Updated on October 27, 2023
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe toners. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any common allergens, parabens or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain harsh alcohols and fragrances
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
CVS Health Beauty 360 Refreshing Toner 20 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Refreshing Toner 29 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
CVS Health Beauty 360 Refreshing Toner 20 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Refreshing Toner 29 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Ingredients Side-by-side
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
5 Concerns
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Dipotassium Phosphate is an inorganic salt. This just means it has a different structure than organic salts. It is a stabilizing and pH adjusting ingredient.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
Potassium Phosphate is the term for the salts of potassium and phosphate ions. Our bodies naturally create and use potassium phosphate.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Benzophenone-4 is a water-soluble chemical sunscreen.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
Preservative 5 Benefits 4 Concerns
Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Urea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is derived from castor oil and polyethylene glycol (PEG). It is used as a emollient and emulsifier.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
Sodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
2 Concerns
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Phosphate, Panthenol, Potassium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Benzophenone-4, Disodium EDTA, Salicylic Acid, Urea, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, CI 14700, CI 17200, Parfum
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
5 Concerns
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.
Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
Triethanolamine is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
We don't have a description for Methyl Dimethylmethylenecyclohexane Carboxylate.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
Simethicone is a silicone. It is an emollient and used to reduce foaming in a product. It is also often used to coat sunscreen ingredients for better spreadability.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Cyclopentasiloxane is a silicone used to improve texture and trap moisture. An easier name for this is D5.
Benzophenone-4 is a water-soluble chemical sunscreen.
Water, Alcohol Denat., Peg-8, Ppg-5-Ceteth-20, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Panthenol, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Isobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Ethyl Linalool, Ethylene Brassylate, Citronellyl Acetate, Cyclamen Aldehyde, Gamma-Undecalactone, Methyl Dimethylmethylenecyclohexane Carboxylate, Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal, Phenoxyethanol, Simethicone, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Benzophenone-4, CI 14700
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinAlcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
- It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
- It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
- It helps improve product application.
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5 or dexpanthenol in dermatology.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
Learn more about PanthenolCitric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and even out skin tone.
If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidBenzophenone-4 is a water-soluble chemical sunscreen.
It protects in the UV-B range, but is considered a secondary UV absorber. This means that it needs to be paired with other sunscreen ingredients to provide effective protection.
Typically, it's used in cosmetic products to protect them from deterioration caused by UV rays. This is why you'll find it in a lot of products that aren't sunscreens.
Learn more about Benzophenone-4Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTACi 14700 is a synthetic red dye.
Ingredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
