Pixi Beauty Milky Tonic Soothing Toner Versus Paula's Choice Resist Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner

Pixi Beauty Milky Tonic Soothing Toner Versus Paula's Choice Resist Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner

This calming toner is formulated around Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract to calm redness and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Water

Propanediol

Glycerin

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sodium PCA

Avena Strigosa Seed Extract

Hydrolyzed Barley Protein

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Euterpe Oleracea Sterols

Linoleic Acid

Oleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract

Citrus Nobilis Fruit Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Extract

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Peel Extract

Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Extract

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Phospholipids

Lecithin

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Disodium EDTA

Citric Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Benzyl Alcohol

Sodium Citrate

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium PCA, Avena Strigosa Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Barley Protein, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Citrus Nobilis Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Phospholipids, Lecithin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin

Ethoxydiglycol

Niacinamide

Acetyl Glucosamine

Salix Nigra Bark Extract

Resveratrol

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Carnosine

Genistein

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Adenosine

Polysorbate 20

Butylene Glycol

Carbomer

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Niacinamide, Acetyl Glucosamine, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Resveratrol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Phospholipids, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Carnosine, Genistein, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.

In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).

Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.

They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.

Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.

Some types of phospholipids include:

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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