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Sunday Riley

Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment.

Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment
Serums

About this product

A lactic acid exfoliating serum designed to gently exfoliate, hydrate, and address fine lines, pores, and hyperpigmentation.

Best for

Mature skin
Serums

The Guru Index verdict

72%

Approved

Approved · 72%
10Reviewers
7Approved
1Mixed
2Skip
#18 in Best Serums

What the gurus are saying

Gurus overwhelmingly praise Good Genes as an effective, gentle entry point into exfoliating acids, especially for mature and sensitive skin. The consistent win is visible smoothness and radiance, even within minutes of application. The recurring critique is that it's formulated at a lower pH than necessary for efficacy and carries a strong smell some find off-putting. A minority note overhyping relative to results, and one reviewer experienced lip chapping.
Synthesized from 10 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

AHASqualaneFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua, Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cypripedium Pubescens Extract, Opuntia Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (Yeast) Extract, Leuconostoc/​Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Lactic Acid, PPG-12/​Smdi Copolymer, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Disiloxane, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Phytate

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid. This one's much gentler, really nice, layers really good with your skincare, especially if you have sensitive skin."
All 3 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown
Exfoliating 101: Dermatologist's Guide to Choosing the Right Exfoliant for Your Skin Type
"The Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment is a lactic acid serum that targets the look of pores, hyperpigmentation, and dark spots. It's clinically shown to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles as well. It's a very gentle exfoliant but it also deeply hydrates, so it's going to leave your skin plump and radiant. Key ingredients here are things like purified lactic acid, which will hydrate and exfoliate the surface layers, smooth the texture, and improve the look of fades and wrinkles. It also contains a little bit of licorice and lemongrass, which will brighten the appearance of dark spots and skin discoloration, as well as pearly pear extract, which soothes the appearance of surface redness and sensitive skin."
Skincare in Your 40s: A Dermatologist’s Guide to Healthy, Glowing Skin
"Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment is a lactic acid HA serum that targets the look of pores, hyperpigmentation, and dark spots. It is clinically shown to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It gently exfoliates and deeply hydrates, leaving your skin really nice and plump and radiant. The key ingredients are purified lactic acid, which hydrates and exfoliates the surface layer of the skin, smoothing the texture and improving the look of fine lines and wrinkles and visibly clarifying some blemishes. It also has licorice and lemongrass, which together help brighten the appearance of dark spots and skin discoloration, and contains prickly pear extract which will soothe the appearance of surface redness and sensitive skin."
Best Anti-Aging Ingredients Ranked by a Dermatologist
"Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid. This one's much gentler, really nice, layers really good with your skincare, especially if you have sensitive skin."
Approved
"This is one of those exfoliating treatments that I do in the winter time because it's so gentle. You can use this in the morning. You can use this in the evening. If you have mature skin and you're kind of maybe a little bit nervous about doing an exfoliation step, this is a great first start. This was my entryway into exfoliating acids about six years ago when I was really nervous. I didn't really know what they were. I wasn't sure how my sensitive, dry skin would react. This is absolutely gorgeous and one that I return to and repeat purchase all the time."
All 3 takes from Beyond50Skin
OVER 50 SKINCARE EMPTIES: My Biggest DISAPPOINTMENTS & Instant Repurchases
"This is one of those exfoliating treatments that I do in the winter time because it's so gentle. You can use this in the morning. You can use this in the evening. If you have mature skin and you're kind of maybe a little bit nervous about doing an exfoliation step, this is a great first start. This was my entryway into exfoliating acids about six years ago when I was really nervous. I didn't really know what they were. I wasn't sure how my sensitive, dry skin would react. This is absolutely gorgeous and one that I return to and repeat purchase all the time."
BEST of 2025 Skincare & Makeup for Mature Skin (50+ Beauty Picks)
"Sunday Riley's Good Genes, you can use it A.M., you can use it P.M. It has lactic acid. Perfect for gently exfoliating mature skin and hydrating mature skin. I personally have loved this lately because I've been getting a few breakouts here and there and it has a touch of salicylic acid. Perfect overnight for smooth, baby soft skin when you wake up in the morning. But it is on the potent side. So definitely do your patch test. If you have a little bit more sensitive skin."
WINTER SKIN SURVIVAL KIT ❄️ Stop Trans-Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) for Mature Skin Over 50 Skincare
"I've also jumped over to using Good Genes. It's a lactic acid exfoliator. And for mature skin, it can be hydrating and also gently exfoliating. That's a great one to kind of rely on through the winter months. It's kind of one that I actually return to every winter."
Approved
"I use the Sunday Riley Good Genes lactic acid exfoliator which I love. I tend to not use the tretinoin on that same night just because you know to avoid irritation."
All 3 takes from The Style and Beauty Doctor
The 5 Skin Habits That ACTUALLY Changed My Skin After 40
"I use the Sunday Riley Good Genes lactic acid exfoliator which I love. I tend to not use the tretinoin on that same night just because you know to avoid irritation."
Ulta is Packing HEAT with these Skincare Sets 🔥
"With the Good Genes lactic acid treatment you can see results within minutes of putting it on. Obviously you need to use it over time consistently to get your real results, but you can see a difference in your skin when you first put that on."
Summer Skincare for the SWEATY AF! (Comprehensive Guide)
"For exfoliation I currently use the Sunday Riley Good Genes. What's amazing about this is you can get some immediate results where you can see a marked difference in the radiance of the skin. However you do want to use it over time to get the full benefits."
Skip
"I don't love it because the pH of it is very low for what it needs to be to be effective."
All 3 takes from No BS Beauty
Beginners Guide to pH - Why pH Matters in Your Skincare & How it Impacts Your Skin
"I don't love it because the pH of it is very low for what it needs to be to be effective."
Budget-Friendly Alternatives To Expensive Skincare Products - The Ordinary Dupes - Frugal Friday
"Sunday Riley Good Genes, which smells like sour milk and is super strong, much stronger lower pH than it necessarily needs to be to be effective, but it's a holy grail for a lot of people."
What is Your Skin Barrier & How to Repair It - New Skin Barrier Repair Products
"The Sunday Riley Good Genes, that one's very low pH, very strong."
Approved
"This product is a lactic acid based exfoliant, so it's a chemical exfoliant. It also has licorice root which is meant for brightening, it has aloe for calming down your skin as well as lemongrass for helping with skin radiance. I have sensitive skin and exfoliants are usually pretty harsh on my skin and can cause me to turn red or sting, but this one has been very gentle and it has left my skin feeling really smooth. I use this on nights when I'm not using my retinoid, and I find that this leaves my skin texture feeling really smooth, it helps to unclog my pores, and it's just a really nice gentle treatment that gives me all the benefits of an exfoliant without leaving my skin feeling stinging or over exfoliated."
Approved
"I do love the original Good Genes lactic acid by Sunday Riley. Lactic acid is particularly good if you've got a drier skin that needs resurfacing. I love it if you've got an older drier skin that's a perfect thing to resurface your skin."
Approved
"The Sunday Riley Good Genes which is mostly lactic acid, my skin just really loves it. It gives me a really lovely smooth glow, it keeps away closed comedones, and it makes my pores look smaller."
Skip
"It was a lactic acid thing, the Good Genes. It was not bad, I will say, but it wasn't a miracle worker either and it caused me lip irritation too. It has lactic acid which is good for softening and hydrating the skin, but you have to be careful when you use Alpha hydroxy acid on your face to not get it around your lips or eyelids because it can cause irritation there, and for me that was the case with this. I put petroleum jelly in those areas to avoid that, but even doing the petroleum jelly I still managed to get chapped lips every time I used it. There's so many similar equally performing products out there."
All 3 takes from Dr Dray
*NEW* SKINCARE WE NEED TO DISCUSS AT ULTA | Dermatologist
"Sunday Riley's Good Genes is very much over hyped although it is an effective product. Lactic acid is good for rough and bumpy skin, it's also good for improving hyperpigmentation, smoothing the skin surface. If you have mature skin, lactic acid can help with skin cell turnover which tends to get a little slow with age and that leads to dull skin. This has lemongrass in it and you can definitely smell that. One of the other things about this is that it has arnica in it, the funny thing about arnica is it's mostly anecdotal, the benefits of arnica, and you definitely can develop allergy or problems with it."
Some Skincare I Recently Finished Up And Loved
"Tried out Sunday Riley Good Genes, gave me consistently gave me chap lips no matter if I protected them with petroleum jelly. That wasn't overall horrible though if I'm being honest, that was actually pretty good. It left my skin soft and smooth."
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"It was a lactic acid thing, the Good Genes. It was not bad, I will say, but it wasn't a miracle worker either and it caused me lip irritation too. It has lactic acid which is good for softening and hydrating the skin, but you have to be careful when you use Alpha hydroxy acid on your face to not get it around your lips or eyelids because it can cause irritation there, and for me that was the case with this. I put petroleum jelly in those areas to avoid that, but even doing the petroleum jelly I still managed to get chapped lips every time I used it. There's so many similar equally performing products out there."
Approved
"This by Sunday Riley is a lactic acid, so when I use a chemical peel on my neck because my neck is super sensitive, I will do more of a mandelic acid, still an AHA, or a lactic acid, still an AHA. This is my favorite amongst all of the AHAs at home because you can use this once a week, which I do."
~Mixed
"I like lactic acid, it's my favorite exfoliator."
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