Humane Clarifying Toner for Face - 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid - Pore Minimizer and Face Exfoliator - Gentle for All Skin Types - Removes Excess Oil, Dead Skin Cells, and Grime - 4 Ounce

I've been purchasing the Humane salicylic acid toner for over 3 years now and feel like it's a highly underrated product. I love the minimal ingredient list and lack of fragrance and coloring. It works great for my sensitive skin and keeps the whiteheads at bay (esp. while masking during and in post Covid era). You just can't beat the ingredients. Every time I think to look for another toner (say Paula's Choice, for example), I just don't see the point when this one is better priced, non-irritating, and non-drying. A big disclaimer is that I do not rely solely on this product for my skin's needs (I use quite a bit of other actives & brands) which is EXACTLY why I rely on this toner for my salicylic acid application - because it doesn't irritate and does just what I need it to do. It's seriously a great product worth trying. I only wish I had come across it in my early 20's and teens (it would've saved me a lot of scarring!). I will continue to subscribe to it for as long as they keep that ingredients list nice, simple and to the point!

Alright, so this review is a first (third?) impression, because I just got it a few days ago and have been using it nightly as part of my routine. I didn’t really think I needed a toner. I’ve used alcohol-free ones for hydration in the past and they’ve made my face softer, but I didn’t think that was a huge benefit overall. I do, however, suffer from an army of blackheads, so I did some research into how to help my skin in that department. I was already using an exfoliating cleanser with 2% salicylic acid, but I don’t use it regularly. I feel like my skin dries out too much if I use an exfoliater more than once or twice a week. But all the places I turned to were saying I should use 2% salicylic acid, so I turned to amazon. I figured it was best if the stuff could safely sit on my face without being washed off, so I went back to toners. So far, I’m very glad I did! I feel like this stuff really loosens up my blackheads and makes them look clearer. There’s no strong smell, no strong sting, and it glides right over my skin without feeling oily. It does make my forehead look a little shinier than I like, but it’s no big deal. So here’s what my routine generally looks like: - wash my face with Cetaphil every day—sometimes morning, sometimes night, depends on how tired I am when I’m getting ready for bed. - exfoliate once a week when I remember to, sometimes twice if I have particularly flaky skin—and then, sometimes I forget to do this. I’m really not that meticulous when it comes to washing my skin, which is probably why I have such a blackhead problem. - use a clay mask once or twice a week—which basically translates to: whenever I remember to. - follow the cleans/exfoliation/mask with the toner. - use 30 SPF face cream every morning. I’ll update this review if anything changes.

October Update - sadly I had to set this product aside after 1 month of consistent use , The product is effective for acne but it might still be too irritating for severely hypersensitive and dehydration prone skin ( though it seems a bit less irritating than other salicylic acid products I've used, perhaps due to the lack of denatured alchohol) YMMV you guys! I still approve of the formula since it did help with my acne but my skin is simply too sensitive for salicylic acid in general (it tends to dry me out even though my skin is very oily because I'm super prone to dehydration) Also , since my skin is an aberration (one that stumps my own doctors) ill be nice and leave it at 4 stars for the formula itself. BELOW IS THE OLD REVIEW- i wasnt going to comment on this at all but I was ordering stuff on amazon and felt guilty for not saying anything so here I am. I just wanted to say kudos to the formulator who designed this product! I love their choice of ingredients for this, its simple straightforward effective and its alcohol free! And smells like green tea extract (literally). This might be a good choice for sensitive skin types who dont like other BHA products or have issues with certain solvents (Humane uses propanediol which I 100% approve of. I've never noticed any sensitivity with propanediol so when I saw this product I knew I needed to try it) but ALWAYS take caution and introduce it slowly into your routine, and cut back as soon as you even see any hint of dryness redness or any kind of irritation (you should do this with any and all topical exfoliants like AHA BHA retinoids etc. do NOT underestimate the damage overexfoliation can do to your skin barrier) I've struggled with acne for many years (10+ years of cystic acne) and all my derms gave up on me cause no medication they prescribed worked on me (due to my reactive hypersensitive skin) so I'm on my own. This product (unexpectedly) actually seems to be working (I've used it for about 2 weeks so its still early) and this is slowly reaching holy grail status. (those of you who know what it is like to deal with chronic cystic acne know this is a huge deal deal . few if any products will ever reach holy grail status for us lol.) if theres one bad thing about this its that the packaging does make hard to dispense/control how much product comes out when i use it? frankly i can always just transfer the product into a better bottle so I dont care much, im just glad a formula like this exists on the market LOL Anyway, i rarely comment on products, but I just wanted to say thank you to the formulator of the product for designing this product. and uh, please dont change the formula? lol if this product continues to work, then I'll continue to repurchase this =)

Holy cow this stuff is amazing. I don’t usually leave reviews, in fact, this is my first Amazon review but I love this product so much that I have to recommend it. So, pandemic + masks + heat = DISASTER. I work in a warehouse and in this heat i get pretty sweaty plus having to wear a mask makes the perfect recipe for a breakout. I was changing my disposable mask out sometimes twice a day, washing my face with different cleansers and nothing cleared up my face. I started using this on Sunday night and by Wednesday, Omgosh, my face was clear. Here we are Friday and my skin never looked better. My boyfriend even complimented me last night on how nice my skin looks. I highly recommend this product. The only thing that would make this product perfect is if it reduced the size of your pores. That would make this the best product out there. But still, my acne is gone and my skin feels and looks so much better. I love this product. This is a great alternative to benzoyl peroxide, which I’m allergic to. Has a mild, pleasant, clean scent which I love cuz I am also sensitive to perfumes. I apply the product, wait until it dries and then apply moisturizer. I love this toner. It’s so worth the money.

Aug 2023 updated review: I’m still loving this, I have tried other more expensive toners but this still wins. Still wishing for a bigger bottle though! Original Nov 2021 review: I’m in my late 30’s and suffer from the worst large clogged pores. I have closed comedone bumps on my forehead and cheeks that sometimes resemble folliculitis or dermatitis. The folliculitis scout website recommends this toner because it doesn’t contain any ingredients that can feed folliculitis or dermatitis - products that meet their guidelines are few and usually I don’t like the ones that do. This one is exceptional though. It has no fragrance, just feels like water and then dries down to a light residue which feels pleasant, like a very light moisturizer. It didn’t tingle or sting at all and to be honest I thought I had wasted my money. But after a few days I noticed my redness reducing and no new bumps. After a few weeks my skin is clearer than it’s been in years. I’m an experienced salicylic acid and aha/bha user in general so I think this is relatively gentle, but I think if you have sensitive skin you can rinse it off the first few times until you get used to it. Only complaint is that it’s such a small bottle. As a daily toner, I go through a bottle a month and I hate wasting all these little plastic bottles. Please make a larger size even if it’s the same price per ounce.

Loved the first bottle I received. Really helped my face. It bubbles up a little when I put it on my face-almost like there was a small amount of soap in it. But it worked so well for my skin. The company was nice to respond to my concerns and told me many people did not like that part of the product and they had to change their formula. The second bottle isn’t even the same. My skin is not doing as well. It doesn’t suds at all. And it smells like just water. So some people (the many that complained about the first formula- may love this product!) as with all acne products it might work great for some and not so great for others. I’m missing the old one!

I've been using various toners for about 5 decades (yep . . . I'll be turning 70 next year), and overall this brand is the best I've found. I've always tended to have slightly dry skin (and for the past 14 years I've been living in a very arid climate). Now that I'm older, my skin also is thinner and more easily prone to irritation or injury. Here's why I rate this toner so highly: * great job removing traces of makeup or grime that may remain on face after cleansing * no stinging while using it * no overly dry skin after use * patches of dry or irritated skin from exposure to harsh weather heal up quickly, and aren't further irritated * my skin is consistently smooth and calm -- probably because it contains salicylic acid (aspririn) - so if you are allergic to aspirin, don't use this. * no annoying scent -- in fact in almost has no scent, just a very subtle non-chemical, pleasant scent. I have a subscription to this product, as I am a very satisfied customer. Highly recommend!

I've been researching anti aging skin care trying to perfect my routine for a few years now since I turned 30. I read somewhere that the things you absolutely need in your anti aging routine are AHA, BHA (this product), retinol, vitamin c, and a ceramide. I held off on a BHA thinking that an AHA was enough and worried adding this may dry my skin out. My skin is pretty clear, but it was looking dull and had little flesh toned bumps that I could see up close and my pores were looking big, so I finally decided to try a BHA product and found this searching on Amazon. The reviews were all pretty good and the price was right, so I bought it. This has been a game changer and is now one of my holy grail products. My skin is so smooth since I started using this, no more of those little bumps, my pores are much smaller, and it didn't dry me out at all. It's much gentler than the AHA I use a few times a week. I use this as my first step after cleansing. I've seen some reviews say that it left bubbles or a lather on their skin. I've noticed that it happens most when my face is still wet after cleansing, but goes away after I pat it in and smooth it out and leaves no residue once it's dry. I will definitely be buying this again once I'm out! If you are looking to add a BHA to your routine or want a product to smooth bumpy skin and reduce pores, try this!