AXIS-Y
AXIS-Y Daily Purifying Treatment Toner 200ml
Three acids, and the gentlest one sits highest.
Centella is the second ingredient of thirty-eight — not where a botanical usually lands.
Watery, no sting.
What this toner does
A 200 ml treatment toner built on Centella asiatica extract and aloe leaf water, carrying Gluconolactone, Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid, with tea tree in two forms.
PHA, AHA and BHA — in that order
Most exfoliating toners pick one acid. This one carries three, and the order they appear in is the interesting part.
Gluconolactone at position eight is a polyhydroxy acid. PHA molecules are large, so they work slowly at the surface instead of penetrating — the class chosen when an acid has to be tolerable daily. Glycolic Acid at ten is the opposite: the smallest AHA, and the fastest. Salicylic Acid at twenty is oil-soluble and works inside the follicle rather than on the surface.
Three different depths, three different speeds. Putting the PHA above the AHA is a deliberate choice about how hard this is allowed to hit.
Centella at position two
Centella Asiatica Extract is the second ingredient on a thirty-eight-entry list, ahead of the glycols. Botanicals normally sit in the tail where a tenth of a percent is enough to put the name on the box. Second means it is a real fraction of what is in the bottle — and in an acid toner, the calming half needs to be that large.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water is third, with the leaf extract again at fifteen, and Houttuynia Cordata Extract — heartleaf — at thirteen.
The three ingredients at the end
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool and Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil close the list. Linalool is declared because it is a recognised contact allergen; it is a component of the lavender oil rather than a separate addition.
That is two essential oils in a daily acid toner. They are at the very bottom, so the amounts are small — but if you are using this because your skin is reactive, this is the part of the label to weigh. Patch test before you sweep it over your whole face.
Key ingredients
Ingredient · What it is, and what it is used for
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- Extract of Centella asiatica, whole plant. Used to calm irritation; used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin. Second on this list.
- Gluconolactone
- Polyhydroxy acid. Large molecule, so it works at the surface — the gentlest of the three acids here.
- Glycolic Acid
- Alpha hydroxy acid, the smallest of its class. Works on the surface layer faster than any other AHA.
- Salicylic Acid
- Beta hydroxy acid, oil-soluble. Works inside the follicle rather than only on the surface.
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
- Aloe leaf juice water. Third on this list; the extract appears again at fifteen.
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract
- Extract of tea tree. Ninth, with the leaf oil again at the end.
- Houttuynia Cordata Extract
- Heartleaf extract. Used to calm the look of redness.
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Sodium salt of hyaluronic acid. A material skin already contains, so it reads as its own; used to pull in water and hold it. Sixth on this list.
- Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
- Skullcap root extract. Used to slow oxidation and calm the look of redness.
- Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract
- Extract of Japanese yam root.
- Dimethyl Sulfone
- Organosulfur compound, also called MSM. Uncommon in toners.
- Sodium Citrate
- Salt of citric acid. Sets the pH — holds the pH the acids need to function.
How the formula works together
Read top to bottom, this is a botanical toner that happens to contain acids rather than an acid toner with botanicals added. Water, centella, aloe water, two glycols and hyaluronate come before the first acid appears.
Below the acids sit ten more plant extracts — sage, yam root, kelp, anise, grapefruit, lotus flower, peony root, skullcap root, sugarcane, rhubarb root, mugwort and ginseng. That is a long tail, and we will not pretend each one is doing distinct measurable work at that depth. Sodium Citrate and Arginine are the buffers holding the pH steady, and PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is what keeps the oils at the end dissolved in a clear liquid.
Who it is for
Labelled as a daily purifying treatment. Suits oily and congested skin that tolerates acids. Contains three exfoliating acids plus lavender and tea tree oils — start every other day, and wear sunscreen.
How to use it
- After cleansing, apply to a cotton pad.
- Sweep gently across the face, avoiding the eye area.
- Once daily at most — drop to every other day if skin tightens or stings.
- Sunscreen the following morning is not optional with three acids.
Details
- Size
- 200 ml
- Made in
- Korea
- Acids
- Gluconolactone (PHA), Glycolic Acid (AHA), Salicylic Acid (BHA)
- Ingredients
- 38, published in full below
Full ingredient list
Water, Centella Asiatica Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hieracium Umbellatum Extract, Gluconolactone, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract, Glycolic Acid, Betaine, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Arginine, Saccharum Officinatum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Rheum Palmatum Root Extract, Artemisia Princeps Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Chlorphenesin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Dimethyl Sulfone, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Linalool, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
In label order, unedited.
Ships from Korea.
