As a toner & Paula’s Choice connoisseur I’ll answer all your questions about the Calm Nourishing Milky Toner in my Paula’s Choice Calm Toner review!

I also reviewed the old Calm Toner, and can say that I hated that one with a burning passion due to the really unbearable scent. I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case any longer, thank god! I ordered a sample when it was released last summer and fell in love. Consequently, around Black Friday I bought the full-size bottle. And now… I’m whelmed.

The Brand

PC, the forerunner of science-based skincare, is now owned by Unilever. Responsible for educating us skincare lovers from the 90s onwards, also responsible for damning fragrance and ethanol in skincare. Nowadays rather famous for weird launches (limited edition sunscreen?), unfortunate claims (smooth lines in 20 minutes!) and ramming down their hero product of 20 years down everybody’s throat on social media (oh 2% BHA, bane of my life). It’s a tough world in an overcrowded market.

  • I know A LOT of PC’s products. Wanna browse all 30+ reviews I wrote about their products? Look here!

Paula’s Choice Calm Toner review: Description

Paula’s Choice Calm Toner review

Immediately hydrates & calms redness
Reinforces a healthy skin barrier
Reduces visible ageing

CALM Nourishing Milky Toner’s new & improved mix of skin-replenishing and anti-ageing ingredients smooth, soften and visibly reduce redness. Its gentle formula is suitable for rosacea-prone skin and continued use will help reduce signs of sensitivity and visible ageing. The Ophiopogum Japonicus root supports the skin’s microbiome and barrier to help prevent signs of sensitivity while Marshmallow root shields skin from irritants and provides emollient and skin-healing benefits.

Paula’s Choice

What it is

It’s a milky toner supposed to hydrate and calm.

Toners and I

How much time do we have?! Let me show you all the toners I’ve reviewed here:

When I lived in Asia seven years ago, toners, first essences and essences came into my life, and I fell in love.

A word on terminology: if it has a watery texture, is hydrating and comes without heavy-duty actives, for me, it’s a toner. In my book a toner is made to hydrate the skin after cleansing and prep the skin for the following routine: I like the sponge analogy (a dry sponge can’t absorb liquid as easily as a damp one.)

Ingredients

Aqua (Solvent), Pentylene Glycol (Humectant), Glycerin (Skin conditioning agent), Propanediol (Viscosity increasing agent), C13-15 Alkane (Solvent), Panthenol (Humectant), Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate (Skin conditioning agent), Cetheth-20 Phosphate (Cleansing Agent), Sodium PCA (Skin conditioning agent), Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract (Humectant), Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate (Viscosity increasing agent), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsion Stabilizer), Allantoin (Skin conditioning agent), Sodium Hyaluronate (Skin conditioning agent), Dicetyl Phosphate (Emulsifying agent), Maltodextrin (Absorbent), Althaea Officinalis Root Extract (Skin conditioning agent), Ethylhexylglycerin (Skin conditioning agent), Sodium Phytate (Chelating agent), Pantolactone (Humectant), Tocopherol (Humectant), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative)

Paula’s Choice

Noteworthy ingredients

I like the inclusion of Panthenol, different forms of hyaluronic acid, allantoin and Tocopherol for hydration and soothing.

PC themselves mention Ophiopogum Japonicus root and Marshmallow root (Althaea Officinalis Root). Especially the former has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, while the latter (yes, the sweet we know as Marshmallow was made from it in the olden times) was first used by the ancient Egyptians as a treatment for sore throats. I think we can be sure about their antioxidant properties and generally hydrating power, but I’m not sure if we can fully support PC’s claims of ‘supports the skin’s microbiome and (…) skin-healing benefits’.

Sustainability

(We are) reducing our contribution to the climate crisis through materials sourcing, product development & shipping. Our end goal? Net zero emissions by 2030.

Paula’s Choice

    For that, they try to reduce packaging, offset carbon emissions, audit gas emissions and reduce air shipments.

Application

Like their Resist Anti-Aging Replenishing Toner I tested recently, this is fairly milky and viscous. I apply it over a spritz of Eucerin’s Hyaluronic Face Mist, which is maybe a bit of an overkill but I love it for the quick pick-me-up feeling that a spritz of the mist gives me. Would the Calm Toner suffice on its own? Certainly. I pour a one-cent-piece amount of toner into the palm of my hand and apply from there. I do proceed with my regular routine (here) and use a serum + moisturizer or serum + SPF over it.

Texture

Milky. Viscous, yet runny. I like a toner with a bit of body to it, so it’s right up my street. It’s very similar to the Resist Anti-Aging Replenishing Toner. The toner doesn’t have a scent, which is definitely an improvement to the old Calm Toner. There’s just one tiny hiccup: I think it contributes to pilling of some sunscreens I used lately.

Effect

Paula’s Choice Calm Toner performance review

I loved this SO much when I used it last Spring/early Summer when my allergies made my skin itch. It does nothing for my skin when it’s sensitized due to Tretinoin, though. Does it hydrate? Sure! Does it feel cooling, calming and refreshing? Yes. Does it actually soothe redness? Not on me.  

Does it ‘reduce signs of sensitivity and visible ageing’?! Not at all. Again, I find PC’s advertising for this a bit far-fetched – sure, antioxidants and hydration will, in the long run, act as anti-aging ingredients, especially if your skin is dehydrated and reacts easily to external stressors like sun and pollution. But then, so will run-of-the-mill moisturizers and sunscreen.

Still, it did work on my allergy-suffering skin last year (I have hay fever, and that makes my skin itchy at times). If you’re the same, maybe the toner will help you.

Comparison

I honestly can’t see a difference between the Resist Anti-Aging Replenishing Toner and this one. Sure, different ingredients, different claims. But they perform similarly on my skin – if you like one, you’ll also like the other.

Rating

skincare rating

Right now, I like the Calm Toner and will definitely keep on using it during allergy season.

But, as always, the price is quite high for a simple toner, and the pilling thing is annoying. I feel a bit whelmed by this. Increasingly, I’m also put off by PC’s over the top marketing claims.

Availability & Price

$24 for 4 fl/oz; 29€ for 118ml

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