Origins Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner

Over the years I've tried a handful of toners. The first toner I ever used was Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3. I used this religiously for years and it worked great to give my skin a deep clean. Every evening after washing my face I would use this toner to get off any last bits of dead skin, oil, or makeup. It was so satisfying to see something coming off on the cotton pad. Kind of gross, but it was nice knowing I was really getting everything off my face at the end of the day. As Clinique isn't a natural brand per say I decided to try a toner with less synthetic ingredients. I switched from Clinique to Alaffia's Everyday Coconut Face Toner. Though I appreciate the completely natural ingredients in this toner I notice it really doesn't do anything good or bad for my skin. I could never see anything coming off on the cotton pad and my skin doesn't feel any cleaner after using it. I began searching for a toner that was somewhere in the middle. I still wanted to find a botanical based toner so I decided to give Origins a try. I've been using their GinZing Energy-boosting moisturizer for over a year now and absolutely LOVE it (full review coming soon) so I figured there's a good chance I would like their toner. I have naturally oily skin so I went ahead and ordered their Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner with Saw Palmetto and Mint ($22 for 5oz at Sephora).

Origins is a truly great brand and ever since I discovered them I've found I just want to try more and more of their products. Their mission is to explore the globe to find plants that have extraordinary benefits for your skin, bottle them up, and test them multiple times for safety and effectiveness.

Zero Oil, you guessed it, is formulated specifically for oily skinned people. It's part of their Zero Oil range which includes an acne clearing gel, deep pore cleanser, this toner, and an oil-free moisture lotion. I haven't tried the other products in the range yet but am intrigued by them. They're on my list!

The toner includes Saw Palmetto which has antiseptic properties and helps control excess oil. It also includes Salicylic Acid which encourages cell turnover by helping eliminate dead skin, and Mint which purifies pores and helps reduce blackheads. Zero Oil includes other plant-derived ingredients such as Sage Leaf Water, Spearmint Leaf Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Orange Oil, Lavender Oil, and many others.

I am pleased to see dead skin and other remnants from the day come off on the cotton pad each night though I have been thinking... maybe I should be looking into a better makeup remover and cleanser. I also find the scent very soothing. Because of the herbs and citrus it smells very much like springtime. Zero Oil has a really nice cooling sensation and leaves you feeling refreshed and oil free. It's also formulated without the use of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs and triclosan which is super awesome.

One downside to this product is that it uses Denatured Alcohol which is known to dry out the skin. Since I've used toners with Denatured Alcohol regularly in the past, I don't know if I would say it dried my skin out any more but I do wish it didn't have this ingredient. Lastly, I haven't noticed that my skin is any less oily throughout the day. I still look shiny by the time lunch rolls around.

In conclusion, I will most likely buy this product again because I love the botanical ingredients and how clean my skin feels afterwords. I'm still on the hunt for a super effective non-alcohol toner and will keep you posted on my search. If you have one you think I should try out please comment below and let me know!

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