I Tested the Cult-Fave Sunday Riley Good Genes to See If It *Really* Lives Up to the Hype

• Value: 16/20
• Ease of Application: 20/20
• Efficacy: 19/20
• Scent: 18/20
• Texture: 19/20

Total: 92/100

When I was 23, I visited a friend in Paris who at the time was in her early 70s. One day, as I peered out her window to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, the conversation turned towards wrinkles. Namely, she was worrying about hers. “Oh, don’t worry,” I assured her. “You’re lovely!” At the time, anything beauty related couldn’t have been farther from my mind, and my skincare routine consisted of a swipe of French micellar water morning and night on a (mostly) clear complexion. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to experience more acne, dryness and—the real jarring moment—a fine line on my forehead that popped up about a year ago and seemed to be careening across my face the way my dad drives on road trips: Speedily, aggressively, flagrantly. I’ve always been weary of the claims of beauty products, especially expensive ones that go viral, and would more readily turn to an academic journal than TikTok for proof of efficacy. But, seeing Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment ($85) pop up on the internet got the better of me. Thus, I did what any good journalist would do: I put it to the test. Here are my thoughts after five days.

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The Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment is a chemical exfoliant that claims to brighten dark spots and discoloration, plump fine lines and wrinkles in three minutes and produce a more even skin tone. The star ingredient is lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that offers hydration while removing dead skin cells. A 12 percent concentration can deeply permeate and firm the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but even at lower concentration can minimize visibility of pores and hyperpigmentation. This is confirmed in a 1996 study, where results showed that 12 percent lactic acid affected both the epidermis (first and thinnest skin layer) and dermis (second and thickest layer).

Other ingredients used in Good Genes include licorice (brightening), lemongrass (tones complexion), arnica (soothing), prickly pear extract (soothing) and aloe (moisturizing).

The cost of Good Genes starts at $43 for 0.5 ounces and even the value size ($205 for 3.4 ounces) is $60 per ounce. That said, the efficacy was amazing, and the lactic acid treatment delivered on everything it promised—hydration, brightening, evening the skin tone, exfoliating, reducing the appearance of pores and fine lines. And other PureWow editors agree.

“I always end up coming back to this because it is wild how quickly it works,” says former PureWow Commerce Editor Olivia Dubyak. “Having a freshly exfoliated, smooth face works wonders for applying other skincare products and your makeup. It’s also helped improve my skin discoloration from acne scarring and melasma, too.”

“To convince you of Good Genes’ greatness, I could tell you about how it makes my skin look glowier and plumper in a matter of minutes. Or I could tell you about how, over time, it’s evened out my skin tone and made it feel softer than ever. But most importantly, it smells like Pez, and that should be reason enough to try it,” PureWow Wellness Director Sarah Stiefvater raves.

So…do you *need* this? I think it’s worth the investment if you experience any of the issues the product addresses, but if your skin isn’t prone to hyperpigmentation, breakouts and uneven tone/texture, you can probably skip. It’s also something you don’t necessarily need to use every day—I did so for the purposes of research, but I think that I would still experience results even if I applied at a cadence of every other day or every two days.