Happy Thursday everyone!
I’m excited for today’s post as about a little over a month ago I received confirmation that I was part of the SEPHORA Beauty Enthusiast community. They sent me a deluxe sample of Sunday Riley’s Luna Night Sleeping Oil and while I had tried a small sample of this before, I gave another test run. Let’s take a look at what this highly talked about oil is all about.
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil
Described as, “a next-generation retinoid oil that improves skin plumpness and helps fight the appearance of wrinkles, redness, and pores for visibly clearer, younger-looking skin.” It’s supposed to help reduce pore size, improve the appearance of damaged skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and moisturize and calm the skin.
Pros
Retinol as an ester
Antioxidant oils such as cold pressed chia oil, grapeseed oil and avocado oil
Improves skin texture
Provides excellent hydration
Includes chamomile which helps soothe irritation
Can be mixed in with your moisturizer for added benefits
Cons
Essential oils might be irritating for some people
Very fragrant
May be too moisturizing for acne skin types
A bit pricey
Inclusion of dyes (albeit small)
Overall: The first thing I noticed is that even before I opened the box, I could smell the product. The scent is laced with chamomile that while it smells nice , it’s fairly strong. Once this is applied though, the scent quickly dissipates. The star ingredient is hydroxypinacolone retinoate, a trans-retinoic acid ester. According to, The Skin Care Ingredient Handbook, hydroxypinacolone retinoate is a mild retinoic ester that decreases effect of sunlight-induced aging and can improve the appearance of acne-prone skin. An ester is a compound formed by a reaction between an acid and an alcohol, significantly reducing the risk of irritation; it’s perfect for people that have experienced irritation with retinol. As I’ve stated before, my forehead has textural issues and I noticed it was smoother after using this for a few days. This inclusion of the above mentioned oils and chamomile left my skin feeling very nice and hydrated but unfortunately because I have combination skin, it made me breakout on my jawline. I would recommend this oil if you have normal to dry skin but if you have acne prone skin or are have sensitive skin, I would tread with caution. I found that I had better luck with Sunday Riley’s Good Genes.
What are your thoughts on Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil?
Stephanie
Interesting product, thanks for the review! German Chamomile naturally has a dark blue color to it, so I wonder why they added additional dyes.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Yeah I’m not sure either why the added them. It is a small amount but it probably would have better not to include them.
Great review of the product!
Thanks! 🙂 xo
I have oily skin, although not very acne prone and this works fantastically for me. My skin feels like a different persons when ever I use this and seems to help balance the oil levels in my skin
I’m happy to hear that this worked out for you. Certain oils can help oily skin-it’s just a matter of finding some that work for you. I did like the smoothing effect this provided me but of course with the breakouts, it’s a no go for me. 🙁
Hmm the scent would probably bother me. Why did they feel that they needed to add so much fragrance into skincare! (also, why dye?! No need for this product to be blue colour) Too bad it broke you out – I know that essential oils can be quite irritating but I’ve not typically had issues. Thanks for this informative review!
From what I see, it’s the essential oils that are very fragrant, contributing to the scent. I’m all for essential oils but sometimes people don’t react well to them. Not sure what was going on with the dye. They are small amounts but I think they could have done without them. The first time around, I broke out but I decided to give another try thinking perhaps it was another product that had contributed to it. Sadly it was the oil that broke me out. So glad you enjoyed the review and thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Great review! Too bad about the scent and the dye, I was tempted to try it but my skin is super sensitive, so I’ll probably skip trying this one.
Thanks! Yes, the scent and dyes can be a deterrent for some. 🙁 Maybe you’d like the Good Genes treatment. It is an exfoliating serum that has lactic acid. Lactic acid has a bigger molecular structure which reduces the chance for sensitivity and irritation. Of course everyone’s skin reacts differently but it may be worth a look. 🙂
I’ll add it to my list. Yeah, perfumes and dyes are a huge thing for sensitive skins.
I have oily acne prone skin and so far this has done wonders for me, I love it and the Good Genes serum!
I’m happy this one worked out for you. It helped the texture on my forehead but that’s about it. I was really impressed with the Good Genes serum though. 🙂
I love the Good Genes, it’s actually helping with some scarring on my face! The oil is what I use at night as more of a moisturizer, I was afraid to use it at first but it just sinks right in. They make me want to try more Sunday Riley products. Have you tried anything else from the line?
That’s great to hear! Could be a combination of the lactic acid (Good Genes) and the retinol (Luna Oil). Unfortunately, it was nicely hydrating but I just broke out. I tried their Ceramic Slip cleanser but it just didn’t work out for me either. One thing I couldn’t get past was the smell. For the price, I better absolutely love the product.
I think all of their stuff smells a little strange lol. I agree about the price, they are crazy expensive so I have to see some serious results or back it goes! I’ll pass on the cleanser! 🙂
Yeah, they are very heavy on scents and the price is very high. I don’t recall Good Genes having a prominent scent but it was a while ago. You’re not missing anything with the cleanser. 🙂