Pestle & Mortar Pestle Mortar NMF Lactic Toner
- Anti-aging
- Exfoliation
- Moisturizing
- Evens skin tone
- +2 more
- niacinamide
- gluconolactone
- lactic acid
- camellia sinensis leaf extract
- +1 more

Price comparison
Can the product deliver on its promises?
Promise
What does the product description say?WIMJ summary for anti-aging
This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because it contains gluconolactone, niacinamide.
These ingredients in the product can also be helpful, even though there is less evidence for their effectiveness: lactic acid.
Keep in mind that it typically takes at least 6 weeks to notice any results because the changes that are needed to improve fine lines and elasticity happen in the deeper layers of the skin. No topical anti-aging product can “erase” wrinkles or fully reverse signs of aging.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
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WIMJ summary for evens skin tone
This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following effective ingredients: gluconolactone, lactic acid, niacinamide
Keep in mind that you would need to apply any topical skincare targetted at hypigmentation consistently for a couple of months to get a result. No topical skincare product can help get rid of hyperpigmentation (including post-acne marks and age spots) instantly.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
Promise
What does the product description say?WIMJ summary for exfoliation
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: gluconolactone, lactic acid.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for moisturizing
This product contains good ingredients to attract water to the upper layer of the skin. These ingredients are called "humectants": glycerin, lactic acid.
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).
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: niacinamide
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for anti-blemish
This product might be able to help reduce blemishes and clogged pores because it contains niacinamide.
The following ingredient (ingredients) in this product might be helpful, but there is no evidence to confirm that it actually works: gluconolactone
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
| |||
LOW
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WIMJ summary for anti-oxidation
This product contains antioxidants (camellia sinensis leaf extract, gluconolactone) 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.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
MEDIUM
| |||
MEDIUM
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LOW
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How honest is this product?
Promise | Can it deliver? |
---|---|
Anti-aging | |
Exfoliation | |
Moisturizing | |
Evens skin tone |
Potential irritants

Ingredient | Irritancy | Skin Benefit |
---|---|---|
lactic acid | ||
gluconolactone | ||
leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate |
Ingredients by volume
Ingredient | Estimated concentration |
---|---|
Plain old water
| 40% - 60% |
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)
| 4.5% - 6.7% |
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
| 3.5% - 5.3% |
Show more |
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WIMJ similarity score | 87% | 82% | 81% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 79% | 79% | |
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Questions
Skincare resources
Scientific Sources
- Epidermal and dermal effects of topical lactic acid
- Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin
- Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions
- A comparative study of gluconolactone versus benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne
- The Polyhydroxy Acid Gluconolactone Protects Against Ultraviolet Radiation in an In Vitro Model of Cutaneous Photoaging
- Applications of hydroxy acids: classification, mechanisms, and photoactivity
- The efficacy of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene vs adapalene monotherapy in mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris: a double-blinded within-person comparative study
- A polyhydroxy acid skin care regimen provides antiaging effects comparable to an alpha-hydroxyacid regimen
- The use of polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) in photoaged skin
- Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Alpha-hydroxyacids and carboxylic acids
- An evaluation of a polyhydroxy acid skin care regimen in combination with azelaic acid 15% gel in rosacea patients
- Aging Skin: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention
- Clinical and cosmeceutical uses of hydroxyacids
- Polyhydroxy Acids (PHAs) Provide Conditioning Effects to Skin Without Increasing Sensitivity to UV Light
- Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology
- Gehring, W. (2004). Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(2), 88–93. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00115.x
- Contact dermatitis as an adverse reaction to some topically used European herbal medicinal products – part 1: Achillea millefolium–Curcuma longa