Toner Takeover:Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid Toner

I'm not generally a huge fan of toner. Of course, I'm happy to tell you all about it, but in short I don't really think it brings much to the party. The one exception for me has been glycolic acid toner; Mario Badescu's has been a long time favorite of mine for its gentle exfoliating action. While I did mention Reviva Labs' Glycolic Acid Toner briefly in a previous post, it definitely deserves a revisit to explain why it has become my standby. 

The main reason I use glycolic acid in a toner is that my sensitive skin won't tolerate the typically higher percentages (up to 10%) in other treatments. Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid Toner uses a slightly higher percentage of glycolic acid than my former favorite from Badescu (3% versus 2%) yet my skin actually tolerates it better.

Because glycolic acid only functions as an exfoliant when it's formulated at a fairly acidic pH, both toners could potentially be irritating. Badescu's toner often left the skin around my nose red, peeling, sometimes even a little sore. Despite the higher concentration of acid, I never noticed this with Reviva's formula. Both formulas contain high concentrations of the anti-irritant Aloe Vera; whereas Badescu's formula eschews additional soothing ingredients, Reviva's toner includes moisture-loving hyaluronic acid, soothing allantion, skin-identical polysaccharides and the antioxidant beta-carotene.

Both toners are moderately priced- Mario Badescu's rings in at $1.75-$2.25 (depending on size) while Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid Toner runs a bit higher, with a 4oz bottle retailing for $12. I have seen it going for almost half that price around the web, so it's worth doing a bit of research if you decide to give it a go.