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BE THE SKIN BHA+ Pore Zero Toner for combination skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

BE THE SKIN BHA+ Pore Zero Toner

Superior

  • SuperiorCombination Skin Fit
  • SuperiorEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

One of the best toners for combination skin.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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

  • Excellent suitability for your combination skin and oily shine concerns is provided by salicylic acid and willow bark extract, which effectively exfoliate and decongest pores. Citric acid further aids in refining skin texture and modulating pH, creating a balanced environment for your skin.
  • The inclusion of butylene glycol and glycerin ensures adequate hydration, preventing the over-exfoliation that can sometimes occur with potent actives.
  • This formula is safe for your skin, featuring soothing willow bark water and a complete absence of harsh or prohibited ingredients.

How to apply

  • Use your exfoliating toner during your PM routine. Start once a week and slowly build up if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply your exfoliating toner right after cleansing and before your favorite moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the exfoliating toner on clean and completely dry skin to get the best results for your combination skin.
  • Always avoid the sensitive eye area and wear daily SPF to protect your skin.

People Say

★4.6Overall rating based on 400+ reviews

Users with oily, combination, and acne-prone skin report that this toner effectively manages sebum and smooths skin texture without causing irritation. While many praise its ability to calm redness and gently exfoliate, some users with dehydrated or dry skin found it slightly stripping due to the alcohol content.

Highlights

  • Fast absorption Mostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs in seconds”
    • “watery and lightweight”
    • “no sticky feeling”
  • Gentle exfoliation Often Mentioned
    • “mild enough for daily use”
    • “didn't sting my sensitive skin”
    • “gentle exfoliation for dead skin”
  • Oil control Sometimes Noted
    • “controls oil well”
    • “less oily by midday”
    • “leaves a fresh matte finish”
  • Soothing & calming Sometimes Noted
    • “calms irritated skin”
    • “reduced redness around nose”
    • “soothing on acne”
  • Alcohol scent/content Sometimes Noted
    • “strong alcohol smell”
    • “contains alcohol high up in ingredients”
    • “smells a bit chemical”
  • Drying for some Rarely Noted
    • “left my skin feeling tight”
    • “not for dehydrated skin”
    • “felt a bit drying”
  • Purging phase Rarely Noted
    • “caused some purging at first”
    • “broke out in whiteheads initially”
    • “skin got worse before better”
  • Slow results Rarely Noted
    • “didn't see immediate change”
    • “slow results for blackheads”
    • “takes weeks to work”

Sources: lovi.care, stylekorean.com, yesstyle.com, betheskin.com, judge.me, skinsort.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes BE THE SKIN BHA+ Pore Zero Toner one of the best fits for combination skin?

This toner is one of the best fits for your combination skin because salicylic acid and willow bark extract effectively exfoliate and clear out pores to manage oily shine. Citric acid helps refine your skin texture while glycerin and butylene glycol provide enough hydration to prevent dryness. Soothing willow bark water makes the formula safe and gentle for your skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for combination skin?

Salicylic acid and willow bark extract make this toner a great fit by clearing out pores and managing oily shine on your combination skin. At the same time, glycerin and butylene glycol bring in steady hydration to help prevent any dryness from the exfoliating ingredients.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

What does Willow Bark Extract do for combination skin?

Willow bark extract helps balance combination skin by calming redness and smoothing out rough patches. It may also help manage oiliness and keep pores clear without causing irritation.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010

What does Willow Bark Water do for combination skin?

Willow Bark Water is a poor fit for combination skin because it lacks the lightweight hydration, gentle soothing agents, and balanced oil control needed to keep combination skin smooth and calm.

Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for combination skin?

This exfoliating toner goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before a treatment. Lovi routines start exfoliating steps once a week, and people who tolerate them well and see good results can carefully use them more often.

Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this toner with retinol by using them on alternate nights or separating them into different routines to avoid over-exfoliating your skin. Since this toner contains exfoliating acids, using them both at the same time may cause dryness or irritation.

How often should I use this toner?

Start using this exfoliating toner once a week in your evening routine, and if your combination skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often. Salicylic acid and willow bark extract help clear pores and smooth texture, while glycerin and butylene glycol provide hydration to prevent over-exfoliation.

Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?

This toner is unlikely to clog pores because salicylic acid and willow bark extract clear out congested pores on combination skin. A minor purging phase may occur at first since the active ingredients speed up skin renewal, though this risk is low.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol).

What the research says

  • Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021

  • A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • A 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, 2017

  • Bioactive lipid nanocarriers co-loaded with willow bark or ivy leaf extracts and UV-filters provided pronounced UVA photoprotection up to an SPF-equivalent value of 13 and a maximum in vivo skin hydration effect of 97% when prepared with pomegranate oil.

    Nanomaterials, 2022

  • A topical serum containing 0.5% salicin applied twice daily reduced visible signs of skin aging, including wrinkles and tactile roughness, in 30 female subjects over 12 weeks compared to baseline.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010

  • A novel emulsion containing niacinamide, lens esculenta seed extract, and white willow bark extract effectively improved acne, blackheads, and conspicuous facial pores in 30 subjects with oily skin.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.

    CMAJ, 2010

  • A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.

    BioMed Research International, 2020

  • Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • The 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, 2020

  • Ten 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, 2001

  • Niacinamide/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, 2012

Ingredients

Willow Bark Water Bark, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Citrate, Salicylic Acid, Citric Acid, Willow Bark Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Tromethamine, Glycolipids

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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How does it fit your skin?

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QR code: get the Lovi app
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