Avène Gentle Toner - review

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This toner came in one of Maslow & Co's edits a while back, and I'm over halfway through my bottle now so it's high time I reviewed it.

Speaking of Maslow, have you heard that it's closing down? What a tragedy. It's the only beauty box on the Australian market that I personally feel is 100 per cent worth getting, but unfortunately the last box will be sent out this month and those of us on subscriptions will apparently be refunded on a pro rata basis. I'm glad about the refund but very sad about the box, I must say. What will I do without it?!

Moving on.


So, this toner. It's ok but I'm not a huge fan because I feel that it's drying me out a bit. While in theory it shouldn't be doing this because apparently there aren't any nasties in it, in practice it's not as gentle as the toners I've used before it so I won't be sad to finish my bottle and move on to something else.

I also don't love that it's a bi-phase because the separation aspect means you have to shake it before use (and who needs an extra step?), plus the way it separates/settles so it's got this white, cloudy stuff at the bottom is a little off-putting. I can't say why exactly, but it does look rather weird to me.


Avène claims/product details:
  • A gentle, alcohol-free toner specifically formulated for dry and very dry skin
  • Can be used morning and night
  • Softens and protects skin
  • Formulated with natural silicates to help protect from external causes of dryness
  • Rich in Avène Thermal Spring Water
  • A complement to makeup removal; no rinsing required
  • Silicates are particles that settle at the bottom of the bottle; the toner is thus two-phase so the bottle must be shaken before each use
  • Moisturises, refreshes and tones the skin while sweeping away impurities without causing irritation
  • Thanks to silicates, the skin is velvety and mattified
  • Paraben free, its formula is hypoallergenic and non comedogenic
  • RRP $34.99 AUD for 200ml, but do shop around


Unfortunately the photos don't completely show how the silicates in the toner settle at the bottom because I was moving the product around to photograph it - but you can definitely tell that it's a cloudy, odd-looking product.

What happens once you leave it standing for a while is that the white stuff settles at the base and the rest of the product looks clearer but still cloudy - and I can see little dots floating in the fluid. Is it wrong that I don't want floaties in my toner? I'm not normally 'precious' like that, but I do think it looks rather off. Sure, it's not a huge reason not to buy it, but since I don't love it anyway, it's just another thing that's made me cross it off the list.


Verdict

I don't think this is a terrible product but it's not for me and I also think that it's overpriced for what it is, especially since I've used plenty of toners I prefer that cost less than this one (see alternatives below).

It's a fluid product in a plastic bottle with a standard cap-dispenser arrangement, and it smells fresh, light and clean. You apply it to a cotton pad as you would any old toner, then run it over your face to remove the remains of your makeup and freshen up the skin.

What I don't like about this product is that it leaves my skin feeling a little dry and parched after use, and although this could partly be because I sometimes use cleansers with active ingredients in them before use, I have also used very gentle cleansers with this and I still feel that it strips my skin a bit.

I'm rather baffled by this because I've used toners that contain less 'skin friendly' ingredients than this one does, so I can't say exactly why it doesn't feel as gentle as those ones do but it definitely doesn't do anything great for my skin. Perhaps it's the 'mattifying' aspect noted in the product claims that's throwing me off. Who knows.

Although I wouldn't say that it's astringent, it's not hydrating enough for me and I do feel that it's pulling a bit of the natural oil from my face (which I don't have much of anyway, given that my skin is dry) - so that's a big no no for my skin type and it's the main reason why I wouldn't use it again.

In other news it does remove the last layer of gunk from my face well enough because the makeup pad always comes away dirty after use - but that's not enough for me to recommend it, given that plenty of other toners do the same thing but still manage to hydrate my face at the same time.

Overall I don't recommend this and I think you can do better, whether at this price point or below it. Two of my favourite toners are Nivea's offering (reviewed here) and Darpin's Refreshing Toner (reviewed here) - both of which do the same job but work better for my dry skin because they refresh without stripping and I find them both to be hydrating. The Nivea one is a lot more affordable, too.

Not for me.


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