This is Step 2 of the 3-Step Skin Care System that Clinique has devised for combination skin. It uses exfoliation as the engine of skin renewal, and therefore can gently remove dead skin from the surface, revealing smoother and more even skin, which is perfectly prepared for hydration.
The skin is softer and smoother, and has a healthy glow. Provides a refreshing sensation and cleanses clogged pores. Allows makeup to set better and stay on for longer.
It adapts to different skin types, as it is available for dry or very dry skin (Clarifying Lotion 1); mixed (Clarifying Lotion 2); oily (Clarifying Lotion 3) and very oily skin (Clarifying Lotion 4). There is also a version without alcohol (Clarifying Lotion 1.0).
You can find out which toner is best for your skin type, as well as see the analysis of other products in the Best Facial Toners article .
Index
Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 Combination Skin Review
- Alcohol Denat. : Analyzed in Shiseido Men’s Anti-Wrinkle Cream .
- Glycerin : Tested in Clarins Men’s Anti-Wrinkle Cream .
- Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) : Analyzed in the Nezeni Cosmetics Intensive Antiage eye contour .
- Menthol : Analyzed in Cien Men anti-wrinkle cream .
- Acetyl Glucosamine : Tested in Clinique For Men wrinkle cream .
- Trehalose : Tested in the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye contour .
- Sodium Hyaluronate : Analyzed in Nezeni Cosmetics anti-wrinkle cream .
- Butylene Glycol : Tested in Clarins Men’s Anti-Wrinkle Cream .
- Sodium Bicarbonate : A synthetic inorganic salt more commonly known as sodium bicarbonate. It has many functions in cosmetics, including pH adjuster, buffer or abrasive, as in facial or body scrubs. When used in small amounts to adjust and maintain the pH of cosmetic products, baking soda is not a problem for the skin; however, when used among the main ingredients in exfoliating products, it is too abrasive and is an ingredient we do not recommend.
- Red 6 (Ci 15850) : Coloring ingredient used to impart a red color. It cannot be used in products formulated for the eye area.
- Red 33 (Ci 17200) : Also known as Acid Red 33, it is a red tint. It cannot be used in cosmetics designed for the eye area. In lipsticks, this colorant can only be present in concentrations of up to 3%.
- Ext. Violet 2 (Ci 60730) : A synthetic coloring ingredient that gives a violet tint . It is safe to use in cosmetics and personal care products as long as it is for external use only. It is not designed for lip products or eye products. It has been found to be safe as long as it is used in limited amounts, and only topically, although it can cause skin irritation.
Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 Analysis Summary Combination Skin
We start from the basis that the tonic is specially formulated for combination skin, so alcohol appears as one of the ingredients with the most presence in the product.
The sensation of freshness is provided by Menthol, but be careful because it is sensitizing.
It has hyaluronic acid to hydrate in depth, in addition to other hydrating ingredients (such as Trehalose), and Witch hazel, which acts as an astringent and anti-inflammatory.
It is a good formula for combination skin, because it combines moisturizing ingredients with astringents, for dry and oily areas and shine that characterize this type of skin.
The only thing I can complain about is that they haven’t put an ingredient as good as hyaluronic acid above. And I think that colorants are also superfluous, because the important thing about a product is not its color, but its ingredients.
Alternative
Just as beneficial (or more) for combination skin is Nezeni Cosmetics Micellar Water, a more complete alternative that, in addition to deep cleansing, minimizing pores and purifying the skin, gently exfoliates and hydrates it to make it shine.
It has hardly any preservatives, and it does a good job of hydrating and renewing dead skin. All the active ingredients achieve a perfect synergy, and it shows on the skin.
