Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner Versus Proactiv Balancing Toner
Overview
What they are
These products are both toners. They have a total of 11 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin and sensitive skin
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain 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
Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner 24 ingredients
Proactiv Balancing Toner 22 ingredients
About this product
About this product
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner 24 ingredients
Proactiv Balancing Toner 22 ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingRosa Hybrid Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
EmollientParfum
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Polysorbate 20, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Geraniol, Citronellol, CI 19140, CI 17200
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPropylparaben
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Blue 1 Lake
Cosmetic ColorantPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Tetrasodium EDTA
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Sodium PCA
HumectantMethylparaben
Preservative
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantBenzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Phenoxyethanol, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Propylparaben, Benzoic Acid, Glycerin, Parfum, Polysorbate 20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Blue 1 Lake, Panthenol, Water, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium PCA, Methylparaben, CI 19140, Benzophenone-4
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 WaterAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceGlycerin 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 GlycerinHamamelis Virginiana Water is made by distilling parts of the witch hazel plant. You can also call this ingredient "witch hazel water".
The name 'Hamamelis Virginiana Water' refers to the distillation product used in cosmetics. On the other hand, 'Witch Hazel' refers to the active drug ingredient.
Unless it is specified to be non-alcohol, many types of witch hazel ingredients are distilled in denatured alcohol.
Witch Hazel water is an astringent, anti-inflammatory antioxidant, and antibacterial ingredient.
It contains tannins. Tannins have a drying effect when used on skin by constricting proteins. The constriction also minimizes the appearance of pores.
Both the tannins and fragrance found in witch hazel may be skin-sensitizing.
Witch hazel water gets anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties from its catechin and gallic acid content.
Indigenous groups have used witch hazel to help treat inflammation in North America for centuries.
Learn more about Hamamelis Virginiana WaterPolysorbate 20 is made by combining ethoxylation of sorbitan, ethylene oxide, and lauric acid. It is a mild cleansing agent, surfactant, and emulsifier.
As a surfactant, it helps collect dirt and oils for washing. Emulsifiers prevent oils and water from separating.
Polysorbate 20 also adds scent to a product. Since it is made using sorbitol, it has a sweet scent. Sorbitol can also be found in fruits such as apples and peaches.
The lauric acid used to create Polysorbate 20 is often derived from coconuts.
Polysorbate 20 may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract comes from the witch hazel plant.
Witch Hazel is an astringent, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial ingredient. The tannin in witch hazel has a drying effect when used on skin and constricts proteins. This helps minimize the look of large pores. The tannins present and the fragrance may be sensitizing. The catechins in witch hazel have anti-inflammatory properties while the gallic acid is antibacterial.
Indigenous groups have used witch hazel to help treat inflammation, which was then used by early settlers to North America.
Learn more about Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf ExtractParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumCitric 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 AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Benzoic Acid is used to preserve and adjust the pH of products.
The antimicrobial property of Benzoic Acid helps elongate a product's shelf life. Its main role is to reduce fungi growth and is not found to be effective at fighting bacteria. Therefore Benzoic Acid is always added along with other preservatives.
In its pure form, Benzoic Acid looks like a white crystalline solid. It has slight solubility in water.
The name of Benzoic Acid comes from gum benzoin, which used to be the sole source of deriving this ingredient. Benzoic Acid is the most simple aromatic carboxylic acid.
Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring in strawberries, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a slight scent but is not considered to be a fragrance.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidCI 19140 is also known as Tartrazine. Tartrazine is a synthetic dye used in cosmetics, foods, and medicine to add a yellow color.
Tartrazine is created from petroleum and is water-soluble.
Some people may experience allergies from this dye, especially asthmatics and those with an aspirin intolerance.
Learn more about CI 19140Ingredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these products.
When to use
Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner 24 ingredients
Proactiv Balancing Toner 22 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Mario Badescu Witch Hazel & Rosewater Toner 24 ingredients
I really wanted to like this toner. I love all things rose. But after trying it a few times I have to give up on it. It irritates the HECK out of my skin and turns it bright red. No thank you.
