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Sunday Riley

Luna Sleeping Night Oil.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil
Serums

About this product

An oil-based night serum combining retinol with botanical oils, designed to hydrate and support skin renewal while you sleep.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

66%

Mixed

6 experts · Strong agreement
6Gurus
4Yay
0Mixed
2Nay

What they liked

  • Gentle retinol suitable for sensitive skin
  • Hydrating oil texture
  • Soothing and anti-aging combined

What they flagged

  • Retinol too weak for noticeable results
  • Contains fragrance
  • Expensive for what it delivers

What the gurus are saying

The retinol here is very gentle, which means it delivers mild results and may not satisfy anyone hunting for real retinoid strength; gurus split on whether that gentleness is a strength or a drawback. Those with dry or retinoid-sensitive skin find it soothing and hydrating, and some notice visible improvements within a night or two, but others caution the formula reads more as a nourishing oil than an active treatment and suggest alternatives with stronger actives or bakuchiol for the price. The fragrance may matter if you're sensitive to scent.
Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026

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 Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Yay
"This is one of my favorite skincare products that I've used for years and years. This is a really beautiful, definitely splurgey product, but if you're looking for something that's very anti-aging and soothing at the same time, for me it's not too intense for being a retinol oil, probably because it's like mixing a hydrating oil with a retinol. This is one of my favorites, and 50% off is a really good excuse to restock or try it out in my opinion."
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"I'm hooked on the Luna Sleeping Night Oil again. The smell of this brought back a lot of memories. [...] I've been using this in the daytime as well and I'm about to buy a big bottle of this because I feel like it's just really really really working well for my skin. My skin's been very happy when I've used this. [...] I noticed an immediate difference after like one or two nights of using it."
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"This is one of my favorite skincare products that I've used for years and years. This is a really beautiful, definitely splurgey product, but if you're looking for something that's very anti-aging and soothing at the same time, for me it's not too intense for being a retinol oil, probably because it's like mixing a hydrating oil with a retinol. This is one of my favorites, and 50% off is a really good excuse to restock or try it out in my opinion."
~Nay
"Some of the popular ones for example Sunday Riley Luna or the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula or Tatchy Dewy Skin Cream or Glow Recipe Pineapple Sea Bright Serum. These all contain essential oils. Now, I know they smell like a five-star spa, but essential oils and leave on products are sneaky triggers for PIH, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Don't forget, skin of color have fewer ceramides, so skin barrier damage is easier for us. Now, essential oils are an irritant. They're allergens. And when that happens, inflammation takes place. And when inflammation takes place, hyperpigmentation can take place. Why would you even risk it?"
~Nay
"There's a lot of hype behind it but don't anticipate too much results because the types of retinoids in here are so gentle. Most people aren't going to notice a ton of benefits unless you have very very perhaps dry skin or skin that's very sensitive to retinoids. And if that's the case maybe check out something with [bakuchiol] in it instead. For 105 bucks in my opinion this one is not relevant anymore. You heard about it a long time ago and not so much anymore."
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"The retinol in here is very, very weak. It's more of a hydrating oil than anything, so if you're looking for retinol, this is probably not the product. People might like it because of the smell or the look of it, [...] but if you're looking for a retinoid product, there's [...] a ton of them that actually have real retinol on them and don't cost nearly as much as this one does. In my opinion, it's overhyped."
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"The Sunday Riley Luna oil, it's got fragrance in there. This is a Holy Grail for a lot of people. When I first got into skincare it used to be talked about a lot more, it's not talked about quite as much, but some people I'm sure still love and use it."
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"There's a lot of hype behind it but don't anticipate too much results because the types of retinoids in here are so gentle. Most people aren't going to notice a ton of benefits unless you have very very perhaps dry skin or skin that's very sensitive to retinoids. And if that's the case maybe check out something with [bakuchiol] in it instead. For 105 bucks in my opinion this one is not relevant anymore. You heard about it a long time ago and not so much anymore."
~Yay
"With the uh good jeans at lactic acid treatment you can see results within minutes of putting it on"
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"3 oz of the Luna sleeping retinoid night oil"
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"With the uh good jeans at lactic acid treatment you can see results within minutes of putting it on"
~Yay
"Such as the lunar sleeping oil and tidal brightening enzyme water cream these products complemented their already hugely now popular lineup"
~Yay
"The Sunday Riley Luna oil is basically an oil-based retinol but it is very very gentle. If you just want something gentle you can definitely opt in for the Luna oil. The Luna oil is something I still have and sometimes when I want a little extra hydration especially now in the winter months I actually combine it with the Retinol Serum and this is absolutely fabulous."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Retinoids

Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil?

An oil-based night serum combining retinol with botanical oils, designed to hydrate and support skin renewal while you sleep.

Is Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil worth it?

The gurus are split. 4 of the 6 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 2 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 66%.

What is Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil's Guru Score?

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil holds a Guru Score of 66%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil best for?

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil is generally suited to dry skin and mature skin.

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

Lower-priced serums the gurus still rate highly, versus this luxury pick.

See how they stack up →

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