Though often overlooked and undervalued, toning is an essential step in any well-considered skin care regimen, and more than a mere bridge between cleansing and hydrating. Placing toning back at the very centre of skin care, Aesop’s new Immaculate Facial Tonic not only prepares the skin for further hydration—as the latest addition to the Skin Care+ range, it also provides vitamin-enriched replenishment and gentle chemical exfoliation, helping to clarify and balance the skin—evening its appearance and refining its texture over time.
First introduced at the start of the twentieth century, toners were typically aqueous solutions based around astringents or alcohol to deliver a then-desirable tight skin-feel. Later, toning began to be understood as a useful additional step between cleansing and hydrating the skin, helping to remove any remaining debris—including excess oil.
Aesop’s collection of toners—as with all of the brand’s products—are meticulously formulated, offering an additional layer of support and designed to meet the varying needs of different skin types. Released in 2002, Aesop’s first, Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner, is replete with anti-oxidants and helps balance, calm and soften the skin. To refresh skin that is more blemish-prone or oily, Bitter Orange Astringent Toner helps efficiently remove excess sebum and any lingering impurities without compromising the skin’s barrier properties. For those with sensitive skin, B & Tea Balancing Toner is a gentle Aloe-based formulation enhanced with Panthenol (Provitamin B5) and fortifying anti-oxidants, calming and preparing the skin for further hydration, while In Two Minds Facial Toner is especially suited to combination skin. Containing Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and Witch Hazel, it is mildly astringent, bringing balance to skin that finds itself out of equilibrium.
Immaculate Facial Tonic marks an expansion of both Aesop’s overall suite of toners and the Skin Care+ collection, which harnesses generous measures of vitamins. As the first toner in the range, Immaculate Facial Tonic contains both Vitamin B3 and Provitamin B5 in the form of Niacinamide and Panthenol, to replenish and soften the skin, helping to support suppleness and resilience, as well as Mucor Miehei Extract—an enzyme renowned for its gentle exfoliating properties, derived from the eponymous microorganism. This makes the tonic an especially valuable addition to skin care regimens, by supplementing its already significant hydrating benefits with mild chemical exfoliation. Gentle enough for daily use, the tonic is suitable for many skin types, including sensitive, and particularly ideal for dry, dull or patchy skin as it helps even its appearance. Additionally, it offers an alternative to physically exfoliating products, softening and refining the skin over time, with continued use.
The tonic has a light, aqueous texture with a soft finish, and can be used with a reusable cotton pad wiped gently across the skin to remove any remaining impurities after cleansing, or by splashing the recommended half-teaspoon directly into the palm and gently patting onto the skin—taking care to avoid the eye area—to ideally prepare it for hydration.
Aesop’s Immaculate Facial Tonic is packaged in a 100mL amber glass bottle with flip-top cap.
RRP: 100 mL HKD / MOP 400
