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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner versus Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum .

Published on October 17, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe toners. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, parabens, 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 need an update? Let us know.

Toner American Brand United States
Toner American Brand United States

Toner

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.

Toner

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.

Price

Shop

Buy Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner

Starts at $17.99
Shop

Buy Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum

Starts at $15.79

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant 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

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Retinoid
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (6)
Reduces Irritation (4)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (4)
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (5)
Scar Healing (5)
Acne Fighting (4)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (3)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (4)
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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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.

1
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

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 1.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Astringent, Skin Conditioning, Soothing
Community Rating: Disliked

Hamamelis Virginiana Water is made used distilled parts of the witch hazel plant. The witch hazel plant is native to eastern North America.

The name 'Hamamelis Virginiana Water' refers to the distillation while the name 'Witch Hazel' is used when it is an active drug ingredient. Unless it is specified to be non-alcohol, many types of witch hazel are distilled in denatured alcohol.

Witch Hazel water 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 Water

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 2.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
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

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 4.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

4
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 6.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

5
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and 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.

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 9.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 10.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

7
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

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.

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 look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 15.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 24.

8
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 16.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 25.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 17.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

10
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner contains this as ingredient number 25.

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

62% are loved or liked
23% have mixed ratings
15% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
36% are loved or liked
20% have mixed ratings
28% are disliked or very disliked
16% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Urban Skin Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner 26 ingredients

Witch Hazel Brightening & pH Balancing Toner hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum 25 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
CassidyBoeckermann_987's avatar

CassidyBoeckermann_987

10 months ago · Oily Skin
Review

Only toner that doesn't burn my skin and feels cooling and hydrating.

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