Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Toner: A Skin Soothing Favourite?
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While I’ve never been convinced toners are an absolute necessity in every single skincare regime, I personally like using one as a quick way of making sure I’ve removed all makeup/dirt. And (in the case of the gentlest toners) for adding a little extra hydration pre-moisturiser.
Beyond that though I’ll be the first to admit I’m a total sucker for some great marketing, which made buying Fresh’s real rose petal-infused Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner something of a no-brainer.
This is new, up-to-date information. We updated this article in July 2023 to add our further thoughts on the toner, complete with updated prices.
The Brand
Created by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, Fresh Beauty started its life in Seattle, USA, in 1991. Inspired by the food bazaars of their native Russia, and with a mission to sell indulgent yet natural products from around the world, Fresh quickly won a loyal customer base with its nature-inspired formulas, a touch of luxury and oodles of pretty packaging.
Fresh has since gone on to become something of an Instagram favourite (probably at least partly thanks to that pretty packaging and their cult lip products) and is now stocked by most major beauty suppliers from Sephora and Cult Beauty to Space NK.
And overall I’ve become quite the fan- enjoying the mostly gentle formulas and the dewy skin results- with their Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner becoming a firm favourite.
Image – Fresh Beauty
What does Fresh Beauty’s Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner do?
A true blast of old-world nostalgia, part of the beauty of this toner lies in its, well, beauty. Genuinely lovely to admire on bedside/dressing tables, the actual rose petals here give this a feel that’s total luxury (the light scent of rose when opened doesn’t hurt either).
But does that necessarily add up to a toner that’s good for the skin?
Well yes, in this case, thankfully it mostly does. Because in addition to its insanely photogenic looks (making me feel slightly like a 1920s socialite when I use it), this toner is not only alcohol-free but also packs in some seriously skin-soothing ingredients, boasting glycerin (to soften) and Rose Damascena flower water (to hydrate).
Finally, Angelica extract (a Japanese herb full of polyphenols and vitamins…also the name of one of the Rugrats- who doesn’t love a 90s cartoon?) promises to soothe and hydrate.
On the downside though there is also some artificial fragrance here as well as citronellol and geraniol (two additional fragrances which can be potentially irritating for some skin types).
MORE GLOW: A CLEANSING GEL FOR ALL SKIN TYPES?
How to Use it
Despite its glamorous appearance, Fresh’s Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner goes works pretty much like every other toner; applied to a clean cotton pad (preferably a re-usable one!) and swept over cleansed skin before getting on with all the other hoopla of serums and moisturisers etc.
If you need some more hints on exactly how to use toners though, we’ve got you covered here.
Fresh Beauty’s Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner review
After sweeping over cleansed skin, this fluid leaves a gentle sheen of hydration in its wake, as well as a delicate, rosy scent (which is surprisingly less fresh and green smelling, and more slightly old-fashioned).
It also seems to soothe redness in my own sensitive skin, leaving it comfortable and giving me a good few minutes before I need to reach for the moisturiser (always a bonus when I’m also trying to style my hair/apply blusher/put my clothes on all at the same time in the mornings).
Since this contains some fragrance though, very sensitive skin types might prefer to skip the excitement of the rose-inspired luxury here and steer towards something totally fragrance-free and instead aimed at protecting the skin’s natural barrier.
Image – Live That Glow
For when my own skin is seriously dry or stressed I’m a big fan of Paula’s Choice Advanced Replenishing Toner, which has a nourishing milky texture and is packed with antioxidants and omega fatty acids to soothe and moisturise when skin has become frazzled.
Meanwhile, oily skin types are likely to enjoy the fact that Fresh Beauty’s Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner helps to remove any last traces of cleanser, but may not enjoy the dewy finish.
Acne-prone types will probably want to avoid any form of perfume in their products too and may want a toner that includes pore-unclogging ingredients like AHAs or salicylic acid.
The Full List of Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Centifolia Flower, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Angelica Keiskei Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-150, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, BHT, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Citronellol, Geraniol
The Takeaway
Overall, I really enjoy this gentle and really quite luxe-feeling toner. And as an added bonus, I also really like that this is available in a 100 ml travel size so I don’t have to leave it behind when going away.
The addition of fragrance here means this might not be for everyone, however, and since it’s pretty difficult to find a tester for toners to try before you buy it definitely means something of a risk for the most sensitive skin types.
For that reason, very dry or rosacea and eczema types might want to skip the glamour and head straight for something like the Paula’s Choice product instead.
All other skin types are likely to be fans though.
Great for: Hydrating and removing the last traces of makeup and cleanser. Dry, slightly sensitive, or even oily skin types. Also gift buying (as no one is going to be unhappy you bought them a product this pretty)
Not-so-great for: Very sensitive skin and budget buying (since this lies firmly in the ‘luxe’ category).
Fresh’s Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner is from £23 for 100 ml, Cult Beauty UK and from $27 for 3.3 oz/ 100 ml, Sephora US
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