Toners are used as a “last-step” cleanser, a pH balancer, add moisture to the skin, or may help in reducing impurities on the skin. They have a liquid consistency and are usually used after cleansers but before treatments.

Essence

Essences are used to prep skin for further treatment and may provide extra skin benefits. They are usually used before serum and moisturizers. Essences are thought to have originated in either Japan or Korea and is an essential step in K-Beauty.

Price

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Buy Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner

Starts at $69.99

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Buy Ultimate Revival Essence

Starts at $266.07

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner 16 ingredients

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence 14 ingredients

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner 16 ingredients

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence 14 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

AHA (2)

BHA

Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)

Good For Oily Skin

Skin Texture (2)

Reduces Large Pores (3)

Anti-Aging

Dark Spots

Scar Healing (3)

Acne Fighting

Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying

Irritating (3)

Rosacea (3)

Eczema (3)

Benefits

Hydrating (3)

Redness Reducing (2)

Reduces Irritation

Brightening

Concerns

Eczema (2)

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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner 16 ingredients

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence 14 ingredients

Water • Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate • Butylene Glycol • Polysorbate 20 • Glycerin • Sodium Hyaluronate • Peg-150 • Cellulose Gum • Disodium EDTA • Citric Acid • Salicylic Acid • Lactic Acid • Malic Acid • Sodium Citrate • Sodium Benzoate • Methylparaben

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate • Water • Butylene Glycol • Glycerin • Hydroxyethyl Urea • Pentylene Glycol • Betaine • Sodium Citrate • Triethyl Citrate • Sodium Benzoate • Methylparaben • Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract • Sorbic Acid • Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Water

What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 1.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 2.

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

What it does: Humectant

Community Rating: Mixed

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (GFF) is a yeast traditionally used to make the Japanese alcoholic beverage, sake. GFF has moisturizing and antioxidant properties.

Studies show GFF applied to the skin improves our skin's natural moisturizing factors (NMF). Our NMF consists of many components that naturally moisturize our skin. Having healthy NMF keeps our skin plump, protected, and hydrated.

GFF tells our skin to create more filaggrin, an important component for NMF. Filaggrin gathers all the structural proteins in our outer layer of skin and creates a tight barrier, helping to protect our skin against allergens and bacteria. This also helps prevent moisture loss.

Thanks to its antioxidant properties, GFF also protects our skin against oxidative stress and UV induced inflammation. One study found GFF helped regulate sebum and keratin in participants.

GFF may not be fungal-acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Many components of sake, such as GFF, are studied for their anti-aging benefits today. This is because sake brewers are known to have youthful hands.

Learn more about Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 2.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 1.

Butylene Glycol

What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Mixed

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.

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 3.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 3.

Glycerin

What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent

Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin 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 Glycerin

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 5.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 4.

Sodium Citrate

What it does: Buffering, Masking

Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.

Sodium Citrate helps maintain the pH of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.

Sodium Citrate is a chelating agent. It neutralizes metal ions from water and prevents them from binding to other ingredients. This ensures the other ingredients will not be altered.

Learn more about Sodium Citrate

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 14.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 8.

Sodium Benzoate

What it does: Masking, Preservative

Community Rating: Disliked

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.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 15.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 10.

Methylparaben

What it does: Preservative

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Methylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.

Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.

Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.

The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.

Learn more about Methylparaben

Sk-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner contains this as ingredient number 16.

Sk-II Ultimate Revival Essence contains this as ingredient number 11.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.