Review: Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream

If you open my drawer of moisturisers – yes, I have a drawer, it’s a small drawer though, I promise, so please hold the judgement – you’ll notice a bit of a theme. Creams and lotions galore, but generally I’m not a gel formula kind of girl. With one exception, Sunday Riley Tidal. I’ve been using this treasure since it launched in 2016 but I typically reach for this in the warmer months.

What Makes It Special:
There are loads of gel moisturisers on the market, even a great deal that look very similar (*cough* Neutrogena Hydro Boost) but where the Sunday Riley Tidal stands above the rest is in the ingredients. It contains two types of Hyaluronic Acid that aid in moving moisture into the skin and Tamarind Seed Extract which helps to keep the hydration there. Papaya Enzymes act to gently exfoliate the skin for a soft and smooth texture and Horse Chestnut Seed Extract helps to tone. Then you’ve got the brightener; Alpha Arbutin works to lighten dark spots and discolouration.

NOTE: I want to be clear here though, this isn’t going to move Melasma or get rid of decades-old sunspots. But what it does do really well is lighten pigmentation slightly which gives your skin an overall brighter look. For me, I always get freckles in the Summer (regardless of how careful I am in the sun) and I regularly get PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation – that pink/brown mark left behind after a spot heals that seems to takes ages to fade) and this helps to lighten them both up a bit which make me look like I have a more even skin tone overall.

Why I Like It:
There is a really faint cucumber scent which personally I love, especially on a warm morning, it’s bright and refreshing but doesn’t linger. I also love the way it absorbs really quickly and leaves a hydrated glow on the skin, but no shine. It plays nicely with makeup and sunscreens (which is essential when using Sunday Riley Tidal because the Alpha Arbutin can make your skin even more sensitive to UV) and works perfectly on days when I’m not leaving the house and don’t wear anything on top of it #workingfromhomelife.

What I Don’t Like About It:
The packaging really isn’t my favourite. The smooth lid can be a little tricky to open if you’ve got product on your fingers, and if the pot tips on its side the gel slides into the thread of the screw top. I would love this to be updated to a pump or tube. Another thing to note is it doesn’t have the longest shelf life. The packaging states that once opened it’s good for 12 months. Usually, I find the PAO (Period After Opening symbol – read more about how to understand the symbols on your product packaging HERE) to be a fairly conservative estimate, but with Tidal, it does tend to change texture and scent if it’s been open too long. So if you buy this, use it consistently and use it up.

Application:
Apply this as the last step of your skincare routine in the morning before your sunscreen. You can definitely use this at night too, but I tend to prefer it during the day.

Product Claims:
Alpha-arbutin brightens the appearance of discolourations for clear radiance – agree, but see the above note
Instantly glowing, dewy skin – agree
Retain moisture for over 24 hours – I never wear anything for that long, so I couldn’t say. But my skin feels hydrated all (12 hour) day.

Ingredients:
WATER/EAU/ AQUA, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, MORINGA OIL/HYDROGENATED MORINGA OIL ESTERS, GLYCERIN, PROPANEDIOL, HYDROLYZED JOJOBA ESTERS, ISODODECANE, SODIUM ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, PHENOXYETHANOL, ALPHA-ARBUTIN, CUCUMIS SATIVUS EXTRACT , PENTYLENE GLYCOL, ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL CROSSPOLYMER, LAURYL DIMETHICONE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, ALLANTOIN, STRELITZIA NICOLAI SEED ARIL EXTRACT, TAMARINDUS INDICA SEED GUM, AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM SEED EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE CROSSPOLYMER, SODIUM HYALURONATE, PAPAIN, CARBOMER, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, ALGIN, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, LECITHIN, MELIA AZADIRACHTA LEAF EXTRACT, MELIA AZADIRACHTA FLOWER EXTRACT, MIMOSA TENUIFLORA BARK EXTRACT, COCCINIA INDICA FRUIT EXTRACT, SOLANUM MELONGENA (EGGPLANT) FRUIT EXTRACT, ALOE BARBADENSIS FLOWER EXRACT, OCIMUM SANCTUM LEAF EXTRACT, OCIMUM BASILICUM (BASIL) FLOWER/LEAF EXTRACT, CURCUMA LONGA (TURMERIC) ROOT EXTRACT, CORALLINA OFFICINALIS EXTRACT, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CHLORPHENESIN, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, TOCOPHEROL, MALIC ACID, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, TIN OXIDE

Available From:
Cult Beauty

Details:
15g – £20
50g – £60

Repurchase:
Absolutely. Have done so for years. I’m yet to find a product that comes closes to this in terms of hydration and brightening.