A Sensory Experience with the Immaculate Facial Tonic
If you’ve passed by an Aesop store recently, chances are you’ve seen their latest product, the Immaculate Facial Tonic, in their window displays.
During their Hong Kong launch event, the team transformed a gallery space into a bespoke sensory experience highlighting the toner’s features and the rigorous work behind its development.
The Campaign
Campaign imagery c/o Aesop.
Skin Care+ Range
While Aesop’s arsenal of skincare products is ever-expanding and already touts everything you could possibly need for a full-fledged regimen, their Skin Care+ range is, simply put, their best.
Part of what makes Aesop’s skincare so approachable is its packaging, which is always housed in amber glass bottles with minimal labelling that’s straight to the point. Skin Care+ products are denoted by the self-explanatory, additional “+” sign, indicating their potency.
With skin-supportive, nourishing formulations harnessing generous vitamins and botanicals, the lineup is designed to complement and work in tandem. If you’ve noticed, the iconic B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel is also part of the collection.
Immaculate Facial Tonic
Suited to: Normal to dry, dull or patchy, sensitive and mature skin
Texture: Light and aqueous
Aroma: Warm, floral, woody
Skin feel: Smooth, soft and replenished with a light finish
Key ingredients: Rose Petal, Panthenol, Mucor Miehe
Dosage: Half a teaspoon
Aesop has always prided itself on answering consumer needs rather than following the latest skincare fads, and I’m not surprised there was a genuine cry for a fuss-free multi-tasker with brightening and hydrating properties.
Enter the Immaculate Facial Tonic, debuting as the first toner in the Skin Care+ range. A long time in the making, the toner has a watery consistency, absorbing quickly and imparting soft, hydrated skin. Despite its lightness, it’s vitamin-rich and packed full of goodness befitting its place in the lineup:
Mucor Miehei Extract – An enzyme that works as a chemical exfoliant to promote natural shedding of dead skin cells
Panthenol (Provitamin B5) – A humectant moisturiser that hydrates and soothes, maintaining soft, supple skin
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) – Reduces redness and irritation while restoring hydration
Saccharide Isomerate – Improves the skin’s natural moisture barrier, helping with smoothing and plumping
Galactoarabinann – Reduce fine lines and wrinkles by providing long-lasting moisturisation
“What delights us in visible beauty is the invisible.”
Surrounded by legitimate laboratory equipment, we took a sensory trip down memory lane and revisited our earliest interactions with skincare. Yes, I’m aware that kids nowadays consider overhead projectors ancient. Honestly, I cannot remember if a facial cleanser or toner marked my first foray into the daunting world of beauty products. But one thing for sure is that toners are often underrated and overlooked—a result of their aqueous and unassuming properties.
If we pare down our skincare routines to the bare minimum, we’re often left with a trio of products meant to cleanse, tone and hydrate. And toning is so much more than merely a practical bridge between the two steps, taking on an essential role in removing lingering grime and oil while balancing and preparing skin for the hydration to follow
Aesop recommends patting the Immaculate Facial Tonic into the skin with bare hands or using a (reusable) cotton pad to gently wipe across the face to remove lingering sebum and dirt. I prefer the former because the toner’s woody, floral aroma–a result of essential oils including Rose Petals, Sandalwood and Frankincense–has grown on me, and the slight warmth from the palms imparts more of it.
Doubling as a gentle alternative to physical exfoliating products, the toner can be used daily and is suitable for a wide range of skin types, including sensitive or mature skin, but especially dry, dull or patchy skin in need of a little TLC. By clarifying and refining skin, it evens and smooths while boosting suppleness and resilience. In short, it’s meant to leave you with immaculately clean skin over time.
I do have a penchant for purely hydrating, or shall I say, more traditional toners that form the basis of my routine all year round and don’t irritate my combination and sensitive skin. What that means, though, is that I add in extra solutions or serums depending on the weather and my skin condition. Because the Immaculate Facial Tonic doesn’t pill under the rest of my skincare and makeup, I feel a lot more comfortable inserting it into my morning routine, where, let’s be honest, it’s always tempting to rush through because we have somewhere else to be. It just proves that toning is at the very centre of any skincare routine, and finding the right product for your skin type goes a long way in replenishing and supporting your skin’s needs.
For those looking to explore more meticulous toners, Aesop’s suite will not disappoint:
Parsley Seed Antioxidant Facial Toner – Antioxidants balance and soften skin for a wide range of skin types, including dry and mildly sensitive
B & Tea Balancing Toner – A gentle, aloe-based formulation to calm and prepare sensitive skin and refine pores
In Two Minds Facial Toner – Niacinamide and Witch Hazel balance combination skin that may be out of equilibrium
Bitter Orange Astringent Toner – A citrus-based formulation to remove excess sebum and impurities from oily or blemish-prone skin without drying them out
For transparency, the post features press products kindly gifted by the PR team but without obligation to share. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission when you click the links and make a purchase.
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