Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil for dry skin
Retinol
Blue Tansy
Avocado Oil
Grape Seed Oil
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Low
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for dry skin; the serums alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for your dry skin as Blackberry Seed Oil and Salvia Hispanica Oil provide emollient action, but the formula lacks sufficient humectant ingredients for optimal hydration.
- Hydroxypinacolone retinoate is present to help minimize fine lines and wrinkles, offering supportive benefits for dry or flaky skin.
How to apply
- Apply this serum PM, starting 3×/week and working up to daily use as your skin adjusts.
- Place the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the serum on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra moisture.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 3.8k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with diverse skin types, particularly those with acne-prone, mature, or sensitive skin, frequently praise this oil for its ability to simultaneously calm redness and refine texture. The combination of retinol and blue tansy is widely credited with delivering a "morning glow," reducing the appearance of pores, and soothing inflammation, though the herbal scent and high price point are common points of contention.
Highlights
Calms redness & irritation Mostly Mentioned
- “Instantly calms the skin”
- “Soothes visible redness”
- “Neutralizes signs of sensitivity”
- “Reduced redness overnight”
Delivers radiant glow Often Mentioned
- “Woke up with a beautiful glow”
- “Skin looked brighter and revitalized”
- “Gives a hydrated glow”
- “Luminous complexion by morning”
Smooths skin texture Often Mentioned
- “Pores look smaller”
- “Skin feels glass-like”
- “Texture is significantly improved”
- “Smoothed out fine lines”
Expensive price tag Often Mentioned
- “Ridiculously expensive”
- “Jaw-dropping sum of money”
- “Price is steep”
- “Not worth the splurge”
Unpleasant scent Often Mentioned
- “Smells like Vicks VapoRub”
- “Scent is somewhat grandma-like”
- “Smells like old oil”
- “Overpowering earthy scent”
Clears acne & breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “Skin looks clearer”
- “Doesn't break me out”
- “Saved my skin from acne”
- “Helps with hormonal breakouts”
Oily or heavy feel Sometimes Noted
- “Feels a little cloying”
- “Heavy on the skin”
- “Very oily residue”
- “Takes a long time to sink in”
Causes breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Gave me horrible acne”
- “Breaks me out every time”
- “Ruined my skin”
- “Caused deep cystic bumps”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, influenster.com, ulta.com, spacenk.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Sunday Riley Luna a weak match for dry skin?
Sunday Riley Luna offers moderate suitability for your dry skin as some oils help smooth it, but the formula lacks sufficient moisture-binding ingredients for optimal hydration. A treatment for dry skin needs rich, deeply hydrating ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, or peptides to lock in moisture and support the skin barrier.
Which ingredients make this treatment a poor fit for dry skin?
This treatment is a weak match for dry skin because it lacks enough moisture-binding ingredients for optimal hydration. A product of this type needs soothing ingredients, ceramides, niacinamide, and various forms of vitamin C that provide significant hydration, improve skin texture, and support the skin barrier without irritation.
What does Retinol do for dry skin?
Retinol is a poor fit for dry skin because it frequently causes scaling, stinging, and dryness. To care for dry skin properly, a product needs gentle, hydrating ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture and keep the skin barrier calm and smooth.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Blue Tansy do for dry skin?
Blue Tansy helps calm dry skin by soothing irritation and easing redness. Because dry skin often feels tight and reactive, this ingredient brings comforting relief while supporting a smoother, softer feel.
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Because dry skin needs products that draw in moisture, this type of product also requires ingredients that pull water into the skin.
Can I use it with vitamin C, and in what order?
You can use this treatment alongside vitamin C by applying your vitamin C product in the morning and saving this oil for your evening routine. Because this formula lacks sufficient ingredients that draw in moisture, dry skin needs a hydrating toner and a rich moisturizer layered alongside it to keep skin comfortable.
How often should I use this treatment?
You can use this treatment in the evening as part of your nighttime routine. Because this formula lacks sufficient hydrating ingredients for dry skin, a product of this type needs rich plant oils and moisture-binding ingredients to keep skin soft and comfortable.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This oil is unlikely to cause breakouts for dry skin, though some shoppers report an oily or heavy feel. A product of this type needs richer moisture-locking ingredients and humectants to keep dry skin fully hydrated and balanced.
Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Hydroxypinacolone retinoate and retinyl propionate at a 5:9 weight ratio synergistically enhanced antiaging gene expressions in vitro and improved skin wrinkles, smoothness, transepidermal water loss, and elasticity in 42 Chinese urban women over an 8-week period without adverse reactions compared to retinol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023A topical serum containing hydroxypinacolone retinoate and peptides used twice daily for 16 weeks achieved parity or statistically significantly better improvement in facial aging parameters compared to a single fractional CO2 laser treatment in women with moderate global photodamage.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2018Topical chamazulene treatment mitigates UVB-induced photoaging in mouse skin by upregulating fatty acid metabolism genes, restoring fatty acid homeostasis, enhancing non-essential amino acid metabolism, and downregulating the p38 MAPK/COX-2 pathway, likely via PPARα/γ activation.
Antioxidants, 2025Topical cream containing saffron extract and avocado oil improved wrinkle grading, reduced nasolabial fold area and volume, and increased skin elasticity in twenty healthy volunteers over 12 weeks without allergic reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Topical treatment with SSFAO 50% or avocado oil increased wound contraction, reepithelialization, collagen density, and tensile strength while showing anti-inflammatory activity compared to petroleum jelly in rats.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013Grapeseed oil-loaded dermocosmetic nanoemulgel applied on the cheeks of healthy volunteers significantly reduced skin melanin, erythema, sebum production, and pores while increasing moisture and elasticity compared to a placebo.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Topical treatment with cranberry oil and grape oil improved wound healing in rats, with cranberry oil showing an 88.1% wound area reduction and grape oil showing 84.6% compared to 74.1% in controls and 78.4% in the mupirocin standard group on day 13.
Phytotherapy Research, 2011An ionic liquid-based grapeseed oil emulsion increased transdermal penetration by 4.63-fold and improved skin hydration, firmness, elasticity, and facial wrinkles after 28 days of continuous use compared to ordinary emulsion.
Pharmaceuticals, 2024
Why other serums fit dry skin better
Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Treatment with 14% ferulic acid and 12% l-ascorbic acid significantly reduced pigmentation and erythema while improving hydration and elasticity in 20 women with photoaged skin, with neither acid proving definitively more effective overall though ascorbic acid showed slightly greater skin lightening.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022
Ingredients
Blackberry Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Chamomilla Recutita Oil Flower Matricaria Oil Flower, Tanacetum Annuum Oil Blue Tansy Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Oil English Chamomile Oil, Eriocephalus Punctualatus Oil Cape Chamomile Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil Blood Orange Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil Ylang Ylang Flower Oil, Vetivera Zizanoides Oil Vetiveria Zizanoides Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract Rosemary Leaf Extract, Ci 61565 Green 6, Ci 60725 Violet 2
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.