First Aid Beauty Oil-Minimizing Toner with Salicylic Acid
Works for
ExfoliationSalicylic acid, Salix nigra bark extract + 1 moreWorks well
“- Papaya Fruit Extract: Helps to resurface, visibly brighten, and smooth skin’s texture.”
This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover. Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier. The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: salicylic acid.
Evens skin toneSalicylic acid, Camellia sinensis leaf extract + 2 moreNot delivered
“- Salicylic Acid: Helps visibly brighten and purify skin, smooth texture, and minimize the look of pores.”
This product might help improve the skin tone through exfoliation. In other words, it helps to speed up the shedding of cells from the upper layer of the skin, and this might help reduce hyperpigmentation.
Anti-blemishSide benefit the brand mentions · Salicylic acid, Camellia sinensis leaf extractWorks well
“Skin Type Combination and Oily Skincare Concerns Pores, Acne and Blemishes, and Oiliness Formulation Liquid Highlighted Ingredients , Salicylic Acid Helps visibly brighten and purify skin, smooth texture, and minimize the look of pores.”
This product can help reduce breakouts and clogged pores because it contains the following ingredient: salicylic acid. This ingredient is used for treating acne and can have a noticeable effect.
Anti-oxidationSide benefit · Camellia sinensis leaf extract, Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract + 1 moreMay help
This product contains antioxidants (camellia sinensis leaf extract) that might be able to help neutralize free radicals in skin to lessen the damage it gets from the UV light (sun). There is not enough evidence to confirm their effectiveness in skin though.
MoisturizingSide benefit the brand mentions · Glycerin, Sodium pca + 4 moreWorks
“Formulated with salicylic acid, the formula helps to deeply cleanse, without stripping skin of its natural moisture.”
This product contains good ingredients to attract water to the upper layer of the skin. These ingredients are called "humectants": glycerin, sodium pca.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from within deeper layers of the skin. If the air is dry, humectants can speed up the moisture loss from the skin. This is why it is a good idea to use another product on top of this one to help "seal in" the moisture (look for ingredients like dimethicone, squalane, oils and butters).
Can it cause trouble?
Irritancy3 strong irritants: Hamamelis virginiana water, Carica papaya fruit extract + 1 more — patch-test recommendedHigh risk
ComedogenicClean of flagged comedogenic ingredientsNone flagged
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Ingredients
Filter by role to see what each ingredient is doing.
Water~40–60%
Polysorbate 20~4.3–6.5%
Salicylic acid~1.5–2.3%
- Irritation risk
- High
Used for skin exfoliation. It has an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effect, helps to unclog pores, prevent blemishes and speed up healing of the existing ones. Sometimes referred to as a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid)
More about Salicylic acidGlycerin~2.7–4%
- Irritation risk
- Low
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
More about GlycerinHamamelis virginiana water~2–3%
- Irritation risk
- High
A plant extract that can help calm down inflammation in skin. Can, however, itself be irritating
More about Hamamelis virginiana waterDipropylene glycol~1.6–2.4%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Helps to dissolve other ingredients in a formulation. Slows down the rate of product drying
More about Dipropylene glycolSalix nigra bark extract~1.4–2.1%
- Irritation risk
- Medium
A plant extract that might contain salicylic acid
More about Salix nigra bark extractCarica papaya fruit extract~1.2–1.9%
- Irritation risk
- High
Chrysanthemum parthenium extract~0.95–1.45%
- Irritation risk
- High
Could have anti-inflammatory effect on skin, but can be irritating as well. Can be added to products for its smell
More about Chrysanthemum parthenium extractAvena sativa kernel extract~0.85–1.3%
- Irritation risk
- Low
An effective moisturizing and skin barrier repair ingredient. Helps calm down inflammation and has some anti-oxidant properties
More about Avena sativa kernel extractCamellia sinensis leaf extract~0.55–1.25%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Can contain potent anti-oxidant compounds (abbreviated ECG, GCG, EGC, and EGCG) that might help protect the skin from free radicals. Can help calm down inflammation and has some anti-bacterial properties. Unfortunately, these antioxidants are unstable and lose their effectiveness very quickly in products. The concentration of the antioxidant compounds in the extract also tends to be low to be effective in topical formulation
More about Camellia sinensis leaf extractGlycyrrhiza glabra root extract~0.4–1%
- Irritation risk
- Medium
A plant extract that can help lighten the skin and calm down inflammation. Might be helpful in neutralizing free radicals
More about Glycyrrhiza glabra root extractSodium pca~0.4–0.95%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Naturally present in skin and helps to attract water to its upper layer
More about Sodium pcaLactic acid~0.35–0.8%
- Irritation risk
- Medium
An exfoliating and moisturizing alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). Typically causes less irritation than other AHAs, for example, glycolic acid. At high concentrations (about 15%), lactic acid can help reduce lines and wrinkles. Recent studies show that lactic acid can support the "good" bacteria living on skin's surface (healthy skin microbiome)
More about Lactic acidButylene glycol~0.2–0.75%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Used to create a nice product texture and help delivery of other ingredients. Might be somewhat helpful in attracting water to the upper layer of the skin
More about Butylene glycolMaltodextrin~0.15–0.65%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Used to stabilize the product formulation and can help absorb oil
More about MaltodextrinCitric acid~0.15–0.5%
- Irritation risk
- Medium
Can work as an exfoliant but is typically used to adjust the product pH
More about Citric acidPhenoxyethanol~0.1–0.4%
- Irritation risk
- Low
A preservative. It helps prevent bacterial growth in cosmetic products
More about PhenoxyethanolSodium hydroxide~0.1–0.35%
Sodium benzoate~0.05–0.25%
Potassium sorbate~0.05–0.25%
Benzoic acid~0.05–0.25%
Tetrasodium edta~0.01–0.1%
Ingredient list view
Water, Polysorbate 20, Salicylic acid, Glycerin, Hamamelis virginiana water, Dipropylene glycol, Salix nigra bark extract, Carica papaya fruit extract, Chrysanthemum parthenium extract, Avena sativa kernel extract, Camellia sinensis leaf extract, Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, Sodium pca, Lactic acid, Butylene glycol, Maltodextrin, Citric acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium hydroxide, Sodium benzoate, Potassium sorbate, Benzoic acid, Tetrasodium edta
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Worth comparing, line by line.
Match % combines shared ingredients, the first five ingredients, shared actives and hero ingredients, irritancy (lower counts in the alternative's favour), texture and body area. Only products in the same routine step are compared.
| First Aid BeautyOil-Minimizing Toner with Salicylic AcidYOUR PRODUCT | Deviant SkincareGentle Resurfacing Liquid | Personal DayDoing the Work Acne Treatment | Dr Dennis GrossMini Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel for Sensitive Skin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | — | 87% | 84% | 83% |
| Price | — | $52.00 | — | $18.94 |
| Shared key ingredients | — | 4 of 6 | 3 of 6 | 4 of 6 |
| Key difference | — | Glycolic Acid | Niacinamide | Colloidal Oatmeal |
| Irritancy | High | Low | Low | High |
| Drying alcohol | — | — | — | — |
| View product | Shop | Shop | Shop |
More alternatives: Dope Skin Co AHA/BHA Exfoliating TonicITK tri-acid toner
Product summary
"First Aid Beauty - Oil-Minimizing Toner with Salicylic Acid" is effective for: Exfoliation and Anti-blemish
This product could be helpful for: Moisturizing, but its actives are not the most effective or are not well-studied.
Ingredient callouts
- Salicylic acid (1.50% - 2.30%). This is an oil-soluble exfoliating acid. Because of this property, it can work inside pores and help reduce the congestion. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is used to treat acne. Because it is a quite strong exfoliator, be careful with using this product too often: it could result in over-exfoliation.
- Humectants (sodium pca 0.40% - 0.95% and glycerin 2.70% - 4.00%). These ingredients help attract water to the upper layer of the skin and improve the skin hydration.
About the brand
According to Cruelty-Free Kitty "First Aid Beauty" is cruelty free, but its parent company is not.
Price
The product retails for 39.60A$ in Australia, from 22.00$ up to 24.00$ in the United States, for 20.00£ in the United Kingdom and for 32.00CA$ in Canada.
For a detailed price comparison: click here.
Sources cited in this review
Every concentration estimate and effectiveness label is anchored to one of these 7 studies and safety reviews.
- 1Salicylic acid as a peeling agent: a comprehensive reviewncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2Beta Hydroxy Acidsfda.gov
- 3A review of toxicity from topical salicylic acid preparationssciencedirect.com
- 4
- 5
- 6Epidermal and dermal effects of topical lactic acidncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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