Sugar - a gentle, moisturising toner for the face, neck and décolletage. So here is the question: what does a toner give us and why is it worth using one in daily facial care? What is the difference between the Sugar toner and the natural hydrosols available from Ministerstwo? In the post below we briefly compare these products and suggest which one to choose so that toning becomes a valuable stage in caring for your facial skin :)

Do join us!

Acne, dryness and other irritations

If some of you were born, like us, in the nineteen-eighties and nineties, the very word toner may send a shiver down your spine and bring to mind the alcohol-based products that were popular back then ;) Although they were supposed to keep teenage acne and excessive oiliness under control, in reality they rather wreaked havoc on the face, merely drying out and irritating the complexion. Luckily those days are over! So if your aversion to toners has stayed with you to this day, it is high time we broke the spell for you :) Let us start with the basics!

What does a face toner help with?

The main task of a face toner is to restore the skin's correct, physiological pH level - in other words, to tone it. And when does the skin need its proper pH restored? Above all when our daily routine includes cleansing products with a pH higher than the skin's natural level of around 5.5 - for example traditional alkaline bar soaps.

Since a high percentage of makeup removal and face washing products have a pH close to the physiological one, however, the toner is a product often skipped in daily care - and yet a good toner has a much broader caring effect, and using it can genuinely enrich our routine!

How and when should a face toner be used?

As for when to use a toner, we apply it every time after washing and drying the face, and before applying care cosmetics and/or makeup.

The method of application itself depends on the product's packaging:

• if the toner comes in a bottle with an atomiser, we can spray it as a mist directly onto the face;
• if it has packaging with a pump or comes in a classic screw-top bottle, we first dispense it onto our hands or a cotton pad and then spread it over the skin.

Of course it is worth not stopping at the face and treating the neck and décolletage with toner as well - let them be its natural extension at every stage of care!

Should a toner be used every day?

That depends largely on which products we use for daily facial cleansing and on whether the toner gives the skin additional, valuable caring properties. We can safely assume, though, that daily use of a toner is unlikely to do any harm and may even improve the condition of the complexion :)

How to choose a toner?

As with practically every cosmetic, the best toner is one matched to the needs of your skin and your complexion type. Our needs can change over time, though, so before buying it is always worth checking the current state of your complexion rather than following well-worn habits :)

Why is the Sugar toner from Ministerstwo worth using?

Sugar is our first moisturising toner with maltobionic acid and gluconolactone from the PHA group, plus lactic acid (AHA), niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and a complex of the title sugars. This carefully selected composition of active ingredients gives the skin not only an optimal pH but also a solid dose of hydration and regeneration. And it does it really well!

The results of the instrument-based studies speak for themselves:

• used twice a day over a period of 4 weeks, the Sugar toner raises the skin's hydration level by 9.7%,
• increases the skin's elasticity and firmness by 7%,
• smooths the skin by an average of 8.5%.

In addition, regular use of the toner reduces melanin production by 7.3% and reduces the visibility of pores - large ones by 27% and small ones by almost 34%! Our toner can therefore be an excellent addition to the daily care of acne-prone skin, skin prone to imperfections or discolouration, and oily complexions will also benefit from the reduced visibility of pores :)

A moisturising toner with acids

We feel obliged to tell you a little more about the acids we have included in our Sugar. Above all, there is absolutely no need to be afraid of them - the acids we have used, at a combined concentration of 3.5%, are extremely gentle. They are not irritating, they do not cause visible peeling of the skin and they do not require the daily use of high sun protection (which we encourage you to use anyway, for the sake of your skin's health - but that is a subject for another time ;)). 100% of those tested confirmed that the toner is gentle, while over 90% attested to a noticeable soothing and calming of the skin, including irritated or reddened skin. Which means you can confidently try the sugar toner on sensitive skin or skin with broken capillaries :)

Please note! Some toners available on the market are classified by their manufacturers as a cleansing product, complementing makeup removal and meant to remove any remaining impurities. We would like to stress that our Sugar toner is a care product, not designed to cleanse the skin - we recommend using it only as intended, on previously cleansed skin :)

What is the difference between toners and hydrosols?

From the point of view of the care stage that is toning, both types of product serve the same function - a hydrosol is a fully plant-based, natural toner with a very simple, short ingredient list, in the spirit of minimalist care. Toners, in turn, are cosmetics with a more elaborate composition (as you may notice in the ingredient list of our Sugar ;)). Toners and hydrosols can therefore be used interchangeably, or you can limit yourself to just one of them. The difference lies, however, in the formula of the products, their additional caring properties and their possible uses.

More precisely, hydrosols are floral or herbal waters for the face, created by subjecting plants to steam distillation. They naturally moisturise the skin and restore its correct pH - hence the possibility of using them in the role of a toner, but that is not all! Hydrosols also work well when you need a refreshing face mist or a hair mist (for example as a base for wet oiling), a herbal scalp tonic or a base for clay masks. Depending on the type of hydrosol and the plants it was made from, it can also have additional effects. Among Ministerstwo's round ten hydrosols you will find, among others, those with antibacterial properties and ones that regulate oiliness, reduce redness, soothe and calm irritation, and even soften the hair :)

As for the formula itself, our organic hydrosols contain a combination of highly concentrated floral or herbal waters from a friendly little French distillery, plus natural radish ferment, which serves a double function - it is a natural preservative and at the same time an excellent moisturiser.

Natural face toners from Ministerstwo - which product to choose?

As you can see for yourselves, the choice of skin toning products at Ministerstwo is wide, so the purchasing decision may not be easy. Here we can only offer a hint in a simplified, universal form, but if you would like individual advice, we warmly invite you to get in touch or visit our brick-and-mortar shops :) In the meantime, let us sum up:

The Sugar toner may be the better choice if...

• you prefer a multi-step, layered routine,
• you go for products rich in active ingredients,
• you struggle with discolouration and uneven skin tone,
• you like testing every novelty ;),
• you like really large, wonderfully efficient sizes!

A hydrosol, on the other hand, may be the better choice if...

• you are a fan of minimalist care,
• you are looking for products with a short, simple ingredient list,
• you value being able to use one cosmetic in many ways,
• you would like to be able to order a different scent variant every time ;)

Both, however, will work equally well when it comes to restoring the skin's optimal pH and providing it with hydration. All of them are also vegan cosmetics with a very high naturalness index - 99.76% ingredients of natural origin in the case of the sugar toner and 100% in the case of all the hydrosols :)