Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment – Review And Comparison

by mk2005updated on September 20, 2020September 16, 2020

What is Sunday Riley’s good genes?

Sunday Riley’s good genes is a lactic acid treatment that the company claims will help exfoliate your skin and brighten the appearance of dark spots and discolorations as well as reduce wrinkles . This is now a well known product and there are already plenty of reviews out there about what it does.

So what can you expect with Sunday Riley’s good genes?

If you have acne, it can help reduce scar damage and huge pores caused by it as well as reduce redness and the amount of acne you get. It also helps moisturize dry skin and keeps it healthy while tightening the skin as well. Apart from this, if you have uneven texture or need more of a glow to your skin, it can help with that too.

How should you apply Sunday Riley’s good genes?

Well, you first want to make sure that your skin is clean and dry before you apply this product. Generally, around 1 pump of good genes is enough for both your face and neck and if you are doing just your face you could probably do with just half a pump. You might feel a slight tingle or burning sensation when you apply this product and it is meant to be left on but if you have overly sensitive skin you can rinse it off after 15 minutes. You can also apply this product on top of the Luna sleeping night oil. And finally, it is advisable to use this product only at night, because it can cause increased photosensitivity.

What about the new formula?

Sunday Riley recently changed some of the ingredients in their good genes product. They no longer use the formaldehyde releasing dmdm hydantoin and also the triethanolamine which functioned as a ph adjuster has been replaced with sodium phytate and potassium hydroxide. Also with the introduction of the new formula, the price has been dropped from $105 to $85 for the 30ml bottle and $158 to $122 for the 50ml bottle.

What are some of the complaints about this product?

One of the recent complaints about Sunday Riley’s good genes amongst a number of people is that the new formula with the changed ingredients isn’t as effective as the old formula and is a more watered-down version, so you might want to look into that if you are considering buying it.

Another complaint is of course the price, at $85 a bottle, you can find cheaper options out there that will more or less give you the same results as good genes although they may take a little longer. In fact the ordinary lactic acid costs only about 1/10th the price of good genes and it is likely to give you similar results. Also, if you want to try out good genes, you can also get a trial size free sample of it from Sephora if they still have it in stock.

And lastly, The size of the bottle can be a bit deceiving as there is a small bag inside the bottle which contains the product so you are not exactly getting the whole bottle.

How does Sunday Riley’s Good Genes compare with the ordinary lactic acid?

One of the most glaring differences between good genes and the ordinary lactic acid is the price. While the good genes costs $85 for a 30 ml bottle, the ordinary lactic acid costs under $7 for the same amount of product. In terms of packaging though, good genes has better packaging and a convenient pump but this is going to add to the cost of the product.

Coming to the ingredients, good genes has 29 ingredients while the ordinary lactic acid has 18 ingredients. While the ordinary has the Tasmanian pepperberry fruit extract, good genes has a bunch of other stuff like prickly pear extract, aloe vera leaf extract, arnica montana flower extract, lemon grass oil and licorice root extract.

Both these products are hydrating but good genes is more moisturizing, so if you have dry skin it is more suitable. The ordinary though is slightly better at exfoliating.

The ordinary smells better as good genes has a pretty strong and slightly unpleasant smell.

The ordinary has a water like consistency while good genes is more like a lotion and has a creamy texture

With good genes, you notice the effects by the next morning, whereas with the ordinary it is going to take a bit longer but you are more or less going to get the same results

The ordinary lactic acid has a ph of 3.8 while good genes has a ph of 2.6 which means good genes will deliver more lactic acid to your skin. Even though good genes has a ph of 2.6, it is quite gentle for its potency.

The Ordinary lactic acid contains Triethanolamine which was previously present in good genes but has now been removed. Triethanolamine is allowed in concentrations of up to 2.5% in non-rinse-off products and they can potentially cause irritation at concentrations above 5%. Also, they should not be used in cosmetic products in which N-nitrosamines can be formed as they can be carcinogenic. Triethanolamine functions as a PH adjuster but other than that it does not have any skin benefits.

So which should you choose? Between the ordinary lactic acid and good genes, I would say you should probably go with the ordinary lactic acid first as it is a lot cheaper and if you are not happy with the results of it you can then try good genes. You can go with either the 5% or the 10% lactic acid or even both but I would say that the 10% is probably a better option as there is research that shows that 12% lactic acid can result in increased epidermal and dermal thickness and firmness as well as improvement in skin smoothness and appearance of fine lines. However, with 5% lactic acid similar results are observed in epidermal but no changes in dermal.

What are the ingredients used in Sunday Riley good genes?

Water
Prickly pear extract: This has anti-inflammatory properties and it helps increase blood and plasma antioxidant activity in healthy subjects. It contains vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamin k, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Arnica Montana Flower Extract: some studies claim that it has anti-inflammatory properties while there are others that say it is nothing more than a placebo effect.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract: This is an extract from the aloe vera leaf. It has antioxidant properties and also has enzymes that help exfoliate the skin. Aloe Vera also helps in wound healing after full-faced dermabrasion of patients with acne vulgaris. There is also some research that says it may help improve the symptoms of psoriasis while there is other research that says it doesn’t help with psoriasis.
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a type of yeast and it can act in oxidative stress and improve skin conditions. It also improves skin micro relief.
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate: – This is prepared by fermenting radishes with the bacteria Leuconostoc kimchii. It supposedly has antimicrobial properties that help preserve the product and prevent contamination
Capric Triglyceride: This works as an antioxidant and as a preservative and prevents moisture from escaping by forming a protective layer, thus helping your skin remain soft. It also helps prevent ingredients from clumping together and works as a dispersing agent
Squalane: This comes from squalene which is a lipid that is naturally produced by our skin cells. It helps in protecting the skin from oxidative damage due to UV rays and from other sources as well. It also helps with skin hydration. While squalene is an unsaturated oil, squalane is saturated.
Lactic acid: This helps in epidermal and dermal thickness and firmness. It also helps in increasing cell renewal function.
Propanediol: This comes from either petroleum or corn and it is used as a moisturizer and helps in the absorption of other ingredients.
Butylene Glycol : This works as a conditioning agent by coating the surface of your skin cells and as a humectant. It also works as a solvent and prevents ingredients from clumping together.
Stearic Acid: This works as a surfactant and helps wash away excess oil and dirt from the skin and also protects the skin’s surface against water loss.
Dimethicone: This is a silicone polymer and is used as a moisturizer.
Cetearyl Alcohol: This is a fatty alcohol that is found in coconut oil and palm oil as well but can also be obtained from animals. It works as an emulsifier and helps prevent creams from separating into oil and liquid. It also helps to soothe and heal dry skin.
Disiloxane: This helps in fast drying and in moisturizing.
Phenyl Trimethicone: This works as an anti-foaming agent and as a skin conditioning agent and also as an emollient.
Phenoxyethanol: This works as an antimicrobial and is effective against various Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as against yeasts.
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate: This comes from licorice and is used in skin conditioning.
Lemongrass Oil: This works as an antibacterial and antifungal and also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Caprylyl Glycol: This is obtained from palm or coconut oil and it functions as a humectant and as a skin conditioning agent. It also works as a preservative.
Sodium Phytate: This is used to prevent metal-catalyzed reactions that may cause discoloration in formulations and it binds with metals making them unavailable to bacteria that need these metals for their survival.
Ceteareth-20: This works as an emulsifier and helps keep oil dispersed in water.
Peg 100 Stearate: This is a polyethylene glycol stearate that works as an emulsifier.
Licorice root: There isn’t enough evidence to dictate any clear skin benefits with licorice root but it could potentially help in treating acne and eczema.
PPG-12/SMDI copolymer: This is used as a film forming agent.
Potassium Hydroxide: This is used to adjust the ph of a product and set it right.
Chlorphenesin: This has antifungal and antibacterial properties and is used as a preservative to prevent the growth of microorganisms
Xanthan Gum: This is obtained by the fermentation of sugar with bacteria and is used as a thickening agent in cosmetics and beauty products to enable them to have a thick consistency but still flow easily.
Glyceryl Stearate: This is used to decrease water evaporation, stabilize cosmetic products, and prevent them from forming crusts.