Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner for sensitive skin
Lavender Oil
Lavender Flower Extract
Glycerin
Saponins
Chlorphenesin
Average
- SuperiorNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other cleansing toners fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate cleansing and soothing benefits for your redness and irritation, as saponins and polysorbate 20 help decongest gently while lavender oil and lavender flower extract provide mild anti-inflammatory effects suitable for normal skin.
- Glycerin and methyl gluceth-20 offer humectant action to maintain hydration, complementing the lavender extracts' soothing properties.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin, containing no harsh ingredients and including lavender oil and lavender flower extract for their calming properties.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using the cleansing toner 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the cleansing toner after cleansing and before your moisturizer or SPF. This step prepares your skin for the next products.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the cleansing toner into your skin and avoid rubbing. Let it ⏱absorb for a minute before the next step.
- Since your skin is sensitive, apply the cleansing toner on dry skin for better comfort. This helps reduce any redness and irritation.
- Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the eye area. Stop using it if your skin feels uncomfortable.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsThis alcohol-free toner is praised for purifying and hydrating combination skin, leaving it balanced, soft, and refreshed. Users frequently note its gentle, non-stripping properties and a refreshing lavender scent, with many appreciating its ability to enhance the absorption of subsequent skincare products. Some users find the lavender scent strong, and a few mention potential dryness for dry skin types.
Highlights
Gentle and non-stripping Often Mentioned
- “Feels incredibly gentle and instantly rebalances my skin's pH.”
- “Purifies without completely stripping my moisture barrier.”
- “Remarkably gentle, making it perfect even for my slightly sensitive skin.”
Refreshing scent Often Mentioned
- “The lavender scent is soothing and authentic.”
- “A delicate and refreshing scent.”
- “Smells absolutely incredible... made me feel like I'd just visited a spa.”
Convenient spray Sometimes Noted
- “The nozzle disperses a fine even mist.”
- “I love that it comes in a spray bottle!”
- “I always love a good toner mist.”
Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “Helped soften my skin texture and calms down any irritation.”
- “My skin is literally glowing and looking healthy.”
- “Leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft.”
Strong lavender scent Sometimes Noted
- “Lavender smell is strong!”
- “Heavily scented, so if you don't like lavender, I would probably avoid.”
- “Only so-so on the scent... my least favorite of the scents.”
Potential dryness Rarely Noted
- “Some users with dry skin said their skin became dryer with use.”
Spray bottle preference Rarely Noted
- “Only wish it was not a spray.”
- “I apply with the mist or unscrew the cap and use a cotton ball.”
Sources: lovi.care, elemis.com, lovelyskin.com, influenster.com, lemon8-app.com, thecharmingdetroiter.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner work for sensitive skin?
Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner offers moderate cleansing and calming benefits for sensitive skin, though other products fit it better. Sensitive skin needs gentle hydrating agents, soothing plant extracts, and an absence of potential irritants to maintain balance.
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin, saponins, lavender oil, and lavender flower extract make this toner a good fit for sensitive skin by offering gentle decongesting, soothing, and hydrating benefits. Glycerin helps maintain hydration, while lavender extracts and saponins provide mild anti-inflammatory action to calm redness and irritation. To fit sensitive skin even better, a cleansing toner of this type needs effective soothing ingredients, antioxidants, and hydrating agents without any associated risks of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Plants, 2025
What does Lavender Oil do for sensitive skin?
Lavender oil may help calm skin and add antioxidants, but it is also known to form strong allergens when exposed to air that may cause rashes or irritation in sensitive skin. A product for sensitive skin needs soothing ingredients and a very stable formula that avoids common fragrance allergens.
What does Lavender Flower Extract do for sensitive skin?
Lavender flower extract helps calm sensitive skin by reducing redness and soothing irritation while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause trouble and may help protect against everyday stress on the skin.
Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This toner goes after cleansing in both your morning and evening routines. It helps keep your skin calm and hydrated, though sensitive skin of this type needs products packed with extra soothing ingredients and gentle hydrators to truly thrive.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this toner with retinol by applying the toner first to damp skin, letting it dry, and then following with your retinol. Because your sensitive skin needs a milder touch, sensitive skin types of this kind often do better with products containing soothing plant extracts and barrier-strengthening ingredients like ceramides to keep skin calm and hydrated.
How often should I use this toner?
You can use this toner twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. It provides gentle cleansing and hydration, though sensitive skin needs a product loaded with extra-soothing plant extracts and barrier-strengthening ingredients for the best fit.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for sensitive skin because it uses gentle cleansers to clear congestion without heavy oils. However, sensitive skin tends to do better with a product that avoids added fragrances and includes barrier-repairing ingredients to fully prevent irritation.
Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (linalool, geraniol, parfum, and limonene).
What the research says
Saponaria officinalis callus extract suppressed inflammatory mediators in macrophages, showed no skin irritation in 30 volunteers, and significantly reduced desquamation by 44.07% in 21 participants, demonstrating significant anti-inflammatory and exfoliating effects.
Plants, 2025Saponins of Korean red ginseng protect the skin from particulate matter-induced damage by decreasing levels of reactive oxygen species, leptin, inflammatory cytokines, and melanin.
Nutrients, 2022A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Polysaccharide-based O/W emulsions incorporated with lavender essential oil applied to cellulosic support are non-irritating, provide softness and moisturizing effects, and are safe for topical patch applications.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2021Gellan gum hydrogel films co-encapsulating ofloxacin with tea tree or lavender oil achieved 98% wound contraction and completely healed epidermis in rats after ten days of treatment compared to baseline.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2021Topical application of lavender oil significantly promoted wound contraction, collagen synthesis, and fibroblast differentiation with up-regulation of TGF-beta in a rat model compared to control.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016Lavandula angustifolia leaf callus extract enhanced skin cell viability, reduced oxidative stress and melanin content, improved wound healing, and enhanced skin barrier function in human skin cells and clinical tests.
Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 2025Tea tree oil effectively treated acne while lavender and rosemary oils demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties in derma cosmetic applications based on an evaluation of various essential oils.
Frontiers in Medicine, 2025A blend of Lavandula angustifolia flower extract and dipeptide-4 reduced oxidative and glycation markers, enhanced ATP, SOD, autophagy, and melatonin production, and improved tissue morphology in human skin models and fibroblasts.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Lycoperoside H from tomato seeds improved epidermal dehydration by stimulating ceramide synthesis and increasing total stratum corneum ceramides by approximately 1.5-fold and ceramide (NP) by approximately 2-fold in reconstructed human epidermal keratinization models, while exhibiting anti-inflammatory effects in animal tests.
Molecules, 2021Total saponins of Panax notoginseng ameliorated sodium dodecyl sulfate-induced barrier impairment in a reconstructed human epidermis model by alleviating stratum corneum thickening, upregulating barrier-related proteins, and regulating a multi-pathway network involving lipid metabolism.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025Ginseng berry rare saponins protected human keratinocytes and mouse skin against UVB-induced photodamage and ferroptosis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathway.
Food Research International, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil Lavender Oil, Chlorphenesin, Linalool, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Saponins, Tromethamine, Geraniol, Parfum, Limonene, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract Lavender Flower Extract, Saponaria Officinalis Root Extract Leaf Sweet Betty Root Extract Leaf
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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