Toner — Reviews — Skin Poetry

More power to me.

Now with a total of 10 products in their line, Youth To The People’s latest addition, Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner is a beautiful addition to complete the whole youth routine. Before launching, their team sent over the toner for me to test and I feel so empowered.

Youth To The People is 100% vegan, sustainable and clean cruelty free made in California.

Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner claims: Free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, pegs, mineral oil, silicones, artificial colours.

Suited for: All skin types.

Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner

What it is: An exfoliating toner.

What it does: Kombucha Power Toner is a triple-action power toner that’ll smooth skin texture, minimize the appearance of pores and firm the look of skin. Formulated with a blend of 8% lactic acid and 3% glycolic acid, this powerhouse of AHAs delivers deep exfoliation and balanced skin. With the Kombucha Black Tea and Tree Bark ferments, they work as prebiotics to enhance the skin’s natural microbiome. This helps break down overproduction of natural oils to relieve congestions in the skin and allow for a radiant glow.

Key ingredients:

8% Lactic Acid and 3% Glycolic Acid to deliver exfoliation while still maintaining a healthy pH balance. The AHAs will revitalize dry and dull skin and help with cell turnover, smoothing skin texture and reduce the appearance of pores.

Kombucha Black Tea Ferment contains potent peptides that’ll work as prebiotics to enhance the skin’s natural microbiome.

Pichia Lysate Ferment (Tree Bark Ferment) to help restore the skin’s elasticity and help reverse any signs of oxidative damage.

Ginger Extract enhances the AHA’s ability to smooth skin texture. Ginger Extract is an effective anti-aging superfood!

Citrus Bioflavonoids with lemon water extract increase antioxidant activity. When paired with AHA’s, these flavonoids are delivered to the skin instantaneously and look for pollutants.

View full ingredient list here.

Texture and scent: The Power Toner feels gentle on the skin. Once absorbed, it feels a little tacky but sinks in quickly. The scent is kombucha-y, subtle, obviously, but not overpowering. I personally don’t smell it when sweeping it across my face. I only smell something if I put my nose to the bottle.

How to use: Youth To The People recommends using the toner at night after cleansing, 3-5x per week.

View full recommended use details here.

My experience: Am I dreaming?

As I write this, I genuinely feel speechless looking back at how my skin looked after only two days of using the toner. I’m a sucker for a chemical exfoliant, and I always dreamed of the day that Youth To The People would launch one. After only a couple of uses, I can affirmatively say and see, clearly, that this is my new favourite acid in my routine.

As someone who’s used to acids, the toner didn’t tingle too much at first. On a scale of 0-10, 10 being a burn of a chemical peel, this tingle was a 4.5. I’m in love with the way it sweeps on my skin, smooth and not “glassy.” It actually leaves the skin very moisturized. YTTP claims that the skin will feel smoother and softer after one use… and well, guess what? My skin felt, looked and radiated smoother, softer and brighter after literally one use …And then I woke up in the morning, and was left speechless. My hyperpigmentation was lighter, and blemishes were diminished by 60% and by the next day, 80%.

For my routines using this toner in my testing period, I tried and still am using their recommended Power Facial which is for a night routine. Acids are powerful, and for me personally, work most effectively in the evening to allow proper penetration without much disruption during sleep. Always remember to wear SPF in the morning, especially after acids touch your face.

Youth To The People Power Facial

Prep: Cleanse skin with your usual nightly cleanser. Pat dry.

I use the Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser.

Exfoliate: Saturate a cotton round in Kombucha Power Toner and sweep over face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Do not rinse.

Activate: Mist face and neck generously with Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist for an added boost of hydration.

(Trust me, you’ll really love a cool down after exfoliating!)

Treat: Apply Superberry Dream Mask to the face and neck for ultimate brightening.

I like sweeping toners across my face and then patting them into the skin for optimal results.

Hydrate: Apply nightly moisturizer to lock in hydration.

Usually, I’d stop at the Superberry Dream Mask since it’s really thick and buttery, but I really wanted to follow their suggested use routine, so I applied the Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream on top of a thin layer of the dream mask, allowing about 30 seconds between each step.

Don’t have those YTTP products above? Don’t worry! Follow these steps as a guide to help prep and hydrate the skin pre and post-exfoliation.

I’m so glad I followed their suggested routine because my skin looks and feels it’s best at the moment. I’m mostly speechless to see how quickly the blemishes diminished and how my pores near my cheek area look less visible, allowing for a smooth canvas. My face is radiating. I truly look forward to seeing how my skin reacts to this toner moving forward because so far, I’m head over heels for it. Here we are with another star five product review from my favourite Western skincare brand, Youth To The People.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Details: C$50.00 / USD $38.00 for 4 oz | Available on YTTP and Sephora.

Head over to my Instagram to see some extra fun Kombucha Toner content!

Disclaimer: Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner was gifted by Youth To The People.

Here we are, Foaming Face Wash, Vanilla Milk Toner and Face Moisturizer all in one place. Not only on my shelf, but happily on my face, too.

I had a feeling this would come to life one day. I’m here to review the products, not Kylie. My initial thoughts blossomed from my curiosity as to how someone with her accessibility to top chemists and labs, would use her resources to create a skincare line and formulate the products with great ingredients and innovative developments in the beauty industry at this time. As I’m not sure how innovative that went, I’m quite excited to be writing this review. As always, I’ll be breaking down the claims, ingredients / pH levels, personal experiences and overall thoughts. This may just be the most detailed review I’ve written to date.

In this first launch, Kylie came out with six products accompanied with makeup removing wipes and a travel bag. Launching an SPF in this first launch would’ve been key. Especially with Kylie’s influence, having an SPF first would’ve been a very smart move not only for business but for educational purposes, too. I recently watched her vlog where she mentioned that they’re currently working on creating one which is great news. An SPF isn’t always easy to develop as there are tons of regulations that need to pass with the FDA.

As she previewed the products before launching, the Foaming Face Wash, Vanilla Milk Toner and Face Moisturizer caught my eye right away. In regards to trying her other three products, I didn’t feel the need to purchase them. I was somewhat interested in trying her Vitamin C Serum, but couldn’t justify buying it since I have a few others waiting for me to try at home. The Walnut Face Scrub was something I was debating over, but didn’t purchase for two reasons: One, being that walnut shell powder is abrasive and two, that I didn’t need it. The Eye Cream was the product that had the least of my interest. I don’t think eye cream is all that necessary to begin with, and I already have a few on my shelf that need to be used up first.

Kylie Skin claims: Cruelty free, gluten free, vegan, paraben free, sulfate free, dermatologist tested.
Please note that having “dermatologist tested” slapped on a label doesn’t justify anything. The term is very up in the air as we don’t know the source or how to debunk it and inevitably, skincare should always be tested properly.

Suited for: All skin types. (I saw Kylie mentioned she’ll be working on different lines targeted towards different skin types in the future)

With no expectations, it’s time to experience Kylie…

Foaming Face Wash

What is it: A luxurious foaming face wash.

What it does: The Foaming Face Wash claims to gently cleanse the skin while helping retain moisture levels and improve elasticity. It also helps removes excess dirt, oils and makeup. It helps brighten the skin as well.

Key ingredients:

Glycerin as a humectant to help balance the moisture levels in the skin.

Kiwi Seed Oil as an antioxidant and rich source of Vitamin C & E which helps to hydrate, nourish and brighten the skin.

Sodium Hyaluronate (a derivative of Hyaluronic Acid) to help hydrate and plump the skin. Hyaluronic Acid is one of my favourite ingredients in skincare!

Notes:

Please note that just because active / key ingredients are listed as “key", doesn’t mean they are. The “key” ingredients in this cleanser including Kiwi Seed Oil and Sodium Hyaluronate are unfortunately at the bottom of the ingredient list which doesn’t make them main ingredients. This occurs in most of the products which you can simply discover by looking at the ingredient lists.

Water and Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate are the first two ingredients in the list. PCG is an amino-acid derived cleansing ingredient that softens the skin, derived from coco fatty acid. It’s mild and non-drying.

Formula pH level: 7.5 which is high for a cleanser. Normally, cleansers should have a pH balance of 5.5.

Texture and scent: The texture feels very luxurious as it gradually becomes more “creamy” when massaging it into your skin. This cleanser is lightly fragranced with fragrance being at the middle / bottom of the ingredient list. I’m not for fragrance in skincare but it’s less likely to irritate your skin in a wash off product rather than a cream or toner. It has citrus notes but in my experience, I stop noticing the scent after I start massaging the cleanser onto my skin.

How to use: Kylie Skin recommends to use this morning and evening. In my opinion, I’d use this as a second cleanse if you’re wearing makeup and a first cleanse if you aren’t.

View full recommended use details here.

My experience: I’m really not mad about it.

The first three times I used it, my skin was lightly tingling. Was it because of the citric acid? Was it because I applied products too quickly after? As I used it more and more, I really grew to like it. So now, I can say I really do enjoy this cleanser. It’s gentle and surprisingly does NOT leave my skin feeling stripped or dry after rinsing it. I personally don’t have issues with foaming cleansers stripping my skin, so I wasn’t too concerned about this one. It feels very luxurious at it lathers and foams in a very rich fashion on the skin the more I massage it in. Now, in regards to the fragrance, we could really do without it. It was too strong for me at first which almost made me stop using it completely. The more I used it, the less noticeable the fragrance was which is now okay for me. I’m generally not too sensitive to fragrance, and as much as it affected me at first, it’s not bothersome anymore. Honestly, the line smells light and gentle, baby-doll pink vibes. Weird, but it just does. (Caroline Hirons described the “baby” scent in such an accurate way!)

The cleanser is gentle enough to use morning and evening, although I wouldn’t recommend to use it to remove makeup. It’s ideal as a second cleanse after removing makeup with an oil based cleanser first, or as a first cleanse on a bare face to remove minimal products, light concealer or SPF.

My skin really enjoys this cleanser. I notice an instant balance in regards to my overall complexion despite the 7.5 pH level. It’s gentle and I only need to use one pump for my full face.

★ ★ ★ ★

Details: USD $24.00 for 5 fl oz / 149 mL | Available on kylieskin.com

Vanilla Milk Toner

What is it: An alcohol-free toner.

What it does: The Vanilla Milk Toner claims to replenish the look and feel of the skin while helping rebalance its pH levels. It also helps to remove any excess dirt, oil and makeup. Kylie Skin claims it also helps unclog, purify and minimize the appearance of pores.

Key ingredients:

Apple Fruit Extract as an antioxidant to help improve the look of the skin.

Squalane as a skin-strengthening oil. With highly refined moisturizing properties derived from olives, squalane helps restore the skin’s moisture barrier. (Third listed ingredient — I’m obsessed with squalane!)

Avocado Oil & Apricot Kernel Oil as emollients to help soothe, soften and restore the skin’s hydration levels.

Other ingredients to note are Sweet Almond Oil, Banana Leaf Extract, Sucrose Cocoate, Jojoba Seed Oil and Sodium Hyaluronate.

Formula pH level: 5.5

Texture and scent: This toner feels like a light essence. It’s milky and lightweight. This toner is alcohol free and lightly fragranced with fragrance being at the middle / bottom of the ingredient list. The consistency and scent are VERY reminiscent of Too Cool For School’s Egg line, especially their Egg-sential Fluid Toner, which is my favourite skincare line I’ve ever tried. I noticed a lot of people were saying that the Vanilla Milk Toner has a very strong vanilla sent but I really don’t notice it. It’s light, gentle and the furthest thing from nauseating. It’s a very gentle “baby” scent, yet again.

How to use: Kylie Skin recommends to use this morning and evening.

View full recommended use details here.

My experience: Obsessed.

I absolutely love this toner. For me, it’s a toner and essence all at once. I say that because of the texture. I absolutely love how plump and dewy it leaves my skin. For the first few times I used it, I swiped it across my face with a cotton pad. It was a little slippery because of the milky consistency, so I decided to then tap and press it into my skin, and I love, love, love using it that way. It’s so nourishing and my skin drinks it up while allowing the following steps to absorb into the skin beautifully. Waking up in the morning after having using it the night before, my skin looks just as dewy and healthy as it did when I first applied it. I love the ingredients and I love squalane, so it’s no surprise I love this toner. My skin looks so balanced and healthy after using it. I have a little weakness for it because it reminds me of the Too Cool For School Egg line.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Details: USD $22.00 for 8 fl oz / 236 mL | Available on kylieskin.com

Face Moisturizer

What is it: A smoothing face moisturizer.

What it does: The Face Moisturizer claims to help hydrate the skin with a combination of humectants and emollients. The formula will condition the skin for a soft-to-the-touch formula without heaviness, greasiness or oiliness.

Key ingredients:

Shea Butter to provide moisture to the skin.

Banana Leaf Extract, Oat Bran Extract and Orange Peel Extract that help smooth and soften the skin.

Glycerin as a humectant to help balance the moisture levels in the skin.

Aloe to help soothe the skin and help decrease redness.

Texture and scent: This moisturizer claims to be fragrance free, although contains Orange Peel Extract… Not all fragrance is synthetic. There are natural fragrances that are irritants to the skin as well. The moisturizer doesn’t smell like anything, and if anything, it’s reminiscent to First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream or Oatmeal Mask. The formula does contain Oat Bran Extract which I love. It feels really lightweight and sinks into the skin immediately.

How to use: Kylie Skin recommends to use this morning and evening.

View full recommended use details here.

My experience: DEW ME.

This moisturizer is incredible. It’s super lightweight and great for morning and evening. It’s crazy how healthy and beautiful my skin looks after using it. I really love it, although I wouldn’t mind a LITTLE more nourishment (ingredient wise) but besides that, it’s great. It sits beautifully over the toner and under makeup, allows for a beautiful, fresh face canvas. Like Kylie describes it, it the formula conditions the skin for a soft-to-the touch finish, without any excess oil.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Details: USD $24.00 for 1.75 fl oz / 52 mL | Available on kylieskin.com

Overall thoughts:

The packaging is high quality and sturdy, soft to touch.
The pricing is reasonable.
The ingredients / formulations are repetitive.
Good: Kylie launched the essential steps to a good, basic skincare routine. (Minus SPF)
The wipes are useless. You should be double cleansing to properly take off your makeup.
Kylie Skin, in my opinion, is targeted towards an audience who isn’t as invested in skincare / skincare education but want a basic routine, or for a younger audience that are looking to get into skincare.

I really do enjoy all three products I’ve reviewed. I didn’t go into them with any expectations as I try not to when testing new products. I’m not disappointed in the slightest. Now, with that being said, I’m also not over the moon swooning for Kylie Skin, and that’s because it’s a very basic skincare line. But basic can also be good, and it’s good enough for me to say I enjoy the products I’ve tried. I look forward to seeing how the formulations and ingredients will mature with her future launches, and how the products will continue to grow on me. Suited for all skin types, I’d recommend the toner and moisturizer as my favourites, which I can see myself repurchasing as well. Yes, the cleanser is gentle, but the pH is pretty high. Between you and I, there are hundreds of products I’d recommend over Kylie Skin at this time, but right now, I’m content with my purchases and results so far.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

Discover Kylie Skin here.