NOW solutions Clarify and Illuminate Age Transformation Toner (plus comparison with Vitamin C & Acai Berry and Green Tea & Pomegranate Toners)
Packaging/Pricing:
227ml (8fl.oz) for ~12-16$ (here on IHERB). A simple opaque white plastic bottle may seem a little bit too plain and unappealing, but is functional and practical.
Ingredients:
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Mitostime (2% concentration) [Water & Laminaria Digitata Extract], Glucose & Lactoperoxidase & Glucose Oxidase, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Glycerite
[Glycerin, Water, Centella Asiatica Extract], Euterpe Oleracea
(Acai Berry) Powder (freeze-dried), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
(Vit C), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vit C), Niacinamide, Tocopherol (Vit E), Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex, Olea Europaea (Olive) oil (extra virgin), Natural Aroma, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate.
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)
The claims though are outrageous on this product. The anti-aging benefits of antioxidants portion is true, but claim that algae extract "is shown to help the skin breathe better by taking in more oxygen and releasing more carbon dioxide" is just ridiculous. We can breath only through respiratory system (lungs), not through our skin. Enough said.
5 out of 5.
PS: Honestly, It's hard to find a good toner under 20$. I couldn't find really anything better, than ones from Now brand. However, only two out of three toners are worth considering. Instead of doing separate reviews on each of them I thought I would give you a brief run through in this post.
A similar formulation to Clarify and Illuminate toner, but with stronger accent on vitamin C. The only drawback is orange fragrance, but it is not too high on the ingredient list.
Verdict: 5 out of 5.
Amount of irritants is too much to handle for any skin. If you are looking for pore clarifying product, go for a salicylic acid containing one.
Verdict: 1 out of 5.
Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)
Good (mostly beneficial ingredients, not extensive research available or just not quite outstanding properties)
OK (mostly
thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is
necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)
Ingredients Discussion:
In my opinion it is one of the best inexpensive toners on the market. It has excellent ingredient list full of antioxidants (gotu kola, acai berry extracts, vitamins C and E), cell-communicating ingredients (niacinamide) and skin-identical/water-binding ingredients (glycerin, aloe vera juice, mitostime, olive oil). The fragrance here is not listed very high on the list, so it's fine (of course, ideally it should be a fragrance free product). Regarding the mitostime or brown algae extract, I am not that excited about it. Surely it has some water-binding properties and a little bit of antioxidant activity as well, but not that strong to prefer this particular ingredient over stronger and more well researched anti-aging actives. Also manufacturer lists lactoperoxidase and glucose oxidase as natural preservatives, however former also has antibacterial properties for skin and the later has wound healing properties (so they can improve skin, as well as working as preservatives).
The claims though are outrageous on this product. The anti-aging benefits of antioxidants portion is true, but claim that algae extract "is shown to help the skin breathe better by taking in more oxygen and releasing more carbon dioxide" is just ridiculous. We can breath only through respiratory system (lungs), not through our skin. Enough said.
Consumer Thoughts:
It is a classic watery toner, that lightly moisturizes skin while introducing a number of great ingredients into skincare (I usually treat toners like light serums, not like cleansers). The scent is not my cup of tea, but luckily it is not too strong. There are two other toners from this brand, from vitamin C line and another from green tea/pomegranate line. So it seems, that company mixed fragrance from those two lines together, when creating Clarify and Illuminate toner (it has orange, green tea and pomegranate essence notes in it). Being so light, this toner can work for most skin type.
Verdict:
Definitely recommend. Great product for a great price.
5 out of 5.
PS: Honestly, It's hard to find a good toner under 20$. I couldn't find really anything better, than ones from Now brand. However, only two out of three toners are worth considering. Instead of doing separate reviews on each of them I thought I would give you a brief run through in this post.
Vitamin C and Acai Berry Purifying Toner
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Glucose & Lactoperoxidase & Glucose Oxidase (natural preservative), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vit C), Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Berry Powder, Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract, Niacinamide (Vit B3), Tocopherol (Vit E), Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Orange-grapefruit Aroma, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid.
A similar formulation to Clarify and Illuminate toner, but with stronger accent on vitamin C. The only drawback is orange fragrance, but it is not too high on the ingredient list.
Verdict: 5 out of 5.
Green Tea and Pomegranate Purifying Toner
Water, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Gel, Glycerine, Benzyl Alcohol, Glucose/Glucose oxidase/Lactoperoxidase (natural preservative), Green Tea Liquid Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Modified Vegetable Cellulose, Ceteareth-20, Pomegranate Liquid Extract, Allantoin, Ascorbic Acid, (Vit C), Rosemary Liquid Extract, Cucumber Liquid Extract, Witch Hazel Liquid Extract, Lavender Liquid Extract, Nettle Liquid Extract, Chamomile Liquid Extract, Arnica Liquid Extract, d-Alpha Tocopherol (Vit E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vit A).
Amount of irritants is too much to handle for any skin. If you are looking for pore clarifying product, go for a salicylic acid containing one.
Verdict: 1 out of 5.
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