To Cleanse, and Tone?

Why both steps are important for healthy skin.

It’s no surprise that the first step in any skin care regimen should be washing with a cleanser. Facial toners, once thought of as a thing of the 90s, have also become a popular add-on to complete a routine. Using these two quintessential products together will enhance your entire skin care regimen. Choosing a non-drying cleanser and regimen-boosting toner that work effectively for your skin type should be simple. The Epionce Cleanse & Prepare category of products makes it easy to find what is best for your skin.

The Importance of Cleansing the Skin

Before you heard the words “moisturizer” or “serum”, you likely learned the importance of washing your skin. It has been engrained into our consciousness that dirt and oil are the skin’s enemy, and washing your face was the ticket to preventing blemishes. Many teenagers struggling with oily skin wash their face multiple times a day in an effort to get rid of the excess oil. Not only does cleansing get rid of blemish-causing agents, but it’s important for the skin barrier to do its job. The barrier plays an important role in protection from environmental insults, like UV, pollution and microbes that drive skin disease. Keeping it clean of impurities that may block pores and create irritation supports overall skin health.

A good cleanse is also the key to glowing skin. A fresh and rejuvenated appearance starts by removing dead skin cells and other surface impurities that can make your complexion look dull, aged and dehydrated. Washing your face as part of a daily skin care routine is like starting your regimen with a blank canvas. It allows the remaining products, including Epionce Lytics, Renewals, and sunscreen in the morning to have maximum benefit. As part of a complete routine, this helps prevent visible signs of skin aging and enhances its appearance.

How to Choose the Right Cleanser

If you’ve ever stood in front of a department store counter loaded with cleansers, wondering how so many different products all seem to do the same thing, you will know that finding the right one can be overwhelming. It’s likely that the face wash used as a teenager has been retired for a more grown-up option. Being more astute to all things skin, you’re now using gentler products – but you might still be wondering which cleanser is both safe and best for your skin.

Using exfoliating scrubs popular in some cleansers may make the skin feel clean for a moment, but mechanical exfoliation can actually create microtears in the skin – potentially leading to long term irritation. Instead, look for a cleanser with ingredients that encourage gentle chemical exfoliation. Products with a small percentage of acid, like salicylic acid, employ active ingredients to gently clean skin without doing damage. To get that deep clean feeling, try double a cleanse with your Epionce cleanser. To gently remove heavy makeup, massage Milky Lotion Cleanser first on eyes and face, rinse with warm water and follow with a cleanser for you skin type.

 What Is a Toner?

Sometimes we miss a spot or two in the cleansing process, so the purpose of a toner is to remove any trace impurities left behind. The water-based, quick absorbing formulas in toners can also target specific skin concerns to enhance your results. Toner formulas have become more sophisticated than their predecessors in recent decades. They were once intended to balance skin’s pH after using high alkaline face soaps – but were also loaded with alcohol to control oil. A new generation of toners formulated with non-irritating ingredients helps boost the benefits of a pH balanced cleanser. As a bonus, toners are beneficial for the whole body. Spraying on the upper back, chest, legs or arms where blemishes and dry skin can occur, but are hard to reach, can augment the benefits you get in a skin care regimen on your body.

Types of Toners

Hydrating toners soothe and calm skin and may contain humectants to help the skin hold in water from the environment. These types of toners are best for dry or sensitive skin to hold moisture in parched skin and makes it appear more dewy. A toner to clarify skin is formulated with ingredients like salicylic acid to sweep away impurities that lead to blemishes and surface shine. These toners are best for oily or problem skin types to help control excess oil, especially in the area of the T-Zone on the nose, forehead and chin. They help eliminate pore-clogging debris, dead skin cells and surface microbes.

Who Needs a Toner?

Everyone can incorporate a toner into their daily routine – including men, women, teens and adults. Because of their versatility, they address a wide range of skin care concerns – from dry skin to stubborn blemishes. When used after an Epionce cleanser, but prior to Correct & Boost products in a morning and evening routine, toners improve the outcomes of the entire regimen. For example, if you experience dry skin or irritation, a toner quickly helps bring skin into balance. Epionce Balancing Toner soothes redness and restores the feeling of enhanced hydration. If clearing blemishes is your goal, Epionce Purifying Toner adds another layer or pore-cleaning action to prevent and diminish visible signs of problem skin. Toners make a great travel companion too! On a long flight, changes in cabin pressure, fluctuations in humidity and wearing a mask can dehydrate and damage the skin barrier. Spritzing or patting Balancing Toner on skin while in-flight or after a long journey adds much-needed hydration and refreshes a parched, thirsty barrier. 

Epionce Cleansers and Toners

Products in the Epionce Cleanse & Prepare category effectively remove dirt, oil and makeup without irritation or stripping skin of necessary oils needed for healthy-looking skin. The key is non-drying active ingredients that work to clean and calm without disrupting skin’s protective barrier. All Epionce cleansers and toners are made without sulfates, parabens, fragrances and gluten to prevent any additional irritation. Finding a cleanser that fits your skin’s unique characteristics is best to help address its need for moisturization and oil control. Epionce cleansers and toners are designed to help solve specific challenges associated with your skin type, which is the best place to start when finding a cleanser and toner. However, gentle actives like botanicals mean products are safe to use, even if they don’t fit into a recommended category.

If your skin consistently lacks moisture or is easily irritated, you may have dry or sensitive skin. This requires a regimen with gentle, non-sensitizing products like those with one dot in the Epionce line. Milky Lotion Cleanser’s soothing, creamy lotion-like consistency leaves a layer of hydration on skin to promote moisturization. It gently but effectively removes impurities, makeup and dirt so skin feels clean and pampered. Humectants in Balancing Toner help pull in moisture from the environment to maintain hydration and enhance a brighter, more calm appearance in dry or sensitive skin. Although normal and combination skin is typically characterized by a clear and smooth complexion and a low maintenance skin care regimen – you may experience the occasional breakouts or oil in the T-Zone. The lightly foaming, luxuriously silky Gentle Foaming Cleanser does away with impurities while maintaining healthy oils for a balanced, happy skin barrier. The best Epionce toner for normal or combo skin depends on your skin care goals. Is your skin lacking hydration? Get a boost of soothing, hydrating botanicals by spritzing Balancing Toner to recently cleansed skin. If you struggle with extra shine or breakouts, spray Purifying Toner on a cotton ball and apply to forehead, cheeks and chin or spray on extremities like back or chest to target imperfections without overdrying.

Oily and problem skin will benefit from award-winning Lytic Gel Cleanser. The oil-fighting cleanser is a fan favorite for its cooling gel formulation that feels like it’s really working – but is so gentle that skin is refreshed, calm and not too dry. Purifying Toner is a great follow up to help control factors that lead to surface shine. Blemish-prone skin is no problem for Purifying Wash, a robust gel cleanser with key Epionce botanicals to help clear stubborn breakouts. With willow bark extract and salicylic acid to eliminate debris in pores, Purifying Wash diminishes and prevents the visible appearance of blemishes from forming in adult skin. Spearmint oil extract counteracts factors that cause redness and bumps, as well as prevent overdrying – making this formulation ideal for adults prone to breakouts.

Get a Tailored Regimen

Epionce cleansers and toners are a simple way to achieve your skin care goals and boost your regimen efforts. A high-quality cleanser and toner are important for every skin care regimen – from basic routines consisting of a quick wash and a moisturizer, to more complex regimens complete with serums and treatment products. To get all the benefits of a customized regimen incorporating a cleanser and toner, talk to an Epionce skin care professional.