Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner

Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner

This oil-control toner is formulated around Silica and Kaolin to balance excess oil and refine the look of pores.

This pore-care toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Panthenol to refine the look of pores and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Alcohol Denat.

Glycerin

Propanediol

Silica

Phenoxyethanol

Zinc Oxide

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Kaolin

Zinc Gluconate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Avena Sativa Kernel Flour

Menthoxypropanediol

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Allantoin

Salicylic Acid

Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Propanediol, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Zinc Oxide, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Kaolin, Zinc Gluconate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Menthoxypropanediol, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid

Butylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Polysorbate 20

Adenosine

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract

Arctium Lappa Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Sodium PCA

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Oleth-10

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Xanthan Gum

Trisodium EDTA

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Polysorbate 20, Adenosine, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Arctium Lappa Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Oleth-10, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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