5 Strange Ingredients That Make It into Your Toner 
Browse the skincare offerings at any Korean road shop and you’ll find a mind-boggling array of toners, all differently formulated and designed to target specific skin concerns. Many of these toners derive their ingredients from fruits and vegetables – the very same kind you may find at your local grocery or farmer’s market. Some of them contain ingredients from precious minerals such as gold. Let’s take a look at some of the strange ingredients that make it into your toner, and how they may affect your skin when added to your routine:
- Broccoli
You can find this deep green, vitamin-rich vegetable in products such as Innisfree’s Broccoli Clearing Toner (part of their Broccoli Clearing line) or Skinfood’s Broccoli for Sensitive Skin line. The toner in particular contains broccoli and natural-origin salicylic acid, which help calm your skin down as well as remove sebum and treat and loosen blackheads. The broccoli component helps soothe stressed-out skin and enhances its natural moisture barrier by packing in enriched levels of vitamins and minerals – the very same kind you get when you eat them. It’s truly a unique superfood with many different applications. With regular use, the toner may help lighten and clear blemishes and pimple marks, as well as control sebum production, leaving smooth, shine-free skin.
- Tomato
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight disease and improves heart health. It’s great for your skin, too, which is why you can find tomato in products such as Skinfood’s Premium Tomato Whitening Toner (part of the Tomato Whitening Line), and as one of the flavors in Tony Moly, Nature Republic and The Saem mask sheets. Skinfood’s Premium Tomato Whitening Toner contains 20% sun-kissed tomato extract and is packed full of brightening vitamin C which helps you achieve lighter, pure skin with regular use.
- Black Tea
Black tea is a popular ingredient in Korean skincare: you can find it in TonyMoly’s Black Tea London line, BEYOND’S Black Tea Age Therapy line, or Innisfree’s Black Green-tea line. It contains polyphenols: antioxidants that help block damage to the DNA caused by toxic chemicals such as tobacco. TonyMoly’s The Black Tea London Classic Toner contains 100% pure black tea extract that helps purify the skin and increase its elasticity, leading to younger-looking, bouncier skin with regular use.
- Avocado
Avocados are a nutrient-dense food that can also do wonders for your skin when applied externally: it can defend against signs of aging and deeply moisturize from within. It’s also a popular ingredient in Korean skincare – you can find avocado variant sheet masks from The Saem, The Face Shop, and It’s Skin, and it’s featured prominently in Skinfood’s Premium Avocado Rich skincare line. Skinfood’s Premium Avocado Rich Toner is infused with 10% avocado extract, avocado oil and other essential oils that deeply nourish and moisturize the skin, revitalizing dull and dehydrated complexions.
- Caviar
This luxurious ingredient can be found in many Korean skincare products, such as Holika Holika’s Prime Youth Gold Caviar Foil Mask, Dream Skin’s Element-100 Caviar Serum Premium, and Skinfood’s Gold Caviar line. Caviar is a delicacy made out of fish eggs from the Acipenseridae family, and is considered a treat by the well-to-do set.
It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals including omega 3, vitamins A, B6, B12, and E, and iron, magnesium, and selenium. Skinfood’s Gold Caviar Toner uses these nutrients to full effect with Russian caviar extract and real gold flakes that soften and nourish the skin while providing much-needed hydration to dry, uneven complexions. It also helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
It’s pretty easy to purchase toners with these strange ingredients. If one of these is a favorite food of yours, you can try putting it on your skin to see if your skin loves it as much as you do.
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