Clean & Clear Essentials oil-control toner Product Review

So, this was one of the finds in Malaysia. And, somehow, even though my skin is dry, it has always loved alcohol toners. I know it sounds weird and I can not really explain why either. Apparently, alcohol is supposed to strip the skin off its lipids and everything else and make your skin extremely dry and prone to bacteria.

But, for me, I think it just restores my skin’s pH (I am not claiming it, this is just what I think) and makes my skin better by removing the dead skin cells and excess oils and then I immediately apply my serums and replenish the lost moisture. So yes, I do not feel dry or dehydrated or stretchy at any point of time.

The result was the same once when I had a chance to use the Clinique toner once upon a time. My skin loved it. Also, I have to mention that I use this toner only when I double cleanse my face after removing the sunscreen. I try not to use the alcohol toner regularly. Instead, I use hydrosols or floral waters to dampen my skin before following up with my night skin care routine.

Oh yes, I use toners only at night. In the morning, I try to keep my skin care routine simple as sunscreen application itself takes me quite a long time, though I am getting better at it now!! And, I am almost done with this product so no more alcohol toner available for me to use either. I would not buy one just to be on the safer side!!

Clean & Clear Essentials oil-control toner Product Review

Price : I got this complimentary with the face wash so I am not sure how much it will cost!

Availability : I am not sure if this is available in India btw! I have not seen it but then I am never on the look out for toners.

Packaging : This one is pocket sized but I am not sure how travel- friendly it is. It does not have a stopper to prevent it from leaking while travelling.

Fragrance : The toner is runny just like any liquid and smells strongly of alcohol. It is blue in colour which looks nice.

Ingredients : Water, Alcohol Denat, Glycereth-26, Salicylic Acid, Allantoin, Panthenol, Polysorbate 20, Polyquaternium-7, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Colors permitted

Usage and Results

I take the toner on a cotton ball and wipe off my face, neck and décolletage with it. It leaves my skin clean and free of all the remaining dirt. And, I love my skin after this. It does not feel stretchy or dry or stripped off. In fact, it is delicately dewy and I immediately follow up with my night skin care routine.

At the time I was using the toner, I was using Estée Lauder ANR serum for the night which I have come to love slowly. Right now, I am trying out something else and I am dying to share it with you so do wait for the next month’s skin diary. Btw, what is your night time skin care routine. Do share in comments below 🙂

The alcohol obviously helps me with the breakouts and the blackheads as well. I just checked out that it has salicylic acid while writing down the ingredient list. I was not aware of it earlier but I can safely say that salicylic acid is amazing for all kinds of skin and keeps it clear of blackheads and helps with breakouts.

Oh yes, this reminds me why I started with this alcohol toner in the first place. October was a terrible period for my skin with it breaking out all around the chin and not healing at all. So to counter the breakouts, I decided to use this alcohol toner but I have to say that I am not really sure if this product helped my breakouts at all. They still continued but my skin did improve.

In fact, there was a bit of dryness around my chin which got healed gradually. Now, was that because of the toner or ANR serum is something I can not answer! So, that’s that.

My verdict

On the whole, I absolutely love this product and would definitely consider getting it again. If your skin also loves alcohol, is oily or acne-prone, I would definitely recommend this product to you. But, yes, do be sparing in its usage and check for allergies first.

And, over to you…

Have you used this clean and clear toner? Did you like it? Does your skin love alcohol? Or, does alcohol toner strip off your skin completely? What is your favourite toner? I am all ears so do not forget to leave your opinions in the comments below 🙂