I can not imagine my beauty routine without a toner. Cleanser is a key to having healthy balanced skin, face oil or moisturiser is what provides extra nourishment and protection from the elements, but somehow without a decent toner it all falls apart for my skin. It is that bridge that makes the transition between cleansing and moisturising work. There are different types of toners, some you would use to wipe off the remnants of a cleanser or a face mask, others are sprays packed with a cocktail of powerful ingredients. This is the type that I use to give my skincare routine a boost, often instead of a serum, my skin can not handle a lot of product layering, but a hydrating mist has always been a welcome addition. Choosing the right mist in the summer is often the difference between having clear skin or breaking out like crazy.
Zkin hydrating mist* stands out from the crowd for summer use in particular as it has been developed to target UV damage. It has an interesting combination of ingredients:
Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice*, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavander) flower water*, Leuconostoc/Radish root ferment filtrate, Glycerin*^, Parfum (natural preservative), Fucus vesiculosus (Brown seaweed) extract*, Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin grosso) oil *, Linalool#, Vanilla planifolia (Vanilla) fruit extract*, Cananga odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil*, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) leaf oil*, d-Limonene#, Benzyl benzoate# (natural from Ylang Ylang), Geraniol#, Coumarin#. (*certified organic, ^palm oil free, #natural component of essential oil)
97.45% organic of total
Aloe Vera is something that most people are familiar with as a treatment for sunburn, it speeds up healing and has moisturising properties, making it beneficial pretty much to all skin types, but I feel like it is an especially good friend to someone with oily skin that is prone to breakouts. This toner has lavender flower water, a by-product of lavender essential oil production, and lavender oil has wound healing properties with probable benefits of countering UV damage (ref. Tisserand). The reason for the claims of targeting UV damage on the front of the bottle however is Fucus vesiculosus extract, a brown seaweed, under the proprietary name of Maritech® Bright. It has been specifically developed as a brightening treatment to even skin tone and reduce age spot pigmentation, it also has Cosmos organic certification ( so does the toner as a whole).
Parfum is listed with an explanation of being a natural preservative, the reason for this is that in this product Naticide is used as a preservative. It is a proprietary name of what is effectively a blend of vegetal derivide fragrances that under INCI rules has to be listed as parfum. It has been reviewed by Australian Certified Organic and found to be natural and safe.
I have been using Z'kin mist* for about two months, and for the most part it has been replacing a moisturisier and serum for me. Following the directions, I shake the bottle, spray on face and neck, and then gently press the toner into my skin. I guess that this is done to make sure that everything is absorbed and doesn't just sit on top of the skin. The only time I do it differently is when I'm following it up with a face oil, on those occasions I will press a few drops of face oil while the skin is still damp, effectively pressing toner and oil into the skin at the same time. Most days I follow the mist with sunscreen in the mornings, and use it on its own at night. My skin has been incredibly happy with this routine.
The scent to me is predominantly lavender, despite other essential oils present, lavender is the note that my nose picks up the most. If you are a regular reader of this blog you probably picked up on the fact that I'm not really a fan of the lavender scented products, and it is no different in this case, I don't like the scent. It is not however offensive enough to my nose that I would stop using a product on this basis alone. This hydrating mist has earnt it's place amongst my most loved skincare solely based on its performance. I have no problem admitting that I can be shallow when it comes to beauty products, scents and packaging matter to me. I guess this particular toner is the exception that proves the rule. I am not a fan of the scent, and the packaging while perfectly functional is also not appealing. What attracted me to this product was the ingredients, and what has won my affections is the performance.
When I started using it I was replacing a toner that worked really well, and I thought it would be a tough act to follow. In fact the transition has been very smooth indeed. I find it a little difficult to judge claims of radiance from beauty products, having skin that tends towards oily, lack of glow has never been an issue, however the overall appearance of my skin has definitely improved. It looks smoother and has been less prone to congestion. When it comes to active mists I'm looking for topical hydration that won't exaggerate my pores or cause blotchiness, an antioxidant boost to help defend against UV damage and something that would work on evening out skin tone. I feel that Zkin hydrating toner* delivers on every single one of these points, making it an excellent choice year round and not just during summer. It is supposed to be really good for sunburnt skin, while I'm prepared to go far for this blog, it didn't seem sensible to burn on purpose just so I could test it. I do find that my skin feels a lot calmer straight after I use it. My skin can be touch sensitive, it will go very red in places after I use a towel, it has been a lot less frequent since I've been using this mist. I can report no breakouts this summer, and even though my skin can get a bit overwhelmed by sunscreen it has not happened this year, and I do attribute it to this toner. I have been more than a little negligent with my weekly treatments, aka scrubs and masks, so I know for sure that my basic skincare routine is behind my happy skin. Since my routine has been consisting of cleanser, Zkin toner* and sunscreen, it is not very hard to see why I think so highly of this toner. I am very much looking forward to seeing how it will perform once the seasons change, I have a sneaky suspicion that it will continue to be an excellent treat.
*PR sample, all opinions are my own, honest and based on personal experience with the product
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