Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner

10 Reviews

1. 

   bubblyGelding0

   Reply

   I love this toner for refreshing my skin any time of day. It’s great after cleansing, and it’s fabulous in the summertime for helping perspiration and soothing skin. I’ve used it for many years, and I am so glad it still comes in a huge bottle. This keeps my skin clear, yet soft and moisturized. At times this was my “moisturizer”. The combo of ingredients is perfect for my skin.

2. 

   worldlyCod2

   Reply

   This has the consistency of water. I’ll leave that up to you to decide if that’s a pro or con.

   I bought this after missing out the first time it was on the market. When Paula’s Choice brought it back there was a lot of praise so I figured here’s my chance to see what all the commotion was about.

   The pros:
   -Leaves 0 film on the skin. Some might be annoyed that it doesn’t hydrate but that’s what moisturizers are for. If this was overly moisturizing then it would no longer be suitable for oily, acne-prone skin. A film of residue often leads to a volcanic breakout for me.

   -Again, no break outs. And no irritation. I am very acne-prone and rosacea-prone. I can no longer use most antioxidant products because they either flare my rosacea or clog my crater pores. So this is a huge plus. Do I believe the ingredient list is acne prone friendly? Not necessarily, but I won’t push my luck here.

   -Skin is cleaner. I wipe my face with this in the morning after waking up. It will NOT remove make up but it WILL remove the traces that a cleanser might leave behind.

   -Antioxidants boost SPF. I need that.

   -Protects the skin against environmental damage.

   -Wears beautifully under my sunscreen and make up.

   The cons:
   -Minimal visible results. Does nothing for acne, redness, or brightness. I continue to use it under the mindset that its a preventative product and works in ways I wouldn’t expect to see results from. The fact that it’s one of the few antioxidant products to NOT cause more harm than good though, puts it at a huge advantage over the competition.

   -Expensive. The ingredients in it are dirt cheap.

   -No expiration date. This actually concerns me enough that I hesitate repurchasing. Antioxidants are time sensitive. I need to know when this batch was created and when it expires. PC telling me to throw it away within a year of purchasing is NOT enough to comfort me because who knows if my bottle is new or from an old batch they didn’t sell out. :\

   -Makes my lips temporarily numb. That is so bizarre to me but not necessarily a bad thing. If they were slightly burning like some posters have reported, I’d be running for the hills. But like I said – this doesn’t irritate my moody rosacea.

   I’m on the fence about repurchasing.

3. 

   finickyMallard5

   Reply

   This toner breaks me out! I feel like this has ruined the whole treatment I’ve been using (with 2% BHA and Skin Balancing Cleanser) for two weeks and it actually makes my skin glow! But after I used the toner, the very next day I had small pimples around my chin and they were so itchy. I didn’t believe it was because of the toner so I just left it there until I used it again one week after. Guess what? Same thing happened. Definitely won’t repurchase.

4. 

   debonairLion6

   Reply

   I found this toner harsh and rather sting-y to my rosacea and this was the toner they recommended to me to buy for the warmer months. Not impressed.

5. 

   worldlyRice8

   Reply

   I love that Paula’s toners don’t have alcohol and actually feel good on the skin. This helped reduce redness in my skin and prep for the products I put on after.

6. 

   yearningCrackers8

   Reply

   I HAD THE SAMPLE
   At first I thought this would be sticky. Instead it felt liquid like and milky wich may appeal to dry skin types. This also came off as very soothing.

7. 

   crummyLizard5

   Reply

   I have combination-acne prone skin and I’m using retin-a, so I have to be gentle with it with my other products. I use the Skin Recovery toner at night, 30+ minutes before my retin-a and I wanted something lighter in the mornings. I wash my face (Paula’s choice Resist, Skin Recovery, Moisture Boost (no longer) and also Calming Zinc bar) and then lightly dry my face and apply the toner while my skin is slightly damp. I then apply my moisturizer (CeraVe lotion or Glycolix Elite Fortified and Emu Oil) immediately afterwards to keep the moisture in. I apply the toner by sprinkling some into my palm and then gently rubbing my face. The toner step is especially important after I wash my face with the Calming Zinc bar. That is used for my mild seborrheic dermatitis and it is in bar form and higher in Alkaline (like a pH of 8 or 9), which is not good for the skin barrier. I read somewhere (I can’t link it because I don’t remember the source) that it takes approximately 9 hours for the skin to return to its normal pH after being cleansed with bar soap. Since the toner is a pH of 5.5, it almost immediately corrects that for my poor skin. Hooray!
   I think “Refreshing” is a great adjective for this toner. I can’t exactly verbalize how it feels, it doesn’t exactly tingle or feel cool, but it feels nice. My skin glows when this is used under moisturizer. I have had it burn very slightly two times now, my skin was feeling very sensitive from my tretinoin at the time. I like that it’s filled with anti-oxidants! I only use a Vitamin C serum 3 times a week and I like getting the good skin stuff every day.
   I know this isn’t an essential step in everyone’s routine, and I’m not even sure it is for mine, but it hasn’t done any harm. I also don’t believe that every product has to be a major standout item for it to be a GOOD product.
   I think that I’ll probably repurchase again, but I might shelve it until next summer and try the Resist toner for winter.

   I also feel that the samples are so, so easily accessible on the website (free shipping! C’mon!) that there should not be any complaints about purchasing a whole bottle of something and not liking it. One toner sample can give at least 2 uses.

8. 

   amazedVenison8

   Reply

   This is my mainstay toner, love it! I have very sensitive skin, that is made even more sensitive by my use of Retin-A, and this toner never stings or irritates. The reason I use a toner is because I live in a hard-water area, and so I just like to remove the dulling water minerals from my skin, before applying moisturizer. This toner does that As a bonus, it has anti-oxidants and other skin-nourishing ingredients. It leaves skin clean and fresh, with no tightness, dryness, or residue. It also has no fragrance, alcohol, or artificial coloring, which is very important to me. I can find no flaws with this toner, and the only other one I like just as well is the Body Shop’s Aloe toner. If you’re looking for a toner that will really “strip” oil from your skin, you will find this toner too mild. However, the toners that strip oil are damaging to the skin in the long run. I use Paula’s cleanser to remove makeup and oil, so I don’t need a toner to do that job. This is a “good for you” toner that your face and wallet will love.

9. 

   dejectedCheese8

   Reply

   I cannot comment about the refreshing effectiveness of this toner as each time I tried to use it I felt a light buring sensation on my whole face, as well as sudden redness.
   Maybe this comes from some very active ingredients Paula uses in her products but I have this reaction only with this toner, the Skin Balancing Toner and at a higher level with the Moisture Boost Toner (nothing with the Skin Recovery Toner or the Resist Toner)… the main ingredients in common between these three toners I react to is the preservative system.
   Won’t buy again.

10. 

    ardentCake8

    Reply

    Love this toner, but there are two problems:
    1. it needs a squirt top with a flip cap (don’t know the industry terms). Not just a screw top lid.
    2. it needs to be MUCH bigger. 6 fl. oz? People go through toner much faster than that. Give us 12 or 16 oz. Please?