Youth To The People Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner

Youth To The People has been just killing it that last year with their new launches. Their newest is an acid toner. I love acid toners so I was super excited to get to play with their newest creation. The Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner has both lactic & glycolic acids with ginger, tree bark and kombucha ferment. Details per Youth To The People:

The newest addition to your nightly routine. Use this powerful exfoliating toner to minimize the appearance of pores, smooth skin texture, and firm the look of skin. Feel the power within.

Directions Use 3-5x per week, gradually working up to nightly use. At night after cleansing, saturate a (reusable) cotton pad and sweep over clean, dry face and neck. Do not rinse off. You may experience brief tingling and redness. Always use a broad spectrum SPF as part of your daytime skin routine.

Key Ingredients

• Proprietary Kombucha Blend: Kombucha Black Tea Ferment
• Tree Bark Ferment
• Ginger
• Lactic Acid + Glycolic Acid
• Citrus Bioflavonoids
• Lemon Water Extract

Benefits

• Kombucha Black Tea Ferment: Source of potent peptides that work as prebiotics to enhance the skin’s natural microbiome.⁠
• Tree Bark Ferment: Helps firm the look of skin to help reverse the look of oxidative damage. ⁠
• Ginger: Anti-aging superfood that enhances the AHA’s ability to smooth skin texture.⁠
• Lactic Acid & Glycolic Acid: Revitalize dull or dry skin, smooth skin texture, and reduce the appearance of pores.⁠
• Citrus Bioflavonoids & Lemon Water Extract: Helps to scavenge pollutants from the skin.⁠

I love the chic glass bottle this comes in. YTTP always has great packaging. This has a little stopper so you can splash a little out versus pouring from a wide mouth bottle. This has a hint of a tingly bite to it the first few times you use it but honestly it was gentle enough for me to use everyday. However, I am completely used to daily acid toners I would highly suggest anyone new to acids start 2-3 times a week and see how it goes. Especially those with sensitive or problem skin. Always start slow and watch for signs of a compromised skin barrier (dryness, irritation, increased sensitivity, redness). And always wear sunscreen daily when using acids as you’ll be more sensitive to photo damage. So now that all the small things are out of the way lets talk about this beauty.

Why do we love acids? Because they help increase cellular turnover, exfoliate to reveal newer skin resulting in the unmistakable glow we all want. Lactic and glycolic acids are AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids). AHAs help with sun damage, adds moisture by binding water to skin, removes upper layer of skin revealing more even, smoother skin, promotes cell turnover. This helps with pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles as well as reducing pore size. Lactic acid is a larger molecule than glycolic so it’s more gentle on the skin. I really like acid blends not just single acid products. In addition to the acids this toner has antioxidant rich ginger water plus fermented kombucha & tree bark. I love fermented products as the process breaks down the ingredients making it easier for the body (or skin) to absorb. The fermentation process also releases more nutrients and can make some of the end result fermented ingredients more powerful. Kombucha is black tea which is a powerful antioxidant and free radical fighter.

I love the combination of acids with antioxidants and fermented products in this toner. It’s unique. I found it was effective at what’s it’s supposed to do without being too powerful or stripping to my moisture barrier. I used it for three weeks straight and noticed a nice even tone and glow. It was one of the better acid toners I’ve tried over the last year. Those who love BHA for acne/oily/problem skin might have to alternate this with a BHA toner to keep that pore clearing action going. I could see this toner being revamped with like a 1-2% natural willow bark BHA to be an ultimate acid toner.

 

Ingredients

Aqua/Water/Eau (Aqua), L-Arginine, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Water, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Water, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Pichia Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Caramel

 

*Gifted by brand, all thoughts are my own