What Is In Your Skin Toner?

Skin toner is a great product to use on your skin. Traditional toners consist of moisturizers, oils and extracts that help soothe your skin. Astringents, which are generally alcohol-based, tighten the skin and pores and remove oil. Fresheners work similarly to astringents by tightening the skin, but they are made of ingredients like caffeine and green tea instead of alcohol. Because all of these different products can fall under the toner umbrella, it's easy to see why toner is touted for tightening and moisturizing the skin -- as well as maligned for drying it out.

Your skin has an acid mantle made up of sweat and oil that you naturally produce. The acids help prevent bacteria build-up. After using a cleanser, you often strip away these oils, which can change your skin's pH balance. If you have very oily skin, a toner might help keep shiny skin in check. A little oil is actually a good thing, though.

Using your Ionized Acidic Beauty Water from your True Water Bar is the most natural toner you can use. It it will not dry out your skin. The water will clean your face while helping to still keeping the pH balance your face needs to prevent the bacteria build up. In doing this you will see that your face should have less acne and breakouts.

Most of the toners you will find in the drug store or beauty store are going to be filled with a ton of chemicals. Most of these chemicals I cannot pronounce and have no clue what they do. For instance at Ulta Beauty you can buy a alcohol free toner by neutrogena that contains Purified Water, PEG-4, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Ceteth-24, Choleth-24, Panthenol, Glyereth-26, Sodium PCA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance.

Butylene glycol is added to formulas because it helps draw moisture from the air and bring it to your skin (called a humectant). It's also used as a solvent, helping essential oils or fragrances mix in to water-based formulas.

This next ingredient I would not want to put on my face! In its original form, polysorbate is a harmless sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol. For its use in personal care products, however, it’s treated with ethylene oxide—thus, the name “polysorbate 20,” because it’s treated with 20 parts of ethylene oxide. The problem with any ingredient that is treated with ethylene oxide (or “ethoxylated”) is that it can then become contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a potentially dangerous by-product. In fact, 1,4-dioxane is a known animal carcinogen that penetrates readily into the skin. This ingredient has also been linked with skin allergies. There is so much concern about this contaminant that a class-action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey against manufacturers of children’s bath and personal-care products because defendants manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold products containing formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

The Ceteth ingredients help other ingredients to dissolve in a solvent in which they would not normally dissolve. There are been no known health effects from this chemical.

Panthenol is a common ingredient used in skin care products, including cosmetics, hair sprays, shampoos and conditioners. This natural ingredient can be found in plants and is a form of vitamin B5, also referred to as pantothenic acid. Panthenol has been deemed safe by the FDA, useful for improving appearances and softening the skin.

Glycereth-26 is a glyceryl ester and is a multitudinous oil used in cosmetics as an emollient, lubricant, as well as a water-binding and thickening agent (Source). There is not much information on the use of Glycereth-26 specifically, or glyceryl esters in general, although it is clear that its primary function is as a thickener.

Sodium PCA is short for sodium pyroglutamic acid. It is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid, a derivative of the amino acid proline. Sodium PCA is considered to be a synthetic chemical. It is used as a humectant and skin conditioner in cosmetic formulas.

What are its risks? In the presence of certain chemicals and in heat and light, sodium PCA can break down and create carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Benzalkonium Chloride is used to prevent or inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms in finished products. It also functions as a foam booster and as a detergent, where it helps water to mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsed away.

Cosmetic manufacturers frequently use this ingredient for a variety purposes. It primarily works as a preservative, chelator and stabilizer, but has also been shown to enhance the foaming and cleaning capabilities of a cosmetic solution.

Sodium chloride is the chemical name for salt. Sodium is an electrolyte that regulates the amount of water in your body. Sodium also plays a part in nerve impulses and muscle contractions. Sodium chloride is used to treat or prevent sodium loss caused by dehydration, excessive sweating, or other causes. Sodium chloride is known as a comodogenic, which means is tends to cause blackheads by blocking the pores of the skin.

This chemical I would not put on my skin either!! Methylparaben belongs to the paraben family of ingredients, which all act as preservatives in skin care products. Typically, this chemical will be formulated into creams and serums with other parabens, like butylparaben and propylparaben, though in some cases it may be used on a standalone basis.

The goal of methylparabens and similar chemicals is to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus. By limiting the growth of microorganisms, this ingredient helps preserve the integrity of skin care formulations for a longer period of time. One of the concerns with methylparaben is its potential link to cancer. For example, some studies have found a correlation between breast tumors and the presence of parabens.

And the final and kill chemical! . WHAT is “fragrance?” More than 95 percent of the chemicals in synthetic fragrances are derived from petrochemicals. These chemicals include: benzene derivatives, aldehydes, phthalates, and a slew of other known toxins that are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, nervous-system disorders and allergies—some of which are cited on the EPA’s hazardous waste list.

WHERE is it hiding? In the U.S., manufacturers can legally hide hundreds of synthetic chemicals in the one word—“fragrance”—without revealing what those ingredients are. It’s referred to as a “trade secret” in the industry. But really, it’s simply a loophole big enough to drive a fuel truck though. This excuse to not label fragrance ingredients was initiated in an era when the major fragrance houses lobbied to protect their secret formulas made from flowers and oils. But those days are long gone. What the government is protecting now are manufacturers who have a license to poison the American public with more than 3,000 chemicals that are being absorbed, inhaled, and ingested daily.

WHY should I avoid it? Environmental Working Group (EWG) researchers found more than 75 percent of products listing the ingredient “fragrance” contained phthalates (THAL-ates) which have been shown to disrupt hormone activity, reduce sperm counts, and cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Additionally, studies by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, link fetal exposure with autism, ADHD, and neurological disorders.

As you can see there are a lot of chemicals for just one product and some of them are dangerous for your skin and body. The beauty ionized acidic water is just water. The lower pH in the water, 5pH - 6pH, acts as an astringent, naturally toning and tightening the skin. Using a pH lower then 5 on the skin can cause dryness and is not recommended.

Sources - https://www.annmariegianni.com/ingredient-watch-list-polysorbate-20-it-may-be-contaminated-with-carcinogenic-14-dioxane/

http://www.thedermreview.com/methylparaben/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/five-mustknows-on-the-dan_b_4737654.html