It gives a cooling sensation and leaves your skin taut and somewhat dry. Have you ever wondered what this “astringent” really is, what it does, and whether it’s good for your skin?
What is an astringent toner and which products qualify as astringent?
The literal meaning of astringent is to “shrink,” because of which this mythical idea that it “shrinks” pores exists in skincare. That’s not what happens. Astringents do, however, make the skin feel taut and shrunken instead of hydrated, well-oiled, and plump.
An astringent is sometimes referred to as a toner, but really, it should be differentiated from other toners because of its effect on the skin. Not only that, astringents can be lotions as well as toners.
The Ayur Astringent Lotion, the Himalaya Astringent Toner and the VLCC Punarnava Astringent are all examples. In fact, Thayer’s Witch Hazel, a cult favourite toner, is also an astringent.
What does an astringent toner do?
Astringents simply soak up oil, be it excess sebum or the essential oils your skin actually needs. As opposed to a hydrating toner like the ones we see in K-beauty commonly, astringents actually mattify and tighten your skin.
The idea that such toners are anti-bacterial also exists. Now, applying astringents can help combat acne on oily skin which is caused by a build-up of fat-loving bacteria and fungus. However, all an astringent does is soak up the oil such microbes feed on temporarily.
Does a product have to say “astringent” on the bottle to be an astringent?
Witch hazel, tannic ingredients like green tea, and even zinc oxide—a common sunscreen ingredient—are astringent. They are sometimes included in toners which don’t have “astringent” written on the packaging.
What is in an astringent toner?
Alcohol is a common ingredient in such toners, but active ingredients can differ. Some astringent toners can also be alcohol-free, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are drying. This is because ingredients like witch hazel are already drying, and therefore, rubbing alcohol isn’t needed in the ingredients to soak up oil from the skin. So, essential, astringents contain ingredients which have oil-control properties.
Why is it “ruining your skin?”
If you have normal, dry, or sensitive skin, removing the oils on your skin will compromise your lipid barrier and make your skin crack and flake. Not only does it look unhealthy and dull, but your skin becomes vulnerable and raw when stripped of its protective oils.
Even if you have oily skin, removing all the oil from your skin is bad for two reasons. One, because oily skin is already programmed to overproduce oil, so in the absence of oil on the skin’s surface, it overproduces oil to compensate, and the excess grease attracts germs, and clogs pores, leading to acne. The second reason it’s bad is because it leads to an imbalance in the acid mantle of the skin, which leads to a pH imbalance that causes the amount of “bad bacteria” in the skin to increase, leading to infected pores—also known as pimples.
Why do beauty parlours use it so much?
After a facial, most of us tend to have a lot of residual creams and products on our skin, so astringents are used as a way to clean up the excess oil, scrubs, and masks which might be left on our skin.
Due to the myth that it “shrinks” pores, many also use it after hair removal to seal the open follicles left gaping after hair is uprooted.
Others also use astringent toners to “cool” down irritated skin owing to the tingly, cooling effect some astringents have.