Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner Review (Benton Review Series #1)

  

Hi everyone! Even though it's taken me close to a month to write another review, I think that I am finally back in the blogging mood. This review will be the first of 6 part Benton review series! I will be reviewing these products in the series:

1. Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner

2. Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

3. Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

4. Benton Snail Bee High Content Lotion

5. Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream

6. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

I'll be adding links to the series at the introduction of each review, look out for them over the next few weeks! 

As for this review specifically, I want to start out by saying that I first started using the Benton products in August of 2013. That was also around the time my blogging really slowed down, so I never got around to reviewing them. Now that I'm back in the swing of things, I finally want to share some of my thoughts about these products with my readers. I hope it's helpful, though I acknowledge that this brand has achieved a bit of a cult status amongst certain beauty communities...

Where to buy:

testerkorea.com - $14.00 (roughly)
roseroseshop.com - $8.80
w2beauty.com - $16.00
beautynetkorea.com - $15.98

Here is their GMarket Shop

Description: Benton's Aloe BHA Skin Toner is for all skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone. Instead of water, this toner uses aloe leaf water with natural ingredients like BHA (salicylic acid) and snail secretion filtrate to help prevent skin damage from irritants and stress.

Claims
 Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive
 Anti-acne
 Moisturizing
 Gentle exfoliant
 Repairing
 Soothing
 No Parabens
 No Artificial Colors or fragrances
 No Alcohol

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water (58%), Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Salicylic Acid (0.5%), Beta-Glucan, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Polyglutamic Acid, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Cross Polymer.

Amaaazziingg ingredients. It basically only has active ingredients- and all the best stuff is at the top. A common sentiment you will see in this review series is how much I love Benton's approach to ingredients. They literally only seem to use ingredients that are effective and beneficial to your skin. For a more indepth review of the ingredients, take a look at Skin and Tonics' blog! She has also posted reviews of most of the Benton products.

Scent: No artificial OR natural scent, as far as I can tell- hurray!

Packaging: Simple bottle with a spray nozzle. The packaging design suits the image Benton is hoping to achieve, more in the style of Nature Republic or Innisfree.

The packaging is where my only real (and substantial) complaint is- the nozzle. Or more accurately, the application method. The spray that comes out of the nozzle is fairly strong, which isn't the issue. I just don't like spraying my face with toner. It's unnecessarily uncomfortable and inaccurate. It's easy to accidentally get some in your hair, or to worry about it getting in your eyes. I much prefer simply pouring (or I guess in this case, spraying) some into your hands and patting it in. EDIT: I have been informed that Benton changed the packaging a few months back- now instead of having the spray type, it has a normal toner opening that allows you to pour it comfortably. This seems like a MUCH better method. Consider my major complaint nullified. :)

As lazy as this makes me seem, I stopped using this after I got Juju Aquamoist's Vitamin C toner, due in part to how much more convenient Juju Cosmetic's was.

Swatch: This toner has the same consistency as water! It absorbs quickly and dries non-sticky. It is mildly hydrating, but nothing special.

Results: I really like this toner. I love the ingredients, love the results, love the price! Even after I stopped using it (see the packaging section for why), I still used it occasionally when I got breakouts without using any other Benton product and saw great results. Despite its shortcomings, it is a very effective product in that regard. I didn't see any calming or redness-reduction from this toner specifically, but my skin isn't very sensitive.

Another small complain I have, besides the annoying application method, is the lack of hydration. I realize this supposed to be for all skin types, but this entire line wasn't hydrating enough for me in the late autumn and winter. I still have plenty left, but I probably won't rebuy it. If you have Normal/combination/oily skin and you don't live in Skyrim like some of us, it's definitely a reasonably priced option that works very, very well and has some great ingredients.

In other news, Benton recently came out with another 'skin/toner' that uses a pump. That might be an alternative for those you who aren't interested in spritzing your toner on!
EDIT: See my packaging edit above! My major qualm with this toner has apparently been fixed, so now it's much more convenient!

Conclusion: Final Score: (Originally) 4.5/5 (Hypothetical edited score) 5/5

Pros:

• affordable
• very effective for acne reduction
• amazing ingredients

Cons:

• application method is annoying and inconvenient (this is no longer the case though!)
• not particularly hydrating