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NET-A-PORTER x PaperCity N e w b y H a n d s : Y o u formulate your brand's products yourself. How did you learn about the chemistry of cosmetics? Sunday Riley: You can learn a lot about cosmetic chemistry in school, but I learned almost everything (my preferred types of ingredients, my formulation style, et cetera) by trial and error, on the job. I take formulation continuing-education courses, belong to several cosmetic chemistry societies, and meet weekly with different ingredient suppliers to learn about the latest trends. Almost everything I know comes from practice — I formulate a lot, and hopefully practice makes perfect. Key active ingredients that are essentials to good skincare. Without a doubt, I think it's imperative that everyone should have a stable Vitamin C product, a retinoid, and a good, exfoliating acid serum in their skincare. Walk us through where and how your products are made. I start off writing an initial formula on a yellow notepad with a black ink gel pen. I find it difficult to create something if I don't have my routine — I can get distracted. I have a lab in my office and start putting together the first draft, which is usually just THE BEAUTIFUL SCIENCE OF SUNDAY RILEY Newby Hands, Beauty Director for NET-A-PORTER, PORTER, and THE EDIT, sits down with Houston-based Sunday Riley, whose namesake skincare and beauty products are revolutionizing the industry. create a real production batch, which we make here in the U.S. Most sought-after Sunday Riley products. Good Genes Lactic Acid Serum. Luna Sleeping Night Oil with Retinol. CEO Vitamin C Rapid Flash Brightening Serum. You're based in Houston. How do you combat Texas weather, particularly humidity. When it comes to hair, I have stick- straight, fine hair, so it's never going to get frizzy, even when it's very humid. As a matter of fact, it just gets straighter and a little flat. I try to use a good mousse and root-lifting spray to help combat summer hair. Currently, my go-to products are by Ouai and Living Proof. I have very dry skin, so high humidity is really helpful for me. I make sure to exfoliate with Good Genes Lactic Acid serum, to remove dead skin cells from the surface of my skin and then apply our CEO Vitamin C serum directly afterwards. I can go a little lighter on moisturizer weight, so in the summer I'll switch out to a water cream, like Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream. Tidal is amazing at pulling water into the skin and giving a gorgeous luminous glow. a learning experience. I go back to the drawing board four to five times a day, for weeks, if not months, before I finally get it right. Then, and only then, do I cost out the product. I don't look at prices before then because I don't want to get scared by the cost of ingredients and have it subconsciously influence me on what I put together. I then make sure that the formula scales up correctly, meaning you have the same product when you make a large batch as when you make a small-lab batch. We have to run testing on the formula to make sure that it's stable and that the preservative system will hold. Then, we test the formula in the packaging to make sure it's compatible. At that point, we're ready to Newby Hands Sunday Riley 86