This brightening toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate to brighten dull-looking skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBetula Alba Bark Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
MaskingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Maris Aqua
HumectantCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicSodium PCA
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAlgin
Masking
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Betula Alba Bark Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract, Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Niacinamide, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Maris Aqua, Ceramide NP, Betaine, Panthenol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Sodium PCA, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Cellulose Gum, Algin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Saponins
CleansingParfum
Masking
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Tromethamine
BufferingBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Methyl Gluceth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Saponins, Parfum, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tromethamine, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
