Long gone are the days where women have a basic three-step regime of cleanse, tone and moisturise. I mean just look at the popularity of the 10-step Korean skincare regime. And with more steps come with it a greater variety of products to use, which can be confusing for even beauty junkies. One product which women are often confused about are facial essences.
While most people know about the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, many probably don’t really know what it is or what it does, or how it differs from a toner.
Essentially (no pun intended), a facial essence is a lightweight liquid that is used after a toner to add another layer of hydration before applying your serum. Think of your skin as a dry sponge after cleansing. Toners help to remove remaining dirt and grime left and some even balance pH levels. Essences, on the other hand, hydrates skin and primes it so it can better absorb the active ingredients from the rest of your skincare.
Compared to a toner, facial essences contain more active ingredients to help penetrate into skin better to hydrate skin as well as target other skin concerns. However, they are usually not as concentrated as a serum. While they might not be a necessity, they definitely help to nourish skin and help the rest of your skincare work harder for you. Below, we pick out the facial essences you need to add to your beauty regime.