive – this one pair costs as much as the rest of my sleepwear drawer put together.
My verdict? As we head into the skin-parching desert days of winter, they’re worth a try – if you can afford it.