Our review
A fragrance-free, silky hydrating toner for dry and very dry skin, built on silicone, humectants and plant oils (evening primrose, borage) with niacinamide, panthenol and hyaluronate. Long-term users on the brand’s site rate it highly for comfort; independent Polish reviews are almost non-existent.
Packaging and what the product is
The image from paulaschoice.pl shows a 190 ml (6.4 fl oz) raspberry-red bottle with a frosted cap and a white band “Skin Recovery – Dry/Very Dry”, labelled “Enriched Calming Toner with Vitamin E + Primrose”. It is a leave-on toner that the brand suggests applying after cleansing; some users simply splash it on with their hands.
Ingredient analysis
Water is followed by Cyclopentasiloxane, a volatile silicone that gives a silky slip and evaporates, then butylene glycol, glycereth-26 and dimethiconol. Evening primrose and borage seed oils (sources of gamma-linolenic acid) appear early, ahead of sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, panthenol, allantoin and glycerin. Niacinamide, lecithin, caprylic/capric triglyceride and the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase come later.
PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, laureth-4 and laureth-23 keep the oils dispersed in water. Preservation uses chlorphenesin, sodium benzoate, phenoxyethanol, benzoic acid and sorbic acid, with disodium EDTA as a chelator. No fragrance is added.
What to watch out for
Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) is subject to a REACH restriction (Regulation (EU) 2024/1328) that phases in limits on D5 in cosmetics, including leave-on products, so the EU version may be reformulated – check the list on the pack you buy. The several preservatives and ethoxylated solubilisers are permitted, but people who react to chlorphenesin or benzoates should note them. Propylene glycol is present at a low position.
What users say
On the brand’s US site the toner averages 4.5/5 from 419 reviews (checked 30 Oct 2026). Recent reviewers with dry or very dry skin describe it as soothing, gentle and hydrating, praise the large bottle as good value, and several have used it for years and ask the brand not to discontinue it.
On Wizaż there is a single 4/5 review from 2014, which found it watery, quickly absorbed and a relief for skin dried out by a retinol treatment. We found no recent independent Polish or German reviews, and the visible brand-site reviews are almost all 5-star, so the picture of its drawbacks is incomplete.
Who it may suit
Dry, very dry or tight-feeling skin that wants a calming, fragrance-free hydrating layer before serum or cream, including during drying treatments. Oily skin will probably find the oil-and-silicone base too rich.
Editorial review by INCIMondo based on the ingredient list and publicly available opinions. Not medical advice. · 2026-11-01
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The ingredient list comes from the manufacturer’s website (date below). Formulas change and can differ between markets – the label of the product you buy is decisive.
Ingredients
- AQUA · Solvent
- CYCLOPENTASILOXANE · Skin conditioning – emollient, Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
- BUTYLENE GLYCOL · Humectant, Fragrance, Skin conditioning
- GLYCERETH-26 · Humectant, Viscosity controlling
- DIMETHICONOL · Antifoaming, Skin conditioning – emollient, Moisturising
- OENOTHERA BIENNIS OIL · Skin conditioning – emollient
- BORAGO OFFICINALIS SEED OIL · Skin conditioning – emollient, Skin conditioning
- SODIUM HYALURONATE · Humectant, Skin conditioning
- TOCOPHERYL ACETATE · Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
- PANTHENOL · Antistatic, Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
- ALLANTOIN · Skin conditioning, Skin protecting, Soothing
- GLYCERIN · Denaturant, Hair conditioning, Humectant
- HYDROGENATED LECITHIN · Surfactant – emulsifying, Skin conditioning
- CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE · Fragrance, Solvent, Perfuming
- NIACINAMIDE · Smoothing
- SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE · Antioxidant, Reducing, Skin conditioning
- PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL · Surfactant – emulsifying, Surfactant – cleansing
- LINOLEAMIDOPROPYL PG-DIMONIUM CHLORIDE PHOSPHATE · Antistatic
- PROPYLENE GLYCOL · Humectant, Fragrance, Solvent
- LAURETH-4 · Antistatic, Surfactant – emulsifying, Fragrance
- LAURETH-23 · Cleansing, Surfactant – emulsifying, Surfactant – cleansing
- DISODIUM EDTA · Chelating, Viscosity controlling
- CHLORPHENESIN · Antimicrobial, PreservativeEU restrictions
- SODIUM BENZOATE · Anticorrosive, Fragrance, PreservativeEU restrictions
- PHENOXYETHANOL · Antimicrobial, PreservativeEU restrictions
- BENZOIC ACID · Fragrance, Preservative, pH adjusterEU restrictions
- SORBIC ACID · Fragrance, PreservativeEU restrictions
An INCI list does not reveal exact concentrations.
Ingredient list as published
Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Dimethiconol, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Superoxide Dismutase, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid. [il412v1]
Products with a similar formula
Ranked by shared ingredients (rarer ingredients count more). A similar ingredient list does not mean the same concentrations or effect.