Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner for oily acne-prone skin
Lavender Oil
Lavender Flower Extract
Glycerin
Saponins
Chlorphenesin
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other cleansing toners fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 hydration for your oily skin, with saponins and glycerin helping to decongest pores and soothe irritation. Lavandula angustifolia oil provides mild astringent properties beneficial for managing oiliness.
- The formula offers general skincare benefits that support your goals for acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and includes soothing lavender oil.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using your cleansing toner 3 times a week, and move to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply your cleansing toner after cleansing, and before using your moisturizer or SPF. This fits smoothly right into your daily skin care steps.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the cleansing toner into your skin. Avoid rubbing it and let it absorb for a minute before layering other products.
- Apply the cleansing toner on dry skin for better tolerance against blemishes and breakouts. Clean and dry skin helps the product work best for oily types.
- Avoid the eye area during application. Always do a patch test before your first use and pair with SPF in the morning.
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 oily acne-prone skin?
Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner works as an average fit for your oily acne-prone skin, offering moderate cleansing and hydration to help clear pores and calm irritation. Lavender oil and glycerin support your routine safely without harsh ingredients, though better-suited options for oily skin need effective blemish-fighting ingredients like glycolic acid, niacinamide, or aloe vera to better control oil and breakouts.
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin, saponins, and lavender oil make this toner a good fit by helping to clear out pores, calm irritation, and manage excess oil on your skin. To work even better for oily and acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs targeted ingredients like glycolic acid, aloe vera, niacinamide, or centella asiatica to deeply fight breakouts and balance oil without irritation.
What does Lavender Oil do for oily acne-prone skin?
Lavender oil may help soothe oily, acne-prone skin because it possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that target some causes of breakouts. However, since this type of skin can be sensitive to essential oils, a product of this type needs calming ingredients and gentle formulas to keep skin clear without causing irritation.
Molecules, 2023Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias, 2015
What does Lavender Flower Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Lavender Flower Extract helps calm oily, acne-prone skin by soothing redness and irritation while balancing excess oil. This ingredient may also help reduce the appearance of breakouts and keep your skin feeling fresh. Oily, acne-prone skin types often benefit from this extract combined with gentle cleansers and oil-free hydrators.
Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleansing toner goes in your evening routine as a secondary step after cleansing and makeup removal. To work best for oily acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide to more deeply target blemishes and control oil.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this toner with retinol by applying the toner first to clean skin and following with your retinol treatment once it dries. This product is unlikely to irritate your oily acne-prone skin, but to truly clear breakouts and manage oil, this skin type needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, or retinoids paired with oil-free hydration.
How often should I use this toner?
You can use this cleansing toner in your evening routine for oily acne-prone skin. Because other products fit your skin better, an ideal toner for this skin type needs ingredients that effectively clear pores and calm breakouts without causing irritation.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and uses soothing lavender oil. A product for this skin needs ingredients like glycerin and saponins to gently decongest pores and keep skin clear.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Plants, 2025
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
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, 2017Saponaria 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, 2025Polysaccharide-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, 2012Saponins 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, 2022Lycoperoside 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, 2025
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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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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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
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