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 when it's backed by data? As in, researched and calculated sales, revenue generated, and demand? Now that makes my ears perk up and they started burning 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?

Retinol serums like this one have been a beauty staple for decades. To 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, thin, and losing collagen by the second, but retinol fires up skin cell turnover to create a flood of new cells, strengthening and bulking up the skin's surface, along with protecting the collagen within it, to support 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. You either worship at the altar of retinol or you hate it intensely. I’ve yet to find anyone who feels just meh about it. So understandably, a lot of brands tout the inclusion of retinol in their formulas, but using retinol doesn’t come without a couple of disclaimers, like how it may cause skin to become flaky and dry. In fact, there’s a viral term for it: The Retinol Uglies. This unpleasant phenomenon describes the extended period of time, 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. Only the brave and stubborn make it. But now, maybe everyone has a chance. 

Enter The Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil — this retinol 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 I mentioned up top. 

Although I’d never used retinol before, as a beauty writer and habitual reader of the r/SkincareAddiction thread on Reddit, naturally, I’d heard the lore of its side effects such as retinol uglies, increased sun sensitivity, and itchiness. In fact, I was actually 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).

At the end of the test, I judged my results and made a final decision: Was it worth it, or did I give in to a hyped-up product?

After taking note of the product’s impressive list of ingredients, I hoped to see the vitamin-rich plant-based oils like avocado and chia seed make my skin look less dull and reduce redness. However, I was most eager to determine if the included retinol could gently exfoliate away pore-clogging impurities without causing aggravation. 

Application and Feel

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, as opposed to 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 really be the same color as the acai bowl I had for breakfast, or have I been brainwashed by the semi-toxic clean girl aesthetic into believing that serums are only effective if they drip like gossamer out of their droppers, nearly imperceptible to the eye? 

Plus, 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 — a quirky, but very useful, benefit.

Unlike the silky smooth feel of the beloved C.E.O. Glow serum, Luna still has a feather-weight consistency. But with a formula filled with lightweight plant-based extracts, how could it not? 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.

Initially, I thought I would only appraise the serum on its effectiveness as a retinol, and judge the other ingredients on how well they balanced out the potential side effects of the harsh acid. But, to my delight, Luna had a couple of other cards up its sleeve, and the 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. 

Here Are My Results

Goal 1: Clarifying 

Like many, I have the unfortunate and mindless habit of resting my head on my hands as I sit at my desk during the workday. Add in NYC pollution and oily fingertips, and I’m left with congested pores and blackheads. They dot my T-zone, chin, and sides of my cheeks, and they’re slow to go away because I’m always resting my chin on my hand. 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. 

This is partially thanks to a trio of chamomile essential oils, which 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. Nazarian 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.”

Basically, this means that while it may take longer to see it totally 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. Additionally, the formula includes rosemary oil which has antimicrobial effects that could help kill acne-causing bacteria.

Still, don’t be fooled into thinking because it’s an oil, it won’t totally rock your skin. Yes, the formula is gentle, but this is still a retinol and isn’t totally excluded from instigating a sensitivity flare-up. After performing a patch test, I incorporated this product slowly into my routine, starting with two times a week, and when my skin gave the all-clear, very gradually increased its use to about every other night. 

Goal 2: Brighter, more even skin

Maybe my dermatologist would hate hearing this, but call it impatience or because simply I’m devout to the dewy dumpling skincare trend, I’m always chasing a formula that will give me immediate radiance over anti-aging benefits I’ll see down the line. Luckily, Luna provides both.

Perhaps what made this oil earn a now permanent spot in my skincare arsenal was how it landed me with more luminous skin after one week — seriously. My skin was genuinely so glowy I questioned whether someone secretly applied a pearlescent tinted moisturizer while I slept. Compliments from coworkers, family, and friends (and one kind, bold stranger) poured in and my confidence surged. It also reinforced that this wasn’t just in my head or a placebo effect, but a new, totally true reality.

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 also 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 definitely 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 definitely an investment in your skincare regime. Doubly so for those with sensitive skin who are so 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 finally reap these benefits without the aggravating effects. 

Though I’m not sure how well it would do at tackling more serious skin, issues like cystic acne (Sunday Riley suggests pairing it with the A+ High-Does Retinoid Serum, but that means adding on another pricey product), I believe it delivered the results I was promised. My skin is rid of whiteheads, blackheads, and smaller blemishes, and my pores definitely shrunk, too. As a bonus, I only needed about half a dropper of oil upon each application, leading me to believe the bottle will 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.