Perricone MD Intensive Pore Minimizing Toner for sensitive skin
Dmae
Salicylic Acid
Zinc Gluconate
Copper Complex
Tetrapeptide-21
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other products 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 pore minimizing benefits for your normal skin due to salicylic acid's keratolytic action and sodium hyaluronate's humectant properties, which help maintain skin balance.
- While generally safe for your sensitive skin, the inclusion of Alcohol Denat and fragrance may not fully address your redness and irritation concerns, as these can potentially exacerbate sensitivity.
- The product is formulated without harsh ingredients and contains soothing sodium hyaluronate, ensuring a low risk of irritation for your sensitive skin.
How to apply
- Use your toner in your AM and PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin feels fine.
- Apply the toner after your cleanser and right before your moisturizer or SPF .
- Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the toner into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Put the toner on slightly damp skin to help it absorb better, or on dry skin if your face feels extra sensitive.
- Do a patch test before your first use and always avoid the delicate eye area .
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 1.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with oily and combination skin frequently report that this toner effectively mattifies the complexion and visibly tightens enlarged pores, leaving skin feeling "squeaky clean" and smoother. While many praise its ability to control excess oil and refine texture, a notable subset of users finds the scent overpowering and the formula potentially drying or irritating for sensitive skin types.
Highlights
Controls oil Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs and controls visible excess oil”
- “leaves skin looking matte, refreshed and radiant”
- “skin is less oily”
- “keeps skin matte and fresh all day”
Shrinks pores Often Mentioned
- “pores are barely visible even in my magnifying mirror”
- “definitely makes my pores look smaller”
- “large pores on the bulb are barely visible”
- “helped to kind of shrink the pore size a little bit”
Strong scent Often Mentioned
- “smell reminds me of a summer camp bathroom”
- “strong, powdery, and just off”
- “didn't give it 5 stars because it has a strong smell”
- “slight odor that's not that great”
Deep cleanses Sometimes Noted
- “pulls make up and/or dirt... out of my skin”
- “gets your face squeaky clean”
- “rids skin of residue, excess oil and build-up”
- “gets all the gunk out of my pores”
Smoothes texture Sometimes Noted
- “left my skin with a slightly smoother texture”
- “made the texture of my skin a lot smoother”
- “skin feels radiant and revitalised”
- “smoother, more refined visage”
Drying or irritating Sometimes Noted
- “too drying for my skin”
- “began to get red dry patches”
- “skin broke out and reacted poorly”
- “dries out my skin”
High price Rarely Noted
- “pricey for a toner don't think it's worth it”
- “not worth the price”
- “expensive so I kept at it”
No results Rarely Noted
- “pores remained the same”
- “haven't seen a difference in my pores”
- “didn't feel clean-no benefits”
Sources: lovi.care, perriconemd.com, macys.com, lookfantastic.com, lovelyskin.com, skincareessentials.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Perricone MD Intensive Pore Minimizing Toner work for sensitive skin?
This toner works moderately well for sensitive skin, but it contains alcohol and fragrance that may potentially make redness worse. A product of this type needs soothing ingredients like Niacinamide, glycerin, and hydrating agents to calm irritation and keep skin balanced.
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid and sodium hyaluronate help keep your skin balanced, while soothing ingredients and the absence of harsh components help keep the risk of irritation low. However, this toner needs soothing ingredients like niacinamide and glycerin to better calm redness and irritation on sensitive skin.
What does DMAE do for sensitive skin?
What does Salicylic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid may cause irritation on sensitive skin, so it requires careful use and good sun protection to keep skin comfortable. A product for this skin type needs gentle, soothing ingredients and a mild formula that respects the skin barrier.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999International Journal of Toxicology, 2003
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This toner goes after cleansing in both your morning and evening skincare routines. For sensitive skin, a product of this type needs calming ingredients and zero alcohol or fragrance to keep the skin comfortable and smooth.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this toner with retinol by applying the toner first and waiting for it to dry before putting on your retinol. However, because this toner contains alcohol and fragrance, it may occasionally sting or dry out sensitive skin when paired with strong treatments. Sensitive skin often does better with alcohol-free formulas that focus on soothing and repairing the skin barrier.
How often should I use it?
Start using this toner once a week to see how your sensitive skin handles it, and if it feels comfortable without redness, you may carefully use it more often. A toner for this skin needs gentle balancing ingredients that keep pores clear while soothing irritation and avoiding alcohol or fragrance.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts because it contains salicylic acid, which helps clear out pores, but it may cause dryness or irritation for sensitive skin due to alcohol denat and fragrance. Sensitive skin needs products with calming ingredients and no added fragrance or heavy alcohol to keep skin calm and smooth.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (parfum, limonene, and linalool) and drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
Daily application of 3% DMAE facial gel for 16 weeks safely and efficaciously mitigates forehead lines and periorbital fine wrinkles, improves lip shape and fullness and overall aging skin appearance, and increases skin firmness compared to placebo.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2005A gel containing 3% 2-dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) increased skin firmness, demonstrated by increased shear wave velocity in 30 volunteers compared to a formulation without DMAE.
Skin Research and Technology, 2002A DMAE-based formulation increased dermal and collagen fiber thickness in hairless mice and enhanced stratum corneum water content in human forearm skin compared to control formulations, without significantly modifying mechanical properties.
Die Pharmazie, 2009Cryotherapy 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, 2010A 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, 2020Treatment 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, 2024A dermocosmetic cream containing Punica granatum Pericarp extract, Salicylic acid, Niacinamide, Zinc gluconate, and Aqua Posae Filiformis significantly decreased inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesion counts in subjects with mild to moderate acne compared to untreated hemi-faces after 15 days.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026Daily use of a deep cleansing gel containing salicylic acid 2%, zinc gluconate 0.2% and lipohydroxy acid 0.05% significantly reduced total lesion count by 56.3% after 84 days in 35 subjects with mild to moderate truncal acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2023Different strains of Propionibacterium acnes modulate cutaneous innate immunity with varying pro-inflammatory potentials, with P. acnes type III showing the highest and P. avidum the weakest, and zinc gluconate down-regulates the expression of most induced immune markers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2013The combination of Thermus thermophilus and Bacillus subtilis mixed-culture ferment extract and copper tripeptide-1 GHK-Cu reduced inflammatory cytokines, protected skin explants from UV-induced damage, and improved wrinkles and skin barrier conditions compared to individual components or controls.
Skin Research and Technology, 2026Zinc gluconate induced alpha2, alpha3, alphaV, and alpha6 integrins, copper gluconate induced alpha2, alpha6, and beta1, and manganese gluconate induced most studied integrins in cultured keratinocytes.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999Copper-quercetin complex polycaprolactone nanoparticles exhibited sustained release, antioxidant activity, and a threefold increase in antibacterial efficacy without causing skin irritation in rats.
Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2023
Why other products fit sensitive skin better
Camellia japonica placenta extract treatment upregulated hair growth marker genes in human follicle dermal papilla cells in vitro and improved scalp moisture, sebum, keratin, and erythema in 42 adult female participants in vivo.
FEBS Open Bio, 2021
Ingredients
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethyl Mea, Tetrapeptide-21, Zinc Gluconate, Magnesium Aspartate, Acetyl Tyrosine, Salicylic Acid, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool
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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