The Body Shop Cucumber Freshening Water

My brother brought this Cucumber Freshening Water to me from The Body Shop. It was perfect timing too, because as soon as he arrived I ran out of my usual exfoliator, The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Exfoliator. Yes, yes, I'm in Japan, and I should have ran out to my local drug store and pick up some of their lotions (toners here are called lotion) or the more popular peeling gels. But hey, I also had my hands (and house) full with guests and didn't have time to shop around. So yeah, I made do with this Body Shop toner instead and have been using it for a few weeks now.

This Cucumber Freshening Water belongs to The Originals line of products, and along with this toner, I also bought a few other items, such as the Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel, Cucumber Cleansing Milk, and Ice Blue Shampoo. I will review these items as I get to them ^.^

I don't use toners very often at all, mostly because alcohol is usually one of the top 5 ingredients. My skin is not sensitive to alcohol, actually. That said, I do have combination dry skin and while the oily areas on my face aren't bothered by the alcohol, the dryer areas get even drier, to the point of my cheeks breaking out in small itchy bumps, a sure sign of irritation and severe dryness for me.

So in using this Cucumber Freshening Water means, I'm taking a huge risk as it does contain alcohol, the fifth ingredient, actually! Thankfully, it hasn't bothered my dry skin so far. And surprisingly, I can't smell any alcohol from it either, and all I smell is cucumber! Either way, I can't really give it any credit for exfoliation, because I think it was more the cotton ball that does the exfoliating :P My skin does look brighter afterwards, and my cheeks even have a nice sheen to them since all the dull/dead skin cells were removed. In all, this toner is okay, though I will probably try a Japanese toner/peeling gel after I finish this bottle.

The Body Shop Cucumber Freshening Water:

Water (Solvent/Diluent), Rosa Centifolia Flower Water (Natural Additive), Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier), Sodium PCA (Humectant), Alcohol Denat. (Solvent/Diluent), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) Juice (Natural Additive), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Fragrance (Fragrance), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Glycerin (Humectant), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract (Natural Additive), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Methylparaben (Preservative), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Butylparaben (Preservative), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Isobutylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative).

***List of ingredients from The Body Shop USA.