This all-natural alcohol-free toner is a far cry from the Bonne Bell Ten-O-Six we used back in the day. That foul-smelling repackaged nail polish remover stripped the skin, leaving it what we called “toned” and what dermatologists call a disaster area. That’s the problem with alcohol-based toners. They’re the main culprits in a vicious cycle that ends in the heartache of breakouts, mottled complexions and general facial woe.*
That’s why the skin cognoscenti have switched to a new generation of alcohol-free toners formulated with exotic plant extracts chosen for their specific skin balancing, enriching and refreshing properties. Our ingredients are top-grade and offered at an astonishing value. We begin with copious quantities of one of the rarest, most costly extracts available today: neroli (orange blossom). Besides its otherworldly aroma, neroli is famed for its natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties, as well as its salutary effect on mature skin (that’s us folks) because it helps treat sub-dermal broken capillaries. It’s paired with nature’s age-old skin remedy and astringent, steam-distilled extract of the witch hazel plant, used for centuries to treat swellings, eye inflammations, bites, stings and skin sores. It’s an ideal antioxidant to boot.
The premium sea kelp extract we use is hydrating, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and soothing, while aloe is a general skin-healing turbo-charger. Topped off with gingko biloba from the Gingko tree, one of the oldest living tree species on earth, for anti-aging and anti-inflammatory benefits. As a basis for comparison, you could pay (and evidently people do!) $60 for just 5 ounces of Julisis Gold Neroli Toner, though their ingredients list isn’t half as impressive as ours…other than something freaky they call “Aurum potabile (liquid gold).” When you consider it’s actually an Italian Liqueur made from brandy colored with saffron, you sorta gotta wonder if they haven’t been getting high on their own supply over there at Julisis. Since we introduced this product several years ago, quite a few neroli-based toners have hit the market that don't include the other premium ingredients we do yet charge a heck of a lot more: Russell Organics Neroli Phyto Toner, $24 for 4 oz; Sensatia Botanicals Neroli Facial Toner, $26 for 3.4 oz, Artisan Naturals Replenishing Toner with Neroli, $30 for 4 oz, Rocky Mtn Soap Co Toner with Neroli, $24.99 for 3.4 oz.
*Lots of us are under the misapprehension that it’s a good idea to dry out our skin with an alcohol-based toner as part of a daily skin regimen. It’s not and here’s why. When we dry our skin out, either by washing with a harsh soap or toning with an alcohol-based product, we’ve sent it an urgent message: produce more oil!! Our skin, which as we know is an organ, is generally seeking balance. It may not always (or ever) get there, depending on our particular chemistry, but it’s trying. So when we throw it out of balance, it in turn reacts.
As the skin dries out, the pores shrink up and close. But it’s at this point, after “toning,” that we slather on moisturizer. Because the pores have closed up, the moisturizer isn’t readily absorbed so it just languishes on the face and acts as a nice oily trap for all the dirt and airborne pollution we pick up during our day. Meanwhile, the skin cells, having gotten the message to produce more oil, have ramped up production and directed the pores to open up and begin spurting the oil on the face. This new oil mixes with the gunky dirty moisturizer mess. Because the pores are open, they absorb this toxic waste dump. Then, because by this time it’s, yep, time to start the vicious cycle all over again, we strip-clean and tone, the pores close down over the gunk and that’s exactly the definition of a break out about to happen.
A far more healthful approach is to strive for balance at all times. Use a mild cleanser. And when toning, use a product that is designed specifically to both complete the cleansing process while preparing the skin for the application of moisturizer. Ours is. It’s not an easy task, because cleansing and hydrating are two opposing forces. Said another way, surfactant (cleanser) is designed to attack oil (moisturizer). So the toner has to act like a bridge, helping to transition and balance between the two disparate functions by delivering enough astringency to tone, cleanse and reduce inflammation while providing the soothing pure hydration that keeps the pores open, healthy and ready to absorb a layer of moisturizer. It’s a real balancing act.
8oz/237ml
USAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Squirt onto a clean cotton ball and gently apply to face, turning cotton ball as necessary. This product can be used at different times for different reasons. After washing the face, or after shaving, as a final cleansing step and to prepare the face for the application of moisturizer (or a moisturizing aftershave). OR, and more often/just as importantly, during the day and/or at night to cleanse the face of dirt, oils and pollution that have landed there. We don’t recommend cleansing the face with a soap-based product, even a mild facial cleanser, more than once per day because it can over-dry delicate facial tissue. Use this toner instead, especially at bedtime, just prior to the application of nighttime moisturizer.
INGREDIENTS: Distilled water, aloe vera, organic neroli hydrosol, witch hazel hydrosol, sea kelp extract, glycerin, gingko biloba, grapefruit seed extract.
PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT say it is “gentle yet effective”, has a “subtle fragrance perfect for a natural toner”, is “a nice way to refresh during the day though [I] wish it had a spray mister cap.”
PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T LIKE IT wanted a stronger “toning” effect associated with alcohol-based products, wanted a stronger fragrance/didn’t like the Neroli scent, weren’t sure how/when to use a toner.
