Benton Cacao Moist and Mild Toner

Company About:

The Benton brand was inspired by the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Where the main character was born old and grew younger. Benton was created in hopes to capture that essence of youth while using only safe ingredients and never hurting animals in the process. Peta Cruelty-free & France Ecocert ‘approval’of raw material. Read more about their motto on their website.

Product About:

The Cacao moist & Mild line is made with Cacao extracts and Hyaluronic Acid to boost maximum hydration, replenish moisture without being heavy, greasy or tight. A mix of botanical extracts to help soothe, nourish, and calm the skin. The line has the pH of 6 throughout. It aims to help with poor oil-water balance. Great for sensitive skin types.

Testing Period:

I purchased this during 08L app Try Now campaign & have been testing this for 2 and half weeks now, almost every day, twice a day. As my main toner.

Packaging:

The bottle came in a cute pink box with pictures of cacao leaves all around. The box has a mix of English & Korean, with a short description, directions & ingredients in English and everything else in Korean. On the bottle, you will find the same info, but not the ingredients. The bottle is slim and skinny, it has a smooth & frosted feeling label with a twist off cap with a deducer pour. The plastic has a quality feel.

Key Ingredients: All 1 on the EWG.org rating.

• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract: Moisture, nourish & balance
• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract: Moisture, nourish & balance
• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Flower Extract: Moisture, nourish & balance
• Sodium Hyaluronate: Lock in moisture & plumps the skin
• Madecassoside: Great at healing scars, soothing redness & calming.
• 2 type of Willow Bark Extract: Anti-inflammatory, clears dead skin, contains salicin which salicylic acid is converted from but not the same, but can be considered a natural SA. Read more here.

Full Ingredients: Check with Skincarisma

Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Aqua (Water), Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Madecassoside, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Flower Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Betaine, Xanthan Gum

Scent/Color/Texture/Finish:

There is no scent, but it has that classic benton (unscented, scent) Hope that makes sense. If you ever tried their products you will notice that same scent across the products. There is no color to this toner, just clear liquid. The texture is very watery with a tad of viscosity, but more on the watery side. It absorbs quickly and dries down smooth without any residue.

Skin types/Wear:

I think all skin type can use it. It provides great hydration without adding heaviness. So dry skin to oily skin will benefit from it. I have combo skin, acne & sensitive skin type, so pretty much have all the skin type minus normal. I’m so abnormal! haha. The first night I used the complete cacao line from samples I received. My skin glowed! I cheeks instantly had “chok-chok” skin. Korean slang/sound that roughly means bouncy, glowy, plump skin. The complete line is very light that my combo skin didn’t feel heavy and it didn’t feel dry or tight. The ingredients are so gentle that I had no reacting what so ever. It did a great job at balancing my moisture that I hardly got oily. It really does a great job of controlling sebum, because it balances the skin so well. This is one toner I wouldn’t mind doing the 7 skin method, but I don’t even think you need too. If you want to be a disco ball do 7-10 layer, no one’s judging.

Mini review for all three samples:

• Cacao Moist & Mild Serum: A lightweight clear serum that absorbs quickly while hydrating the skin. Gives the skin a moisture boost.
• Cacao Moist & Mild Cream: A lightweight cream that is so smooth and not greasy at all, absorbs instantly leaving the skin so soft and moist.
• Fermentation Eye Cream: A thick white cream made with fermented ingredients to help anti-aging & depuffing. I personally hated this cream because it was too thick. I just sat on my skin. I don’t recommend.

Repurchase:

Yes, I personally fell in love with this the first night. I fell hard. I like this so much better than the Klairs supple unscented toner (never tried the normal version) I find that this hydrates way better, cleans well without stripping and keeps the skin in balance longer. The klairs is a good toner too, but for me didn’t clean as well and didn’t hydrate as much as I liked and I didn’t see much results.

Website:

• Cacao Moist & Mild Toner
• Cacao Moist & Mild Serum
• Cacao Moist & Mild Cream
• Fermentation Eye Cream

Disclaimer: Not sponsored unless stated, but always honest reviews.

Lapothicell Toning Essence Facial Hydrating Booster

About:

Lapothei means pharmacist in French & cell for well, skin cells. Lapotheicell is created by Kukje Pharma with 58 years of knowledge in the skin health. They believe in using science & technology to bring us the best products for skin health on a cellular level. They created Tear-c that was inspired by the composition of human tears, which is gentle, moisturizing & cleansing. They also use bio Hydra-d that delivers hydration to extremely dry skin. They aim to give the best product for all skin types & especially for sensitive skin. They are also cruelty-free.

The toning essence is hypoallergenic tested, made to balance the skin, moisturize, soothe & clear up skin texture. It claims to increase moisture retention, prevent dead skin build-up, as well as sebum control. This toner is recommended for who need sebum control & moisture. Great for combo skin cause it can tackle both problems.

Testing Period:

I receive this from #08L about 3 weeks ago during their try now campaign. I’ve been testing this on & off since I received it, but I did use it straight for almost 2 weeks. Below is my breakdown of the product.

Packaging:

The bottle came in their signature blue packaging with a clean medical looking design. The box has a mix of Korean & English, but of the details or instructions are in Korean. The bottle has a huffy feel to it with a smooth clean slick finish, with embossed lettering that makes the bottle feel high quality. The cap twists easily & the pour reducer allows for 2- 3 drop of product to come out at a time.

Scent/Color:

This has a unique fresh scent to it, which smells a bit medically but a bit citrusy. The scent does linger on a bit & can be strong. I’m usually really picky with scents but I personally don’t mind it. The color is interesting. It’s a bit milky & clear. It rubs in clear. The only other toner that I know that exactly like this was by a Japanese brand called Naturie Hatomugi Toner which is made with pearl barley. It has the same texture too. I didn’t like that toner much, I ended up giving it away to my cousin. She seemed to like it for her dry skin. A part of me wants to explore that toner again, but that bottle was so huge, it felt like I was never going to finish it, but might be great for 5-7 skin method.

Texture/Use:

This toner has a watery but slippery feel to it, almost soapy like. As it dries down it gets tacky & leaves the skin slightly sticky soft. You can use it with 5-7 skin method, put it in a spray bottle, cotton pad to use as a mask or replace water in for dry masking. I’ve only used it as a toner with pads or as an essence straight to the face, with the pad, it wipes away some dirt but it’s not astringent enough for much visible debris. It does make the skin feel hydrated when used as an essence but layering can be bit heavy/tacky. Honestly though, after weeks of using it, I don’t feel it really did much for my skin. When I stop using it I didn’t notice anything changing with my skin either. Maybe it those products you need to use for a long time or with the complete line to see some effect, or that it works on a cell level & it doesn’t work in 2 weeks, but I just didn’t feel anything better & the first few days out trying this I noticed hyperpigmentation around my mouth & the side of my face, but I can’t tell if it’s from this toner, but I might have stopped using my serums. My other theory is that this toner was good at brightening the skin but not HP, so it left my skin kinda botchy. (but I don’t see any ingredients  or claims that brightens) I freaked out a bit & put on some niacinamide & vitamin C serums right away and HP eventually went away. I usually notice changes with my skin right away when testing new products because my skin is reactive to things, within 3-4 days I would expect something, but I got nothing for 2 weeks. My only results were some concerns about HP.

Skin type:

I can say for my combo oily/dry/sensitive skin, it did fine on my skin. It didn’t make me feel oily or heavy, it didn’t leave me dry or tight, & it didn’t irritate me or broke me out. I just didn’t see any results in 2 weeks of use.

Key Ingredients:

I ended up using google image translate on the box because I couldn’t find it anywhere online. So be aware that the translation isn’t always perfect. Since I can’t tell if Google has translated everything correctly, I will have to go by what retailers list as their key ingredients.

• Aqauxyl – is a derivative of two plant sugars (glucose and Xylitol). The skin is more prone to water loss and dehydration during the day. Aquaxyl is a powerful, long-lasting moisturizer, but it also actually increases water retention by improving the skin’s natural ability to retain water, keep skin dewy, hydrated and supple, improving the texture of the skin over time. Protects the skin against environmental stressors.
• Portulaca Oleracea Extract – It has skin-soothing properties and serves as an antioxidant.
• Epilobium Fleishceri Extract – Effective sebum production and pore size reduction for a visible skin appearance improvement.
• Madecassoside – It is an active skin care ingredient derived from the plant Centella asiatica, a medicinal plant that has been used for over 2000 years.  It has demonstrated skin healing as well as anti-aging properties.

Full Ingredients: Check with skincarisma.com

Purified water, Methylpropanediol, Phellinus linteus, Pentylen glycol, Ephroobiule Play cherie extract, Bergamot 5-polyglyceryl-10 myristate, sodium citrate, xylityl glucoside, citric acid disodium dithiophosphate, dicarboxylic acid anhydride, glycerin diphenyldimethicone ‘triethyl hexanoate decyl glucoside, Xylitol xylitol, mdecasoside phenoxyethanol, hexyl glycerin, Syum sorbate

Repurchase:

For now no, after 2 weeks I saw nothing good happening to me skin. Maybe it’s a product that needs time & works on a cell level? Idk. I don’t care for it much. I’ll probably try to finish it but I don’t want to reach for it that often. If I notice any results after months of use, I will update.

Website:

Main site: http://lapothicell.com/product/toning-essence-facial-hydrating-booster-200ml/108/?cate_no=26&display_group=1

English translation of the Korean description (also cheaper): https://hicharis.net/charis/7qZ

Disclaimers:

Not sponsored unless stated, but always honest reviews

Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner

About:

This toner is the unscented version of the original supply toner by Klairs, which has essential oils for fragrance. This version is completely scent free. It claims to help balance the skin so it can better absorb other products & calm, heal & smooth the skin, while hydrating.

“Like the original one, this toner also has star-studded ingredient list that is perfect for all skin types, and features a soothing blend of plant based extracts, along with hydrating ingredient hyaluronic acid, and the soothing centella asiatica.” – Klairs Website

Testing Period:

I got this from #08L app with their trial experience paying 3.99 to test this product. I’ve had it for almost 2 weeks now, but I tested this 1 week straight & 1 weeks on & off with another toner that I am also testing. I also have not tried the original version & therefore can not compare the two.

Packaging: 

The bottle comes in a brown craft box with purple logo & bottle detail on it. Mine got crushed during shipping. So I didn’t bother with photos of it. The bottle is plastic with a silver cap. It has 180ml of product in it. The liquid pour top is efficient in letting out the right amount of toner, 3-4 of shakes onto a cotton pad is just enough.

Scent:

Unscented but very medical sterile like or purified water. This smell lingers on the skin for a bit until it dries away. Smelly really clean.

Color/Texture:

The liquid is completely clear & the texture is very viscous but turns into water once rubbed in. It looks like watery jello in a bottle. If you shake it, bubbles get trapped in the formula & it takes a few days for it to settle back down.

Finish/Wear:

It leaves a slight stickiness & becomes less as it dries, but there is no greasiness. It leaves the skin soft with a slight residue feeling. I like that this toner because isn’t striping or drying. It really keeps the skin hydrated, moist & soft. I can’t say if it makes my skincare absorb better, but it does leave a nice surface for other products. I like that there are healing properties in this. I feel like when I use this toner my skin is calmer, smoother & well balanced, but I need to test it longer to see if it’s helping me heal my skin.

Skin type:

I think all skin types can use this because it’s not heavy at all but still very hydrating. It doesn’t make combo skin shiny or tight. Definitely a balancing toner.

Key Ingredients:

• Butylene Glycol: Hydrates
• Sodium Hyaluronate: Hydrates & heals.
• Centella Asiatica Extract: Heals & soothes.
• Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract: Brightens
• Panthenol: Heals
• Arginine: Promotes cell & collagen production
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract: Hydrates
• Copper Tripeptide-1: Promotes cell & collagen production

Full Ingredients: Check with skincarisma.com

https://www.skincarisma.com/products/klairs/supple-preparation-unscented-facial-toner

Water, Butylene Glycol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Natto Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, Panthenol, Arginine, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Beta-Glucan, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Portulaca, Oleracea Extract, Lysine HCL, Proline, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Methionine, Theanine, Copper Tripeptide-1

Repurchase:

Maybe, I like how clean the formula is. I like how it sits on my skin. However, I don’t think it does a good job cleaning my skin, because usually when I use a toner with cotton pads I will see yellow mark & debris on the pads. With this toner I don’t get that, maybe a little bit of debris, but that might be because it isn’t a stripping toner. But it does prep it nicely for other products, but I think that’s because of its thick texture & slightly sticky residue, that makes the skin feel soft & smooth. However, It does calm my skin but I have to use it longer to see if it will help heal my scar & blemishes after or better.

Website: http://www.klairscosmetics.com/supple-preparation-unscented-toner/

Disclaimers: Not sponsored unless stated, but always honest reviews