SATURDAY SKIN | PORE CLARIFYING TONER 10% GLYCOLIC ACID + PORE CONTROL COMPLEX

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Acid Toners – Some of the Best BHA / AHA Toners for Face from Paula's Choice, Farmacy and More. You can still catch the full piece here.

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If the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA +BHA Pore-Tight Toner belies its shallow, pretty-in-pink packaging with a good-for-skin treatment, Saturday Skin’s Pore Clarifying Toner 10% Glycolic Acid + Pore Control Complex lives up to the silliness — and nothing more.

There’s so much wrong with this acid toner I was afraid to use it on my face. It can in no way be described as one of the best AHA toners for face; in fact, it may be one of the worst. With something that could best be described as skincare terror, after using it on my face just once, I opted to test it on my arms and hands instead.

To start, it’s got a 10% level of Glycolic Acid, the strongest and harshest of the AHAs. While that may sound potent and even appealing to some, the formulation can’t deliver the exfoliating benefits of Glycolic Acid. Not even close.

Why? Because it’s got a pH level between 5-6. The ideal pH level for Glycolic Acid to work its magic is around pH 3.5. In fact, at a pH 7.0, 100% of the Glycolic Acid is neutralized to salt.

So with a pH of around 5.5 in my estimation, the Saturday Skin Pore Clarifying Toner delivers barely any exfoliating benefit to the skin.

What is Salicylic Acid?

According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Salicylic Acid is among the best ingredients for promoting skin health:

“Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, or BHA, which is a desmolytic ingredient. That means it targets certain protein bonds in skin, known as desmosomes, that keep dead cells clinging to skin instead of sloughing off. Skin’s natural shedding process can become faulty due to age, sun damage, and problems like acne and excess oil. Exfoliating helps restore this natural ability.
“Salicylic acid is unique because it not only loosens the bonds between dead skin on the surface but also deep in the pore lining, where spent cells mix with oil and debris, becoming trapped below the surface. Left unchecked, all this buildup leads to dull, rough skin and clogged pores, setting the stage for blackheads and bumps.
“Compared to water-soluble alpha hydroxy acids, this type of acid is oil soluble, so it’s able to get through the oil, thinning it so it can flow freely to skin’s surface where your cleanser washes it away. Its oil-soluble nature makes it preferred for oily, breakout-prone skin, and it’s why medicated salicylic acid products for acne work so well; however, all skin types can benefit from this ingredient.”

Oddly, it feels gentle on the skin. And that’s mainly because the Glycolic Acid has been neutered. It feels more like a conventional hydrating toner.

Except it doesn’t even do that very well.

The relatively inactive glycolic isn’t the only thing wrong with the formula — and it’s almost a good thing that the pH level isn’t below 4, where the Glycolic Acid would be a potent, effective exfoliant for the skin. Were it so, the irritation the formula would likely induce would be awful.

The Saturday Skin formula contains a slew of fragrant plant oils that on a normal day and in just about any skincare product can be potential irritants. Among them are known skin irritants Orange Peel Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Leaf Oil, and perhaps the worst for skin — Lavender Oil.

Who’s the fool who formulated this stuff?

Combined, the Saturday Skin formula’s complex of fragrances is likely at about 10% of the formula — on par with its weak Glycolic Acid component.

Interestingly, Saturday Skin got something right: the inclusion of multiple peptides. There are actually seven peptides in the formula — the last seven ingredients in the INCI. Bravo to the chemist!

As for the brand’s claim of pore control, I can’t vouch for that since I was afraid to use it on my face. What a sad, sad Selfcare Saturday this product makes…

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Saturday Skin Pore Clarifying Toner 10% Glycolic Acid + Pore Control Complex for $30 here.

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