All scans / Serums / Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum
Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a brightening serum with real actives, but it is compromised by fragrance and a likely modest acid dose.
This is a brightening serum with real actives, but it is compromised by fragrance and a likely modest acid dose.
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The efficacy score reflects a solid top-line antioxidant treatment from tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate plus supportive emollients and humectants, but glycolic acid sits late in the INCI so it is probably present at a low level and is unlikely to function as a strong exfoliating driver; the citrus oils and listed fragrance allergens also reduce the safety score.
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DemythSkin rates Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum 3.8/5 for efficacy and 3.4/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Limonene, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Linalool. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (9)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water/Eau/Aqua, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, PEG-8 Beeswax, Limonene, Citrus Sinesis (Sweet Orange) Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Jojoba Esters, Glycolic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Chlorphenesin Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Linalool.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Water/Eau/Aqua
- solvent
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- vitamin C antioxidant
- Squalane
- emollient
- Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
- emulsifier
- PEG-8 Beeswax
- texture modifier
- Limonene
- fragrance component
- Citrus Sinesis (Sweet Orange) Oil
- fragrance oil
- Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
- fragrance oil
- Glycine Soja Sterols
- skin conditioning lipids
- PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
- film former
- Sodium Phytate
- chelator
- Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Acetamidoethoxyethanol
- humectant
- Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- thickener
- Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- thickener
- Jojoba Esters
- emollient
- Glycolic Acid
- AHA exfoliant
- Caprylyl Glycol
- humectant
- Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
- texturizer
- Chlorphenesin Glycerin
- preservative blend
- Polysorbate 60
- emulsifier
- Sorbitan Isostearate
- emulsifier
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate: Sunday Riley product page describes it as the vitamin C ingredient in the formula.
Glycolic Acid: Sunday Riley product page lists glycolic acid among the formula components.
Saccharide Isomerate: Sunday Riley product page identifies saccharide isomerate as a skin moisturizer.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper serum that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (brightening) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum: common questions
Is Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum worth it?
Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum scores 3.8 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Modest) and 3.4 out of 5.0 for safety (Some Risk) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a brightening serum with real actives, but it is compromised by fragrance and a likely modest acid dose.
What are the key active ingredients in Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum?
Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Glycolic Acid.
Does Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum as documented irritants: Limonene, Citrus Sinesis (Sweet Orange) Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Linalool.
How is Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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