sunday riley

On how the brand name was formed

Sunday Riley (SR): “It’s my name and a lot of times people don’t know that. The brand launched in September 2009 but when I presented the brand back then, it was an unnamed concept and the buyer at Barney’s (which was our first retailer) said that she would take the brand but insisted that it had my name on it. I didn’t actually want that for a lot of reasons but she said that people really liked that connection. I also realised that if I put my name on it, and if I ever sold the brand, I would be selling the rights to my name and I was never gonna do that. I really thought it over and I finally decided that I wanted it.”

On how the brand stands out from the many brands widely available now

SR: “I think that we have an amazing word-of-mouth type of growth. People try the products they are curious about and then when they see the results themselves, they share that with their friends and family – that’s really how we grew very quickly. It is a very natural and organic following. ”

The inspiration behind the names of the products

SR: “Different products have different inspiration sources but the brand and the products itself are very serious. They work efficiently, they’re high-tech and you see results right away. And the packaging is serious on purpose because we want people to feel confident when they use it but in order to make it less intimidating, it’s fun to have whimsical names to make it just a little bit more relatable and takes down the fear factor so it’s more approachable.”

sunday riley
Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment, $148
sunday riley
C.E.O Rapid Flash Brightening Serum, $120 and C.E.O. C+E Antioxidant Protect + Repair Moisturiser, $92

Three products every woman needs from the brand

SR: “I would say every person needs Good Genes because it is extremely universal and helps to brighten and clarify your skin. It also helps other products sink in deeper because it gets rid of dead skin cells. I am a big believer of vitamin C so I would say depending on the texture that you like and what other products you incorporate in your routine, I would say C.E.O serum or moisturiser is critical. There’s a high dose in both but extremely high in the serum (read: 15 per cent) and lastly, I would probably say Luna because I feel that retinol is an important category as well.”

On her personal skincare routine

SR: “I do use and rotate a lot of the products but the ones that I use the most for my skin type are Good Genes, C.E.O Serum, Luna, Tidle, CEO Cream, Juno and Auto Correct. It really depends on my mood and how my skin feels that day. But every single day I use Good Genes and C.E.O Serum no matter what. And if I don’t use Good Genes (because I have very dry, dehydrated skin), within three days, my skin ends up not looking as radiant and clear as before.”

The one item from her skincare routine she can’t live without

SR: “I have extremely dry skin so if I don’t have some sort of hydration on my skin, it will pull and it hurts. With that being said, if I don’t apply Good Genes my skin doesn’t look as good and I like radiance. It’s about looking healthy.”

A beauty memory she’ll never forget

SR: “I read an interview with Marilyn Monroe when I was 11 years old and she said that she started using wrinkle cream at 12 and I freaked out a little. So I got on my bike and rode it to the nearest drugstore and used my allowance to secretly buy anti-wrinkle cream just in case I was wrinkling. But my grandmother very much so always taught me to take care of my skin.”

A beauty advice

SR: “You need to incorporate different technologies into your routine. So it’s not just about having vitamin C or retinol, you need to use all these different technologies to really fight the signs of ageing, acne, dullness or whatever it might be that you are looking for. It’s really good to have alternating technologies. I am a big believer in acids and chemical exfoliation and that’s important to make other products sink in deeper and I also believe that people over-cleanse their skin. It is very important to clean your skin but if you use cleansers that are too aggressive and drying, you actually can destroy the skin’s natural moisture barrier and it can create these microcracks, which can cause inflammation. It is also a great way for the acne bacteria to fall deeper into your skin and cause more breakouts. You can spend a thousand dollars on the most amazing treatments, serums and creams but if you cleansed your skin too aggressively, it is very difficult to fight that.”

The biggest change in women’s perspective of beauty over the years

SR: “I would say people always want clear skin but what clear means is now just different. Clear might mean lack of acne, wrinkles or hyperpigmentation. I think that consumers are becoming more educated on the ingredients whereas before, they would just want the basics (i.e: cleanser, serum and moisturiser) but now they would want to add retinol, vitamin C or acids. So they actually shop by ingredients and not just category.”