Stylekorean Battle of the Toners (Review)
I got chosen as one of the candidates to try out 4 different toners from Stylekorean’s website: 2 exfoliating toners and 2 everyday toners so I’ll be comparing two by two. I had a couple weeks to test out 4 toners so keep in mind these aren’t thorough, just mostly surface level thoughts after a couple weeks! All opinions are my own.
Rovectin Cica Care Purifying Toner
Quick Look:
Size: 260 mL
Price: $34= $3.86/fl oz
Scent: A stronger scent, smells sort of like licorice
Review: This is on the watery side and smells strongly sort of like licorice, which I very much dislike but in reality, it’s probably what Cica (aka centella asiatica) smells like. This is paraben, fragrance, colorant, and mineral oil free which is a plus and seems gentle because of the soothing characteristic of cica. Honestly there’s nothing horrible about this except that water is the #1 ingredient (I’m paying for water? Come on.), but I just wasn’t impressed with the ingredients/hydration compared to the LGH one I was previously using.
Naicific Fresh Herb Origin Toner
Quick Look:
-Size: 150mL
-Price: $29=$5.72/ fl oz
-Scent: Light herbal scent that dissipates
Review: This is the first product I’ve tried from Naicific, and honestly I was surprised that there was such a short ingredient list, but water being #1 and alcohol as the 10th ingredient which was a huge turnoff. But to be fair, there’s niacinimide high in the list here (great for brightening). I like that the scent wasn’t too strong, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t recommend this because I think you can find way more hydrating toners out there for the same price, even cheaper than $29.
At the end of the day, I don’t really like either of these toners and wouldn’t ever reach for them since I already have a couple toners I love already. (Klairs and LGH are my favs).
Next Up: Exfoliating Toners
Some By Mi AHA/BHA/PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner
Quick Look:
-Size: 150mL/5.07 fl oz
-Price: $41.60 ($18.99 right now)=$8.21/fl oz
-Scent: STRONG tea tree scent+tiny bit of peppermint
Review: Just like the Cosrx one, this is also a low pH toner but contains 10,000 PPM (parts per million) of tea tree which is actually 1%. Tea tree oil is known to be a great natural remedy for acne. The tea tree scent is pretty strong, which may turn off some of you (like it did for me), but if you don’t mind it I think this toner would be a great one for acne prone skin using it 2x/week to help manage and exfoliating to keep the pores clear. Unlike the Cosrx, this also does have PHA, another type of chemical exfoliant which are less irritating than BHA/AHAs since the molecules are bigger. Honestly, if the brand wants to make something gentler, might as well use PHAs exclusively instead of using all three; I do find that having all 3 chemical exfoliants is a little unnecessary.
Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
Quick look:
-Size: 150mL/5.07 fl oz
-Price: ~$15=$2.96/fl oz
-Scent: Almost nothing
Review: Cosrx is one of my favorite brands straight up. Just bein honest. This watery toner comes in a spray bottle and is so easy to use. No need to open up another cap nor to use a cotton pad. Just spray! It’s awesome. Plus unlike a lot of these other toners this doesn’t have a strong scent. Though this contains AHA and BHA, it doesn’t sting my skin, and is low pH.
I’m going to have to go with the Cosrx on this one. It’s so much more affordable and seems better for more different skin types. I would recommend this one to anyone who wants to start using chemical exfoliants!