The S.W. Basics’ toner is the cleanser’s sidekick. The two products work together to combat blemishes (cleanser review here).

S.W. Basics claims the toner is meant to balance the skin’s natural PH level.

What is PH?

PH (Potential of Hydrogen) measures the level of acidic and alkaline on the skin. PH is measured from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the more alkaline. Acidic and alkaline is made up of a thin layer of fluid produced by glands on the skin.  Disrupting the PH level on the skin can cause skin conditions like acne (acidic) and eczema (alkaline). Keeping the skin at a neutral level of 5.5 is ideal to restoring healthy beautiful skin.

S.W. Basics’ toner ingredients

Raw apple cider vinegar (AVC) is a type of vinegar fermented from apple or cider.

Organic witch hazel is an astringent extracted from a plant that helps reduce swelling, treats irritation and fights bacteria.

Organic essential oils of clary sage and sandalwood is oil extracted from herbs that helps fight bacteria and inflammation, regulates oil production and helps to heal scars.

 

How to use

Apply the toner using a gentle cotton pad and apply to the face after cleansing the skin.

Result

I’ve been using the toner on and off for several months now. I don’t use it every day, I only use it when I see a break out or when I feel a big pimple brewing under my skin. The toner is very light but it does have a slight vinegar smell but the smell will disappear. When I use the toner at night I would wake up to find my skin less oily with fewer breaks out.  When I do have a break it out it would take a few days for the swelling to completely reduce.

The toner does contain AVC so I would not recommend using the product every day since ACV does tend to irritate the skin.

When I put the toner to the test against a PH test strip it showed a PH level between and 3 and 4. Lower PH skincare products may help the acne and break outs in the short run but maybe damaging in the long run since it’s on the acidic side.

 

Pros	Cons
Organic Ingredients	On the acidic side
Effective in reducing breakout	ACV can irritate skin in the long run
Chemical/filler free

 Where to buy?

S.W. Basics website (Here)

Urban outfitters store and online (Here)

Target stores and online (Here)