Review: Earth’s Recipe Energy Boosting Toner

I’ve been accepting more PR packages lately, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. It means that I can try more products (and tell you about them), but it also means that some people may see my reviews as not as honest or biased because I received the products for free. I can promise that I will review all PR products with the same honesty as the ones I spend my money on. (And if you ever doubt whether I actually love something, you can always check my Instagram and see how often it shows up in my routines!) And rest assured that when a brand reaches out to me, I do a bit of research on their products, looking over the formulations to see if it would suit my skin, before I make my decision to accept their products.

This all leads to the new series of reviews I’m starting today, which highlight the brand Earth’s Recipe.

They sent me a package with several products many months ago, and given the products’ performance (I chose the toner as one of my top 5 products of 2017), I felt it necessary to review all of their products that I’ve tried . I’ll start with–spoiler!–my favorite, the Energy Boosting Toner.

 

Earth’s Recipe Energy Boosting Toner

Cosdna analysis

The 160ml plastic bottle is dark, which helps keep the light from degrading the toner, and also helps keep me from breaking a fragile container. It’s got a traditional shaker top, but because the toner is a bit thicker, it doesn’t let out too much at once. I also like that there’s a gap between the two ends of the label on the bottle, so I can always see how much I have left.

 

The Claims

“The Energy Boosting Toner is ideal for sensitive, dehydrated skin. This exquisite essence-like toner deeply hydrates the skin, while effectively balancing the skin’s moisture and oil level. It features tremella mushroom extract, which can hold up to 500 times its weight in water. The Energy Boosting Toner is the perfect first moisturizing step, preparing the skin to absorb subsequent products.” (BemusedKorea.com)

Basically, this is a hydrating toner meant to plump up your skin; by “essence-like,” it just means that it is a bit thicker than most toners, which are watery in consistency.

Ingredients:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine, Mannan, Dipropylene Glycol, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Pueraria Thunbergiana Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract (0.1%), Soluable Collagen, Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Cymbopogon Nardus (Citronella) Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Raffinose, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyquaternium-51, Ammonium Acryloyldimethayltaurate/VP Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine (0.04%), Disodium EDTA, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Polyacrylate, PVM/MA Copolymer, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Folic Acid, Ceramide 3 (0.01%), Cholesterol, Tromethamine, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Phennoxyethanol

• Phellinus Linteus Extract (Black hoof mushroom extract): has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Water: has skin-soothing properties. It also may be effective in evening-out skin tone. It is ideal for sensitive or red/irritated skin.
• Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract (0.1%): a humectant that can hold 5x more water than hyaluronic acid. It can also work as a topical antioxidant!
• Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice: Soothes irritated skin.
• Aspergillus/Rice Ferment Filtrate: this helps to soften and brighten skin
• Sodium Hyaluronate: the version of hyaluronic acid that has smaller molecules that allows it to absorb into the skin more easily; hyaluronic acid is a humectant that can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water.

The Energy Boosting Toner is a blend of powerful ingredients that will hydrate and soothe your skin. Some of the herbal extracts lower on the list, like the citrus extracts, may irritate the skin, so always patch test first.

 

The (Personal) Evidence

As I’ve said before when reviewing toners, I look for them to hydrate, absorb quickly, dry without tackiness, and layer well with other products. I use a number of layers of toner in my routine, so these are nonnegotiable.

The Earth’s Recipe Energy Boosting Toner is a viscous, clear liquid with a ton of slip to it. It’s a slightly thicker toner, but absorbs nicely, although it takes a bit longer than some of the more watery toners I’ve used.

The toner has a very light, citrusy scent that I really enjoy. I can apply up to 3 layers before my skin starts to feel “full.” My cheeks feel nice and plump when I’m done: if I pat them with my hands, they make a similar sound to patting a full belly after a big meal. (Both of these things are immensely satisfying.) When my skin is really hydrated, my cheeks are bouncy and if I take two fingers and poke them, my skin doesn’t give much at all.

And while I wouldn’t say that this toner helps my subsequent products absorb (like Bemused Korea claims), I would say that it doesn’t inhibit their absorption. So, I get lots of hydration via plumping layers and my skin isn’t too full to absorb more. What’s even better is that my skin is not sticky or tacky, even after all of those layers. The toner also layers nicely, even in my very long routines.

The toner feels soothing going on, and it glides on the skin upon application. This is the perfect toner for winter. On the rare occasion that I’ve had to do a short routine  in the morning when I’m in a rush, this toner has carried the burden of hydration and performed exceptionally. I haven’t seen any other effects from it, but I don’t really need to. It’s main purpose is to hydrate, and it excels at it.

When I finished my first bottle of the Earth’s Recipe Energy Boosting Toner, I wanted to remind myself what it was like to not have it in my routine. The short answer: I missed it pretty much immediately. I had to do more layers of other toners in order to get not-quite-the-same levels of hydration. I think I went for about 2 weeks before I opened a new bottle.

I am just as surprised as you to be typing this, but I think I actually like this more than the Klairs Supple Preparation Toner!

So, will I buy this product again? 

Rating Scale: 

• Did you not read the review? Yes, of course. I will spend all of my money on this product!
• Yes. I enjoy this product enough to purchase again in the future, especially if it’s on sale.
• Meh. Maybe. I mean, I bet there are other, better things out there. I’d use it if someone gave it to me.
• No. I won’t use this again and will probably bad-mouth it to others.
• Hahahahaha. Nope. Noooooooope. Not even if you paid me.

The Verdict: Did you not read the review? Yes, of course. I will spend all of my money on this product!

The Earth’s Recipe Energy Boosting Toner is a bit pricey, so definitely watch for sales. I think that it’s totally worth the price, especially in the winter. My dry, dehydrated skin absolutely loves it. I purchased two more bottles!

Where you can buy:

• Bemused Korea: $34, but they have some Earth’s Recipe sets on sale!
• Amazon: $34