If I received a dollar for every time someone asked me –
‘What is one product that you would recommend to change my life?‘
I would be absolutely rich. Filthy rich at that. And why?
Unfortunately, members of the skincare world would consider that an absolutely loaded question. Truth of the matter is every person needs a skincare routine. It matters less of how simple or complex the routine is, but it matters most that you have one.
Without a consistent routine your skin has no sense of normality. One day your pH levels can be all the way up to an 8 and down to a 4 the next day — there isn’t anything to help your skin in adjusting to weather, wear, or healing.
Consider your skin another muscle of the body. In order to obtain better toning results, would you have to consider committing to that arm workout at least a few times a week? The answer is obviously Yes! Every single day introduces new challenges for your skin, your protein bonds are constantly breaking down everyday — and in order to help them recover you have to have a daily routine.
So let’s begin:
Product Background:
Sunday Riley already had a pretty impressive line-up by the time she introduced the C.E.O. Brightening Serum in April of 2017. At that time, her brand already had two other flourishing products, Good Genes (the lactic acid treatment) and Luna (the retinol resurfacing oil).
Skincare is rarely ever a one size fits all — in fact this is why learning to incorporate the appropriate products into your routine becomes so important.
So where does the C.E.O. Brightening range fit in?
Let’s first discuss what Vitamin C as a whole does for your body and skin.
Since it is a powerful antioxidant it helps to decrease oxidative damage and makes it an ideal candidate for daytime routines. Having powerful antioxidants in your daytime routine will help to protect the skin from free radicals that are often absorbed from UV exposure which leads to hyper-pigmentation, fine lines, sagging and age spots. Additionally Vitamin C can also inhibit melanin production in the skin, so that it can color-correct skin tone in the long run.
(I will be saving onto my to-do list to write a post that explains the relationship between Vitamin C, E and their effects on Free Radicals.)
In regards to the Sunday Riley routine, up until this point many consumers were utilizing the Good Genes during the daytime and the combination of Good Genes and Luna Oil in the evenings. This allowed for a repeated lactic acid treatment to work during the day and at night while the additional retinol helped in sloughing away dead skin while rejuvenating beauty sleep was being activated.
So this is where the Sunday Riley’s C.E.O. range comes in, by incorporating Vitamin C into the daytime routine — it helps to build additional collagen, provide better protection, and with a few other ingredients enhances the overall glow in the skin.
Ingredients Breakdown:
| Class | Ingredient | Alternative Name | Purpose of Ingredient |
| Base | Aqua | Water | Hydration, Solvent |
| Active | Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) | Vitamin C | Brightening, Even Skintone |
| Active | Squalane | Hydrogenated Squalene | Brightening, Hydrating, & Healing |
| Emulsifier | Polyglyceryl-6 Disterate | Botanic Glycerin | Skin Conditioning, Natural Ingredient Blender |
| Emulsifier | Peg-8 Beeswax | Ethylene Oxide & Water | Hydrophilic, Penetration Enhancer |
| Antioxidants | Limonene | Calm Skin | |
| Antioxidant | Citrus Sinesis Oil | Sweet Orange Oil | Deep Hydration, Antimicrobial |
| Antioxidant | Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil | Mandarin Rind Oil | Hydration, Fragrance |
| Sterol | Glycine Soja Sterols | Soy Based Alcohol | Lubricant, Emollient |
| Copolymer | Ppg-12/Smdi Copolymer | Texture Enhancer | |
| Stabilizer | Sodium Phytate | Phytic Acid | Natural Chelating Agent |
| Antioxidant | Tocopherol | Vitamin E | Hydration |
| Preservative | Phenoxyethanol Glycol Ether | ||
| Occlusive | Acetamido- ethoxyethanol | Humectant | Draws In Moisture |
| Copolymer | Hydroethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer | Gelling-Agent | Creates Melt-In Consistency |
| Copolymer | Sodium Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer | Texture Enhancer | Creates better texture and film to minimize water-loss |
| Occlusive | Jojoba Esters | Emollient | Softens & Smooths |
| Resurfacer | Glycolic Acid | Hydroxy Acid | Sugar-Crop Based Resurfacer |
| Occlusive | Caprylyl Glycol | Humectant | Texture Enhancer/Anti-microbial |
| Emulsifier | Cetyl Alcohol | Alcohol | Ingredient Blender, Stabilizer |
| Stabilizer | Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax | Fatty Acid Ester | |
| Stabilizer | Chlorphenesin Glycerin | Alcohol | |
| Emulsifier | Sorbitan Isostearate | ||
| Upper Lipid Mimic | Saccharide Isomerate | Hydration | Mimics Carbohydrate Fraction in order to bind and hold hydration for longer |
| Fragrance | Linalool | Naturally Derived Citrus Scent |
Ingredient Focus: Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate 15% (THD)
Sunday Riley was part of the handful of companies to come out with a Vitamin C based serum during early 2017 that included Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, commonly marketed as THD.
Although it is still in the same Vitamin C family as L-Ascorbic Acid, it is said that THD is a more stable form of Vitamin C because it is fat-soluble.
The fatty acid portion of THD makes it slightly more superior because it allows for a better delivery and deeper penetration into the dermis layer that contains collagen producing amino acids; therefore making this a faster-acting ingredient.
Ingredient Focus: Squalane
In the beauty industry there are a number of combination of ingredients to curtail all signs of aging. The combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin E are known for their capabilities to fend off free radical damage from everyday UV exposures. Squalene and Squalane are part of the Vitamin E family to help condition and nourish skin.
By hydrogenating Squalene, it will yield the saturated portion known as Squalane. Squalane is a much higher quality ingredient since it is a lot more stable and less prone to auto-oxidation. It also has a lighter consistency making it more ideal for those that have easily congested or acneic skin. It also helps to reduce fine lines and chronic dryness. Squalane is a very hydrating ingredient and provides many essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
How To Use:
On the instructions in the back of the packaging, it states to use 1-2 pumps which I consider overkill. I personally think that if a moisturizer is going to be applied on top of the serum, one pump of this emollient serum is all you need.
1 Pump of C.E.O. Brightening Serum 
After Blending
Short Term Effects: Hydrated & Glowy
Please excuse the wonky white balance that my phone camera has, but you can see a clear difference from the left compared to the right. The right photo is a lot more hydrated, lines are smoothed out and the skin is drastically more glowy and dewy.
Prior To Blending C.E.O. Brightening Serum 
After Blending C.E.O. Brightening Serum
Long Term Effects: Hydration & Hyper-Pigmentation Lifting
I incorporated this item into my routine roughly 8 weeks ago and have finished close to 60% of the bottle. Prior to this I had quite a rough patch right underneath my lip area on my chin as well as a significant amount of sun spots/freckles along the tops of my cheeks. The hyper-pigmentation has decreased significantly and the dry-spot is completely gone, it is almost baby-butt smooth at this point.
What you should be aware of when you using this product?
Since the C.E.O. Brightening Serum contains a lot of emollient ingredients it is crucial to remember that less is more. Do not slather this serum all over your face at first use, you want to allow your sebum levels to acclimate to the hydrating ingredients in this product.
Also, this item contains Glycolic Acid in it’s Hydroxy form — so wearing a sunscreen is absolutely imperative! If you’re trying to get rid of hyper-pigmentation or hypo-pigmentation it is crucial that an SPF of at least 30 is worn on a day to day basis and if you plan to have excess sun exposure, using a 50 SPF will give you the best protection in the long run.
Would I recommend this product? & Repurchase?
At an $85 price point for 1oz, this cost is quite hefty, but at the same time you are getting 15% THD. If you look at other Vitamin Cs on the market, generally they are either L-Ascorbic Acid or a blend of both L-Ascorbic and THD without stating how much of each is in the mixture.
THD being the more premium ingredient, it will naturally cost more — but if it means that your Vitamin C can stay stable and active for longer I would say that it is worth it. I would repurchase this product, but perhaps in the winter because it is quite rich in texture. I have been pairing it with Gel moisturizers to keep the consistency light and less sticky on my skin.
To Purchase Sunday Riley C.E.O. Brightening Serum
Disclaimer: Please note that all images unmarked are my own and those marked are credited and not intended for any copyright infringement. If you would like to use my images please just ask for permission. All images and links are affiliated, meaning that with every purchase it will generate a tiny commission for the referral. This post is not sponsored and not paid for, all opinions are my own and always will be.