Should You Ditch Your Trendy Toner for this (updated) 1847 Classic?🧴
Though marketed to Gen Z, this skincare brand ages as gracefully as you do
Hello, Gorgeous!
If you’re like me, your first skincare treatment was probably witch hazel - and it was probably Sea Breeze. But as my skin evolved, so did my skincare.
Earlier this month we talked about milky toners. Now let’s talk about heritage toner brand Thayers new launches and why they’re interesting to us.
Thayers Rose Petal Facial Toner
I’m going to go out on a limb here and speculate that this one might have been inspired by L’Oreal’s own rose petal micellar water toner from a few years back. I don’t have time to fully research that bit of speculation, so suffice it to say this is a gentle for any age toner that cleanses skin of gunky makeup and feels incredibly smooth when applying, and gently soft for hours afterward. Of course I’d advise using moisturizer afterward, but you can give your skin some time to breathe after toning and before moisturizing ($12, Target).
Thayers Hydrating Milky Toner
I can’t tell you why I get such a huge kick out of this one. Maybe because the initial Thayers toners always left skin parched. This trend-conscious version is alcohol free, made with 98% naturally derived ingredients and is said to be made of proprietary fusion of Snow Mushroom and Hyaluronic Acid. I love it. And I love that the new breed of toners can hydrate and actually make your skin feel comforted while removing sweat and melted makeup from your face ($15, Target).
Thayers also came out with a fun jelly toner, a cucumber toner, and other products that are ostensibly geared to the young ‘uns. That said, the ingredients are formulated by skin type more than age group, leaving me extremely pleasantly surprised on all counts.
Thayers vs Sea Breeze
Thayers witch hazel products were first created back in 1847 by Dr. Henry Thayer who created natural extracts for the medical profession. The prolific doc developed over 800 plant-based remedies offered mainly as tinctures, infusions, and syrups, along with poultices, and wines. Flash forward a century and a half and Thayers introduced alcohol-free witch hazel.
Sea Breeze dates back to 1906 and proudly stays true to its original formulation containing alcohol.
Back in 2020 L'Oréal acquired Thayers Natural Remedies, and rebranded to reach a younger demographic. The brand sales were listed as $44 million in 2019. Sea Breeze is now owned by Shiseido, and is harder to find, though you’ll probably have good luck on Amazon.
I didn’t mention Dickinson’s Witch Hazel since that seemed more medicinal than beauty conscious.
Have you fallen down the toner rabbit hole? Summer feels like the perfect time to play around with some new ones. Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss!
Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋
1847!?! Quite amazing that it's still around.