VERSED | WEEKEND GLOW DAILY BRIGHTENING TONER

I’m not a big fan of daily exfoliation. But I am a big fan of any skincare product that promotes skin health day after day. And while skin can generally exfoliate itself, clogged pores and dead surface skin cells do require daily maintenance.

If you’re going to incorporate an acid treatment toner into your daily skincare routine, it’s best to go easy. Lower concentrations of powerful acids like Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid are ideal for exfoliating and brightening the skin each day.

My most recent deep-dive into treatment toners that I consider gentle enough for daily use came in a blog article titled, New Treatment Toners I'm into from Algenist, Cocokind and Peach & Lily. If you missed it, you can catch it here.

One of my favorite acid toners, which was featured in the piece, is the Peach & Lily The Good Acids Pore Toner. I consider it one of the best exfoliating toners for all skin types, but especially sensitive skin. It’s ideal for daily use, too.

NEW TREATMENT TONERS I'M INTO FROM ALGENIST, COCOKIND AND PEACH & LILY – BEST SALICYLIC ACID TONER

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The Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Toner is a very well-formulated treatment toner that’s gentle enough for daily use. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Peach & Lily’s glass skin essential, The Good Acids Pore Toner.

Both treatment toners contain moderate levels of exfoliating acids which have multiple pro-skin health benefits for skin. And skin health is the whole point. If your skin can tolerate acids in your daily skincare routine, by all means, incorporate one — and especially one that advances your skin health and helps to even out your skin tone.

I love that Weekend Glow is vegan, cruelty-free and has a pH between 5.0-6.0, meaning it’s effective but not too effective – or harsh.

Versed’s Weekend Glow toner is literally a brightening powerhouse with a cocktail of actives that have the oomph to even out skin tone and illuminate your complexion. A 2% concentration of Lactic Acid is combined with its sister AHA Glycolic Acid at 3%. Both acids are at optimum levels IMO for daily use.

There are also two effective fruit derivatives, Kojic Acid and Bearberry Extract — which the experts on the Paula’s Choice research team say, “has…a small amount of research showing it can have dark spot fading properties.”

What intrigues me the most about Weekend Glow is the 0.5% Azelaic Acid in the formula. Azelaic Acid is a rising star in skincare. I reviewed some of the best Azelaic Acid serums a few months ago in a blog article titled, The Best Azelaic Acid Serums and Creams from Paula's Choice, The Ordinary And Naturium – What Is Azelaic Acid and What Is Azelaic Acid Good For? You can catch it here.

What Is Azelaic Acid and What Is Azelaic Acid Good for?

Azelaic Acid is not not a new ingredient, but it’s newly popular. And like Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid, which are both oily skin essentials, anyone can use Azelaic Acid. Here is how the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team define Azelaic Acid and its benefits for the skin:

“A type of acid known as a dicarboxylic acid derived from grains that offers numerous benefits when applied to skin. For example, it’s a gentle leave-on exfoliant which helps unclog pores and refine skin texture. Azelaic acid also significantly lessens factors in skin that lead to redness and bumps. Azelaic acid is also an antioxidant.

Research has shown azelaic acid can significantly diminish blemishes, help fade the appearance of post-acne red marks and other discolorations, and reduce the kind of skin sensitivity that leads to redness.

Although azelaic acid can be derived from grains like barley, wheat, and rye, its lab-engineered form is typically used in skincare products because of its stability and effectiveness. Because of this, azelaic acid is considered a synthetic ingredient, but this is a clear case where the synthetic version outperforms the natural version, with no research indicating a risk to skin.

Azelaic acid is available in strengths of 10% or less over-the-counter, and in topical prescription products at concentrations between 15-20%.”

- The Paula’s Choice Research Team; References for this information: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, March 2017, pages 35-42; and September 2016, issue 3, pages 269-282; The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, March 2017, pages 37-40; Advanced Biomedical Research, February 2017, ePublication; Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, October 2016, pages 771-775; Skin Therapy Letter, January 2016, pages 1-7; Cutis, January 2016, pages E9-E11; Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, September 2015, pages 964-968

Among the best Azelaic Acid treatments for helping fade dark spots and acne marks are the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster and The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. You can find my product reviews of them here.

While the Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Toner contains only a moderate 0.5% concentration of Azelaic Acid, it’s enough for most of us. If you have a serious concern for more visible dark spots and acne marks, add a more powerful treatment like the Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster into your routine.

What I like about it: With its moderate blend of exfoliating acids, the Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Toner is one of very few treatment toners that I would even consider using every day. I love the addition of Kojic Acid, Bearberry Extract and Azelaic Acid to further help brighten the complexion and fade the appearance of dark spots and acne marks over time.

What I don’t like about it: I like everything about it.

Who it’s for: All skin types, even oily and acne-prone skin.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Versed Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Toner for $17.99 here.

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