Have you tried our Toner yet?  It’s a refreshing blend of ultrapure water, handcrafted geranium hydrosol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B3 and arnica, goldenseal and witch hazel extracts.  And can I just say that to me it smells like heaven.  It really is my personal favorite part of my morning and evening skin care rituals.  I find it invigorating and restorative in the morning and calming in the evening before bed.  I always spritzes of toner right after washing my face, leaving my face feeling hydrated and clean.

I love this formulation so much that it got me to thinking about what exactly toner’s role is in a healthy skin care practice other than supporting my twice-daily self indulgences.  As many things do, this thought led me down an internet rabbit hole about the history of toners or “toilet waters” as they were once called.  Obviously their marketing needed a little refinement.

Toilet waters began as one of those “medicinal” catchalls of the 19th century, with their makers making all sorts of curative properties.  These purveyors of hygiene bragged about tonics’ abilities to whiten skin, reduce the size of pores and of course calm nerves as it seems all crackpot medicines of the day claimed.  It’s kind of fun to think about early skin care companies being flim-flam men rolling into town and hawking their goods at the county fair.  Of course these early tonics were almost entirely alcohol, which may create a brief soothing effect by making the skin feel cooled but served little more than to kill the cells of the user’s face and ultimately dry out the skin.

Our toner is all about hydration, protection and balance.  Hyaluronic acid gives you gentle hydration.  Arnica and geranium help to fight inflammation and reduce redness. Goldenseal provides an astonishing layer of protection against bacteria to keep your skin healthy and thriving.  And finally, a tiny bit of glycolic acid lowers the pH of your skin, which creates an ideal environment for the formation of skin-tightening proteins.  Every ingredient and its concentration is carefully chosen to bring you maximum benefit.  Botnia Toner is much more than just a spritz of bliss in your skin care ritual, but that certainly is one of its perks!