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Isntree Chestnut BHA 0.9% Clear Toner for dry skin

Caution

  • CautionDry Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • ConcerningSafety

A poor match for dry skin; the toners alongside fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 exfoliation for your dry skin due to Betaine Salicylate and Willow Bark Extract, which provide mild chemical exfoliation but may not be sufficient for significant dryness and could potentially lead to increased dryness.
  • While Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate are present to offer humectant action, their benefits are overshadowed by the keratolytic action of Betaine Salicylate, making the product unsuitable for your dry skin type.

How to apply

  • Use your exfoliating toner as part of your PM routine once a week to start. If your skin is happy, you can slowly use it more often.
  • Apply this exfoliating toner right after your cleanser and before your moisturizer. This keeps your skin care steps in the right order.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin with your hands. Let it soak in for a minute before the next step.
  • Put the exfoliating toner on clean and dry skin to help it work best. Avoid rubbing so your face stays calm and happy.
  • Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the sensitive eye area.

People Say

★4.6Overall rating based on 200+ reviews

This toner is highly recommended for sensitive, oily, and combination skin, offering gentle exfoliation without irritation. Users frequently report smoother skin texture and reduced oiliness. Some users find it too mild for stubborn blackheads.

Highlights

  • Controls oil Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin feeling less shiny by midday”
    • “cuts through excess sebum”
    • “controls oil and blackheads”
    • “normalizes sebum secretion”
  • Gentle exfoliation Often Mentioned
    • “gentle exfoliation without stinging”
    • “mild enough for sensitive skin”
    • “didn't cause any purging”
    • “no irritation or burning sensation”
  • Smoothes texture Often Mentioned
    • “smooths out rough skin texture”
    • “bumps on my skin decreased”
    • “face looks so nice and smooth”
    • “reduced closed comedones”
  • Hydrating finish Sometimes Noted
    • “doesn't dry out my skin”
    • “leaves a glow to the skin”
    • “hydrating and doesn't strip”
    • “absorbs quickly without stickiness”
  • Too mild / Slow Sometimes Noted
    • “didn't work on blackheads”
    • “requires something stronger”
    • “haven't noticed much difference yet”
    • “mild effects... overrated”
  • Scent Rarely Noted
    • “scent is pretty polarizing”
    • “smell is a bit noticeable”
    • “smells like night-time ingredients”
  • Tacky residue Rarely Noted
    • “slipperiness I couldn't get behind”
    • “leaves a matte finish”
  • Watery consistency Rarely Noted
    • “so watery it would slip through fingers”
    • “need to use a cotton round”
    • “hard to apply with hands”

Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, stylekorean.com, reddit.com, youtube.com, yesstyle.com, and more

Questions and answers

Why does Lovi advise caution with Isntree Chestnut BHA 0.9% Clear Toner for dry skin?

Lovi advises caution because this exfoliating toner may cause increased dryness since its exfoliating ingredients can overshadow its hydrating benefits. A product for dry skin needs gentle hydrating ingredients and soothing extracts to provide essential moisture and prevent irritation.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Which ingredients make this toner a poor fit for dry skin?

Betaine Salicylate and Willow Bark Extract make this toner a poor fit for dry skin because their peeling action may cause increased dryness. A product for this skin needs plenty of hydrating ingredients and soothing extracts to provide essential moisture and prevent irritation.

What does Bha do for dry skin?

BHA helps dry, flaking skin by gently clearing away dead buildup while improving moisture levels when paired with soothing hydrators like ceramides. Salicylic acid may help smooth rough patches, though dry skin types need to watch for irritation and support their skin barrier.

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2019

What does Chestnut Extract do for dry skin?

Chestnut extract helps dry skin by improving skin hydration and softness without clogging pores or changing your skin's natural balance. Using this ingredient may also smooth fine lines while keeping your skin feeling comfortable and calm.

Pharmaceutics, 2021

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

This exfoliating toner is a poor fit for dry skin because its acids may lead to increased dryness, so a dry skin routine needs hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate along with nourishing masks and rich moisturizers instead.

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

Using this toner with retinol on dry skin is unlikely to be a good idea because combining exfoliating acids and retinol may easily cause extra dryness and irritation. To care for dry skin, a product of this type needs gentle ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid to boost hydration, along with soothing plant extracts to keep the skin calm and comfortable.

How often should I use this toner?

This toner is a poor match for dry skin because its exfoliating ingredients may lead to increased dryness. To use it safely, your skin needs rich moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid alongside soothing care.

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

This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on dry skin, but its exfoliating ingredients may lead to increased dryness. Dry skin needs gentle hydrating ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid along with rich moisturizers to keep the skin soft and smooth without peeling.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • 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
  • Topical hyaluronic acid filler serum combined with Botulinum toxin type A lengthened the duration of the toxin's effect in reducing wrinkles compared to Botulinum toxin type A alone.

    Dermatologic Therapy, 2022
  • 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
  • Topical application of a cosmetic cleanser containing Diospyros kaki folium, Polygonum cuspidatum, and Castanea crenata var. dulcis extracts reduced skin oil content by 77.3%, pore number by 24.83%, and pore size by 71.43% in healthy volunteers compared to a control cleanser.

    Biomedical Reports, 2015
  • A Castanea sativa spiny burs extract-loaded topical emulsion improved skin hydration, skin elasticity, and reduced periorbital wrinkles in 30 days in healthy human volunteers compared to placebo without altering skin barrier function, sebum, pH, or erythema.

    Pharmaceutics, 2021
  • An antioxidant surfactant-free topical formulation containing Castanea sativa leaf extract demonstrated stable physical and microbiological properties, a release rate of 610 ± 70 µgh(-0.5), and a significant in vivo moisturizing effect lasting at least 4 hours.

    Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2015
  • Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
  • Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.

    Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022
  • Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.

    BMC Oral Health, 2019
  • 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
  • Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
  • Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
  • Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.

    Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000

Ingredients

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Xanthan Gum, Betaine Salicylate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Extract, Trehalose, Allantoin, Betaine, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Willow Bark Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Soy Isoflavones, Chestnut, Amt 100, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Codium Fragile Extract, Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract Lavender Flower Extract, Disodium Edta, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tromethamine

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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