I Tested the Sunday Riley Luna Night Oil for a Month—Here’s How It Went

So many beauty products these days are a yawn. My vertigo flares up after sorting through pages of products with some variation on the self-described labels “revolutionary” and “the best thing ever.” But my ears perked up when I heard the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil was the number one best-selling oil. Was it worthy of this heavy-weighted crown?

What is Retinol?

Retinol formulas have been a beauty staple for decades. To the uninitiated, here's a quick catch-up: Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A (one of the most important vitamins in the body) and the first to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an anti-wrinkle agent that visibly improves signs of aging on the skin's surface. Aging skin is frail and thin and loses collagen by the second. Retinol fires up skin cell turnover to create a flood of new cells, strengthening and bulking up the skin's surface and protecting the collagen within it, supporting bouncy, plump-looking skin.

Still, retinol is one of those polarizing beauty products (my favorite kind!) that always stir up strong opinions in a group chat. Using retinol doesn't come without a couple of disclaimers, like how it may cause skin to become flaky and dry. There's a viral term for it: The Retinol Uglies. This unpleasant phenomenon describes the extended period, usually about four weeks when retinol is first introduced to a routine and your skin loses its mind. Breaking out everywhere, large flaky, dry patches, redness splotches—it's all par for the course here.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil piqued my interest because it uses soothing ingredients like blue tansy oil and a milder version of retinol to mitigate these effects while still providing the same benefits. 

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

$55 at Amazon $55 at Nordstrom $40 at QVC

Application and Feel

I was so nervous about making my skin angry I marked on a calendar which nights I used the oil so I didn't slip up. I applied the oil at night three to five times a week for four weeks on my slightly sensitive combination skin (Read: oily on my forehead and dry around my cheeks).

From the first drop, until it soaked into my skin, I found the oil to be the epitome of luxury. In true Sunday Riley fashion, the oil's encased brand in gorgeous packaging that, upon opening, feels similar to unveiling one of the precious ornaments at The Smithsonian's mineral and gem collection. It also feels strong and sturdy in your hand, versus other prestige options that feel so delicate and breakable that I'm almost too stressed to use it.

Above anything else, though, its blue hue, while enticingly ethereal, stunned me. Should my serum be the same color as the acai bowl I had for breakfast? Would I end up with indigo-stained skin, sheets, and pajamas? Lucky for me, the answer to those questions was a resounding no. Immediately after the oil touched my skin, the flash of blue disappeared as it melted into my skin, preventing it from dripping and causing a mess. Plus, I appreciated how the initial blue color allowed me to see exactly where I applied the oil so I wasn't overloading on the product.

Unlike the silky smooth feel of the beloved C.E.O. Glow serum, Luna still has a feather-weight consistency. And when you factor in the absence of heavy fillers, like sulfates, silicones, and parabens, it all makes sense, and I felt good about leaving it on my skin overnight.

Here Are My Results

Goal 1: Clarifying 

Like many, I have the unfortunate and mindless habit of resting my head on my hands at my desk during the workday. Add in NYC pollution and oily fingertips, and I’m left with congested pores and blackheads. But after just two quick weeks, I was thrilled to see smaller-looking pores and fewer little red bumps around these problem areas. Even more shocking, despite worrying that my skin would experience the drying or flaking that sometimes accompanies other retinol formulas, these fears never materialized. Its blend of botanical extracts awakened my skin for a renewed complexion that felt so well-hydrated that I didn’t even notice the days I skipped my moisturizer. 

This feeling is also partially thanks to a trio of chamomile essential oils that contain azulene—one of skincare’s greatest luminaries for soothing skin. This botanical oil not only gives the product its dark blue coloring and herbaceous scent, but its hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties also counteract any irritating side effects of retinol.

Another reason for these results, Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, explains, is because the type of retinol used here is a trans-retinoic acid ester complex. “When esterified, trans-retinoic acid turns it into a storage form, which is a milder, weaker, storage form of retinol,” she says, adding that it “has no biological activity and needs to go through a few steps to be converted to an active retinoid.”

This means that while it may take longer to see it completely wipe away monster pimples, slough away dry flakes, and plump up the skin around wrinkles, “the product can be an appropriate option for sensitive skin, addressing issues such as acne, breakouts, and blackheads,” says Dr. Nazarian.

Goal 2: Brighter, more even skin

This oil gave me more luminous skin after one week, scoring it a permanent spot in my skincare arsenal. My skin was genuinely so glowy I questioned whether someone secretly applied a pearlescent tinted moisturizer while I slept.

I credited my inflated ego to a couple of key ingredients: Namely, grape, avocado, and sunflower seed oil. This trio is among the first listed on the ingredient roster, and each one helps the skin retain moisture while providing anti-inflammatory goodness to soothe angry, inflamed skin and alleviate redness.

Without a time machine, I can’t exactly evaluate how well it does to fight signs of premature aging, but I feel good about it. And I can speak to the fact that my smile lines were less noticeable, and my skin felt tighter. Since Luna was developed with essential oils rich with anti-aging vitamins, notably C and E, two heroes proven to reduce wrinkles and increase skin elasticity, I feel pretty confident that with continued use, I’m fighting the good fight and doing what I can to protect my skin against signs of aging.

Final Decision: Was it worth it?

There’s no denying that at $105, Luna is an investment in your skincare regime. Doubly so for those with sensitive skin who are often excluded from the world of retinol and the skin-smoothing, blemish-clearing magic it delivers. With consistency and diligence, Luna finally allows those prone to irritation (hello, me) to reap these benefits without the aggravating effects. 

Though I’m not sure how well it would tackle more serious skin issues like cystic acne (Sunday Riley suggests pairing it with the A+ High-Does Retinoid Serum, but that means adding another pricey product), I believe it delivered promising results. My skin is rid of whiteheads, blackheads, and smaller blemishes, and my pores shrunk, too. As a bonus, I only needed about half a dropper of oil upon each application, so I think the bottle would last for quite some time.

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Irene Richardson is a writer covering fashion and beauty for InStyle. For this story, she tested the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil for four weeks, gradually increasing the frequency of application from three to five times a week. She also consulted board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian of Schweiger Dermatology Group for more information on the type of retinol used in this formula and how it affects the skin.