Toun28 has been a brand I’ve been itching to try ever since I spotted them on the internet 3 years ago.ย At the time, they were still under the subscription service model in which you were sent customized products according to your skin needs with the change in weather in mind as well.ย Products were sent to your doorstep and there were no brick-and-mortar stores for you to step into.ย The brand to me was one of those hard-to-get brands at the time, so I kind of forgot about it and moved on to trying other brands.
Nowadays, it seems like, with the backing of Amorepacific, Toun28 has grown out of the subscription model and is able to get the chance to grow internationally as well.ย Jolse, my go to online store for all things K-beauty, has since started carrying select products from the brand!!ย Although it isn’t all of the bar soaps I wanted to try, there are so many gems for you to discover!ย Let’s get into it.
Who is Toun28?
“We don’t care about the environment.
We act for the environment.”
When it comes to choosing the right brand to trust through the immense greenwashing happening to the beauty space, who do you choose to believe?ย Instead of riding the 2016 start of the green-washing craze, Toun28 wanted to truly make a difference with their brand and not just label “we are paper” bottles (cough cough Innisfree, I’m talking about you).ย In the same year 2016, Toun28 created the world’s first fully paper packaging (Registration No. 19-3-2-37-45).
“I already recycle my plastic containers that house my beauty products.ย Why should I switch to solely paper packaging?”ย If you look deeper into your local recycling system, you’ll actually find a lot of plastics can’t actually be recycled and still end up in landfill.ย There are certain plastics which has a specific symbol on the container which are accepted into the recycling programs.ย On top of that, the majority of beauty products don’t only use just plastic but mixed materials like rubber and metal, which need to be fully separated.ย Truly, no consumer will really take the time to take everything apart to recycle, am I right?
Working as a skinfluencer/ influencer with PR coming in my mail on a daily basis, I’ve become much more aware of what I accept now since I really do take the time to clean every container out, every cardboard box, and every piece of tape I have to rip off the boxes for it to be recyclable.ย So yes, packaging now is something I’m trying to be more conscious of.
Although Toun28 isn’t fully paper just yet (they still use 4.1 g of plastic per paper packaging), they are still striving to be fully plastic-free in the future.
To recycle your Toun28 paper products, you simply cut off the plastic cap, rinse it and recycle the paper bag, plastic cap, and tin lid.
On top of the paper packaging movement, Toun28 started, they are also known for their bar soaps and treatment bars.ย Not only do soap bars save the planet from more plastic bottles being produced, they are also 10 times more effective, travel friendly, and have no preservatives too!
And since Toun28 doesn’t have to worry about packaging, their budget could be allocated to fresher ingredients directly from the farm!ย Like how they said, “…the first thing Toun28 did after founding the company was not a marketing team, but a research institute and farm establishment.”
I actually remember seeing Toun28 in its beginning stages looking more like this with their paper packaging and leather accents. They started off as a customized subscription base business model.ย With founders Jung who has a background in cosmetic material research institute Bio Spectrum and Park Jun-su who use to work at the LG electronics data division, I’m not surprised they have successfully built a cult following and even have been backed up by the likes of Amorepacific.
Toun28 is also registered under the Vegan Society with 20 products from the brand that does not include any animal-derived ingredients.ย That means there is no use of meat, fish, honey, eggs, and dairy products.
Full name of product:
Toun28 pH balancing toner
Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent
Description of product:
“Skin Ph Level is increased after cleansing especially when you use strong acidic cleaners. Like skinโs natural Ph level, pH 5.5 to 6.5 โ slightly acidic, prepping the skin is important to keep it balanced to protect the skin from stripping of its natural barrier. If youโre still suffering from cleansers stripping the skin, start TOUN28 pH Balancing Toner!
With clean FDA-certified sun salt, it makes the face line smooth and washes off the old dead skin cells.
Allergen-free, Natural Origin, Cruelty-free, Vegan
100% Natural Origin, 50% Organic Hibiscus Flower Water”
Price:
100 mL for 14,000 won/ $10.04 usd
250 mL for 28,700 won/ $20.58 usd
Amount of product:
100 mL or 250 mL
Duration before expiration:
6 months after opening
2 years if not opened
Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea
Animal testing?:
Cruelty-free, vegan
Where to buy:
Jolse
Ingredients:
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Water, Aqua, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine, Sodium Pca, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
-Organic Hibiscus Flower extract that is enriched in Anthocyanin and Vitamin C to deliver rich nutrients to the skin.
-Contains sun salt that has passed the purity test and was verified by FDA that helps refine the skin texture for smoother skin.
What’s good for your skin:
50% Hibiscus water – antioxidants
Betaine – balances skin hydration
Sodium PCA – moisturizer, helps the skin to hold on to water
Allantoin – soothing, healing
Panthenol VB5 – prevents TEWL, humectant, barrier repair, wound healing
Zinc PCA – antibacterial, humectant HA
*All ingredients are organic.*
How to use:
After cleansing, simply either take a cotton pad to apply this toner or pat it on your face with your palms.ย Continue on with your serums/ essence/ ampoules and finish off with your desired moisturizer to seal everything in.
Product packaging:
Can we please take a second to admire the attention to detail Toun28 has for all their products?ย If I’m not mistaken, their packaging is printed with soy ink and the box is made with sugar cane fibers!ย There was also no plastic sticker to seal it either.
The size I got for my Toun28 pH balancing toner is the smaller 100 mL one.ย When I first got it, I was a bit surprised to see the bottle was somewhat small.ย However, considering the ingredients are organic and the price point of $15 USD isn’t too expensive for what it is, I think it’s still in the affordable range.
The one thing I do find annoying is the loose tag for the labeling.ย If you don’t read Hangul and only English, all the English is on the loose tag.ย So even if you want to rip it off for convenience, you’re going to lose all that information.ย I’ve since learned to deal with it and still haven’t just got a piece of tape to tape it down LOL.
The bottle is a tinted brown glass bottle, which I’m guessing the brand chose for its UV protection.ย The cap is tin, which is relatively easy to recycle, while the stopper inside is plastic.ย This glass bottle can easily be reused for something else in the future, which I’m kind of oddly excited about.ย Heck, it would be a good propagation bottle for my little plants.ย Yes, I became a covid plant lady okay… sheesh.ย Nothing else to live for in this world these days.
Texture/ Finish:
The ingredient list is relatively compact, with only 13 ingredients in the formula.ย No wonder this toner only lasts 6 months after opening.ย I personally didn’t know what to expect, but I did know this is one of the top best sellers and very highly rated amongst the Korean public.ย Of course, I had to try it out!
One of the ingredients that instantly sold me to this toner was the use of amino acids.ย Without fail, amino acids always seem to have the ability to plump up my skin and inject intense amounts of hydration. Allantoin is great for healing the skin while panthenol also works in synergy with an amino acid to keep the moisture in and heal the skin barrier.
This toner has a gorgeous watery yet emollient texture on the skin.ย I’m guessing the use of glycerin also has a huge part in the texture.ย When you first apply this toner on the skin, it feels watery and similar to every other toner I’ve tried in the past.
Once it sinks into your skin though, it immediately softens, hydrates, and gives your skin this gorgeous glow.ย It is so easy to layer my serums and moisturizers on afterward.ย This toner is truly a dream, and can easily be used by people with super sensitive skin too!
Pictures will never do this toner justice.ย Who knew just 13 ingredients that are not only fully vegan, cruelty-free, and organic could have such an amazing effect on the skin.
Fragrance?:
No scent detected
Pro:
-vegan, cruelty-free
-organic
-texture is emollient
-super hydrating
-plumping effects
-soothing and repairing
Con:
Honestly, I have absolutely no complaints.
Repurchase?:
Heck yes!ย I’m considering getting the larger version.
Stars given out of 5:
????????????????
Overall thoughts:
I am super impressed by this 13-ingredient toner that just so happens to be vegan and cruelty-free as well. No offense to the past vegan products I’ve tried, but I’ve found many of them to not be as effective as the regular products I used.ย I haven’t fully given up on vegan skincare, however, Toun28 has definitely stepped it up and shown that you can create effective and amazing products with the right formula and high-quality ingredients.
Overall I’m super happy with this toner and will easily recommend anyone and everyone try it.ย I personally have dry skin and my skin loved this toner.ย I can really see everyone being able to use this toner since it isn’t too heavy, but still hydrating and gorgeous. If you have another skin type than me and have tried this, do let me know your experience.
*PR sample
