Balancing Skin Toner

Available in 50ml and 200ml — from £7

A calming, alcohol-free facial toner built around geranium floral water — handcrafted in West Wittering to restore your skin's natural pH balance after cleansing, minimise the appearance of pores, and prepare skin to absorb your serum or moisturiser. Suitable for sensitive, reactive, and menopausal skin.

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Why toning matters — and why most toners get it wrong

Traditional toners were astringent and alcohol-heavy — designed to strip oil and "close" pores, which damaged the skin barrier in the process. This one takes the opposite approach.

Geranium floral water — the hero ingredient here — is a true botanical hydrosol, steam-distilled from the geranium plant. It's naturally rich in skin-balancing compounds that help regulate sebum production, calm redness, and gently tone without disrupting your skin's acid mantle. The result is skin that feels genuinely refreshed and rebalanced, not stripped or tight.

For menopausal skin, where hormonal shifts cause sebum production to fluctuate and skin can swing between dry patches and reactive flare-ups, a gentle balancing toner used consistently can help stabilise how your skin behaves day to day. And because it's completely alcohol-free, there's no risk of the irritation or barrier disruption that conventional toners can cause.

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What's in it — and why

Four ingredients. That's it. Because your skin doesn't need a list as long as your arm — it needs the right things, in the right amounts, doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

• Geranium floral water (Pelargonium graveolens) — a true botanical hydrosol, steam-distilled from the geranium plant. Naturally rich in skin-balancing compounds that regulate sebum, calm redness, and gently tone without stripping your skin's acid mantle
• Potassium sorbate — a gentle, naturally-derived preservative that keeps your toner fresh and safe without parabens or harsh synthetics
• Citric acid — maintains the formula's pH at skin-compatible levels, ensuring the preservative system works effectively and your skin's acid mantle stays intact
• Sodium benzoate — works in partnership with potassium sorbate to protect the formula; at cosmetic concentrations and with pH carefully controlled by citric acid, it is completely safe and well-tolerated by sensitive skin

Full INCI: Pelargonium graveolens (geranium) floral water, Potassium sorbate, Citric acid, Sodium benzoate

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How to use

Pour a small amount onto a reusable cotton pad or muslin cloth. Sweep gently over face and neck after cleansing, removing any last traces and rebalancing your skin's pH. While skin is still slightly damp, apply your serum or moisturiser — damp skin absorbs active ingredients more effectively.

✨ Top tip: Pop your toner in the fridge for an extra cooling effect — brilliant for reactive, hot, or menopausal skin that runs warm.

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The Puremess Promise

✔️ Handcrafted in small batches in West Wittering, West Sussex ✔️ Alcohol-free and free from sulphates, parabens, palm oil, phthalates, silicones, mineral oil and synthetic fragrance ✔️ Natural, vegan, and cruelty-free ✔️ Bottled in Prevented Ocean Plastic — 100% recyclable

Made with love, in West Wittering.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this toner suitable for menopausal skin? Yes — it's one of the most effective and gentle steps you can add to a menopausal skincare routine. Hormonal changes during menopause disrupt sebum production, making skin unpredictably oily in some areas and dry or reactive in others. Geranium floral water is a natural sebum regulator and skin calmer, helping to stabilise these fluctuations without stripping or over-drying. With just four ingredients and no alcohol, synthetic fragrance, or unnecessary additives, it's as gentle as a toner gets.

What makes this toner different from conventional toners? Most high street toners contain alcohol, synthetic fragrance, or long lists of ingredients that sensitised skin struggles to tolerate. This formula has four ingredients — geranium floral water, and a minimal pH-balanced preservative system. No alcohol, no parfum, no fillers. It rebalances your skin's pH after cleansing and preps it to absorb everything you apply next, without any of the stripping or irritation that conventional toners can cause.

What is geranium floral water and why is it good for skin? Geranium floral water is a hydrosol — produced by steam-distilling the geranium plant. Unlike geranium essential oil, which must be diluted before skin contact, a hydrosol is gentle enough to apply directly. It contains naturally occurring skin-active compounds that help regulate oil production, calm inflammation, and gently tone the complexion. Its light, naturally uplifting scent comes from the plant itself — not from any added fragrance.

Is sodium benzoate safe in skincare? Yes — at the concentration used in this formula, sodium benzoate is well within safe cosmetic limits and is a recognised, effective preservative. It works in partnership with potassium sorbate, with citric acid carefully controlling the pH of the formula to ensure both preservatives perform optimally and remain gentle on skin. This combination is widely used in natural and organic skincare as an alternative to parabens.

Is this toner alcohol-free? Completely. There is no ethanol or isopropyl alcohol in this formula — making it safe for daily use on sensitive, reactive, dry, and menopausal skin.

Do I need a toner if I already use a good cleanser? They serve different purposes. Cleansing removes impurities — but even the gentlest cleanser temporarily shifts your skin's pH. Toning restores that balance before you apply serums or moisturisers, helping those products absorb more effectively. With just four clean ingredients and a ten-second application, this is one of the lowest-effort, highest-impact steps you can add to your routine.