A few years ago I became more interested in skincare. Not that I wasn’t using it before then but I just became interested in being a bit more serious about it and pay more attention to tackling some skin concerns I have. I struggled with finding skincare that worked but that didn’t irritate my skin for years and after feeling quite solid that I knew what might work and what wouldn’t for a while, I decided to experiment more. One such experiment: to try expensive, much raved about skincare products. One such brands: Sunday Riley. Their Luna Oil wasn’t much of a success for me. How did I fare with the Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment?
Skincare review: Sunday Riley Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment
And expensive this product is. This is hands down the most expensive skincare product I have ever tried. I wanted to get the smaller size which is 30 mls at €95 which was quite a big chunk out of my skincare budget. You can also get a larger 50 mls size which retails for a whooping €140. For your information: I am someone who swears by The Body Shop and The Ordinary for their skincare routine. So before this I had hardly ever spend more than €25 on a single skincare product. But I had heard great things about this so I decided to try it.
What does this product have to offer?
The Sunday Riley Good Genes product was high up on the list to try. So many beauty influencers raved about the brand for a while and I was curious to say the least. This product sounds close to a miracle if you believe the claims. This should help with texture, fine lines, boost circulation and help against hyper pigmentation while not irritating the skin. I bought this because I wanted to try an acid to treat my skin’s texture. I have naturally dehydrated skin which has led me to get milia over the years, mainly on my cheeks. I have been trying lots of products that promise to help with the texture, but sadly nothing has really helped.
However, while I was open to trying an chemical exfoliant to help with some of my skin’s lesser parts, I was also nervous. I have super sensitive skin that reacts badly to even the most simplistic of ingredient lists. So I knew I shouldn’t go into this straight away. Now that I have tried some acids over time without any issues, I knew I could start using this very expensive product. I just didn’t want to run the risk of starting my journey with this and hating it as my skin just wasn’t ready. Luckily for me, this isn’t just a straight up glycolic acids and it has some additional ingredients that also help soothe the skin and help against irritation.
How does this product work?
I like it when skincare gives me instant results, but without my skin freaking out. This certainly gave me that. I only use this once a week, but it’s been a great product in my routine. It is lightweight and easy to use. I use less than I pumped out here as this is so expensive and I feel this is easy to use only a little bit of. I love the bottle and the pump twists shut so you are sure the formula stays stable and you can use it for a while.
Water/ Aqua/ Eau, Dimethicone, Glycolic Acid, Squalane, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Potassium Lactate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, PPG-24-Glycereth-24, Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ceteareth-20, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Xanthan Gum, Sorbitan Isostearate, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene
The ingredient list seems quite simple for such an effective product. There is some silicone in this, but the glycolic acid is high up the list as is squalane. And if there is one skincare ingredient that I am finding my skin loves it is squalane. It is a great hydrator and also the other ingredients promised are there but they are more towards the bottom of the list.
My final thoughts
The Sunday Riley Good Genes treatment is recommended for daily use. As with many acids and treatments my sensitive skin just doesn’t like that. However, I feel this product does give my skin that pick me up I need once a week to make it come alive. In fact, I am finding myself looking forward to my weekend pamper evening which is when I use this as a first step and then top it off with a moisturizer. It’s been lovely on my skin: I have had no issues with my skin and my skin hasn’t been overly reactive as a result. This is gentle enough, but if I were to use this every day I am sure I would develop some sort of sensitivity for it over time. By using it just once a week, I am making it last a bit longer as at this moment I am still undecided whether I find this worth the repurchase.
Would I recommend the Sunday Riley Good Genes treatment?
Not really. I don’t think anyone should spend nearly €100 for a skincare product. It’s insane! I am happy I got to try it, but I know I have to go through the full bottle first and then see if I start missing this in my routine to even be able to determine if I would want to get a new one of this. As it stands now I think I would much rather put some effort into finding another glycolic treatment that also works for me but that is far more affordable. I just stocked up on some skincare and am hoping to do just that. So no, don’t get this unless you really really like the sound of this and can spare the cash. If it means you have to take out an extra mortgage on your house than please don’t!