So after finishing my Clarins Exfoliating Toner, I am back on my Ren Clarimatte. I can't remember how many bottles of this I went through so I thought this definitely deserve a proper review.
Ren claims
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Water, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Passiflora Quadrangularis Fruit Extract, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Alcohol Denat, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Extract, Linalool, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Bisulfite.
At first I was quite confused with how they claim to contain Glycolic acid but it is not written in ingredients. For the record, I bought the first bottle when glycolic acid craze was still recent and I was desperate to get one.
So according to the website which is very informative
" Salicilin from Willow Bark gently exfoliates, purifies congested skin, reduces pore size, and is antibacterial
Glycolic Acid from Pineapple Extract, Lactic Acid from Passion Fruit, Citric Acid from Lemon Extract and Tartaric Acid from Grape Extract exfoliate, decongest and remove dead skin cells to renew skin surface"
So after a bit of googling I learnt about sources of glycolic acid other than sugar cane *the most common* which include pineapple and papaya. So Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) fruit extract is the glycolic acid, that make sense.
Is it because it is not synthetic glycolic acid, so they put in pineapple fruit extract instead in the list...
It claims "do not contain 'synthetic' AHA BHA" which to be honest I don't fully understand. They used the term 'bio-extract' but I would imagine other AHA BHA products would come from the similar sources but they still list the actual acids name. I don't know if it just REN marketing style, but I'm not too keen to pry into this and try to define what are synthetic AHA BHA...
While I was trying to figure out where the glycolic acid lies in the ingredient list, I also did a quick google on other ingredients which I don't know, which is not really a good idea...I don't recommend doing that.
It is like basically googling about paracetamol or ibuprofen and you definitely get the information about the side effects on liver, all the gastric upset, hypersentivity and you could get scared about it for nothing. I've been taking them since childhood... as far as I know I am fine and dandy... 99%people taking this common meds are.
So things like Phenoxyethanol which is dub as an alternatives of parabens, while you can appreciate it's germicidal/antibacterial properties *a plus point for those with wounded skin ie. Scars, popped pimple, eczema etc...* you will get those warning of it may be a skin irritant and those paranoid articles which use the word 'severe' too frequently.
I don't deny that there might be someone out there with an allergy to any of the ingredients in any products, you just have to get to know your skin. You would not want to just blindly follow articles/bloggers.
Enough ranting! Sorry about that.
Personally I have no problem at all with this toner...none whatsoever.
It never gives me flares up and any active acnes seem heal/improve at least slightly faster. It is not really a miracle to be honest, but it definitely do not make things worse.
This is definitely a mild acid toner, suitable for everyday use or good one to start off if you're new to acid toning.
Application: So refreshing and moist and you don't need a lot! There is no sticky or oily feeling afterward and no dryness.. After months of using just Clarins then finally back to this wonderful stuff from Ren, my skin felt back into it's good momentum, I don't get that weird slippery feel like from Clarins. I felt comfortable and fresh and ready for the rest of the skincare routine.
I applied with dampen *not soaked* cotton pad after cleansing day and night. On certain days when I I feel I need extra tingle I went for higher acid %.
So for those just starting to get into acid toning, I believe this is a good start.
Only GBP 13.00 for 150 ml and it will last longer than you expected.
Overall Rating - 4.9/5.0
(seriously, you can't go wrong with this. who cares the word 'clarimatte' does not make sense!)
So for those just starting to get into acid toning, I believe this is a good start.
Only GBP 13.00 for 150 ml and it will last longer than you expected.
Overall Rating - 4.9/5.0
(seriously, you can't go wrong with this. who cares the word 'clarimatte' does not make sense!)
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