Pixi Clarity Tonic – 2022 Review

This post will be reviewing the Pixi Clarity Tonic.

I’m sure many of us are familiar with the British brand; Pixi, which single-handedly popularized the use of exfoliating toners with their bestseller; Pixi Glow Tonic. Before then, you’ll probably not find any drugstore product with a decent percentage of Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs). So, kudos to Pixi.

On the other hand, they spearheaded an endemic of people exfoliating daily just because Pixi said so. Other brands that subsequently released exfoliating toners followed suit. The result now is many people going around with a damaged skin barrier from over-exfoliating. It’s important to note that it is absolutely unnecessary to exfoliate daily regardless of what a brand says. 2-3 times a week is fine and any more than that will simply cause you further skincare problems in the long run. At the end of the day, you should be a more intelligent consumer to realize that the more frequently you can buy a product, the more money for the brand.

While their flagship product became a global bestseller, unfortunately, it had fragrance which became a turn-off for several people with sensitive skin. Personally, I didn’t mind, but when I saw that the brand was releasing a new exfoliating toner that is essential oil and fragrance-free, I had to try it.

I’ve been using this product for over a month now, and I’m ready to talk about it.

First Impressions of the Pixi Clarity Tonic

According to Pixi;

Clarifying tonic with potent AHAs, Antioxidants, and balancing Probiotics helps to clear skin and minimise the appearance of pores.

Ingredient List

The first thing that jumped at me when I first saw this product was the ingredient list. I thought it was a great combination and an improvement from the Pixi Glow Tonic. Unfortunately, I did not consider the position and percentages of the exfoliants.

Before we move on, let’s see what the product is formulated with;

• Aloe Vera Juice
• Sodium PCA
• Glycolic Acid (which is probably around 5%)
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Salicylic Acid (which is probably around 1- 1.5%)
• Licorice Root Extract
• Willow Bark Extract
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (a Vitamin C derivative)
• Centella Asiatica Extract
• Lactic Acid (which is around 3-5%)
• inluding a bunch of probiotics.

On paper, this looks like a fantastic well-rounded balancing toner. But then its effectiveness will be based on your skin concerns and what you’re looking for in an exfoliating toner. As someone who has built a tolerance to actives over the years, this is a little too gentle for me. It reminds me so much of the Cosrx AHA BHA Toner. Then again, I understand where the brand is coming from. You don’t want to formulate a product that only caters to a few people. You want it to work across all skin types.

So, if you are new to actives or have sensitive skin and want something gentle to clarify your skin a few times a week, this might be the product for you. It has enough hydrating and soothing ingredients to buffer any potential irritation you’ll get from the AHAs and BHA.

Texture, Consistency & Packaging

This is a watery toner that sinks right into your skin on application. I prefer to apply it with my palm instead of a cotton pad as all that friction irritates my skin. I usually go in with one or two skins, and I’m good to go.

It is packaged in their transparent staple bottle with a hole at the tip that controls the amount of product you can use. This is a case of don’t fix what isn’t broken. As always, it comes in their usual sizes; 100ml and 250ml. I experiment too frequently with products to tie myself down to a 250ml size. So more often than not, I always go with the smaller size if it is available.

Price & Avalibility

Pixi has done well with its distribution so you’ll find their product in any major drugstore. But if you can’t find it anywhere close to you, you can always rely on Amazon.

Review of the Pixi Clarity Tonic

I’ve been using this product for about a month now, two to three times a week in my nighttime routine. I use it as the first step after cleansing before layering the rest of my hydrating and soothing products. I try not to use it with any other actives to test its effectiveness.

Performance

I use this toner when I notice some textural irregularities. I honestly don’t depend on it to treat my breakouts, so I just limit my expectations. At first, I started to break out, and I thought I was reacting to the probiotics, which are fermented ingredients, e.g. Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate and Radish Root Ferment Filtrate. So I stopped using it for a bit, but the breakouts didn’t disappear, so I concluded it wasn’t the probiotics. But then, my texture wasn’t clearing as much as I wanted it to. It was just too slow for my liking, even after using it consistently.

At that point, I decided to look at the ingredient list and discovered that Glycolic Acid is the eighth product on the ingredient list. This automatically confirmed my suspicions that it is not that strong. Imagine going from using a product with Glycolic Acid as the second ingredient to the eighth. I obviously won’t get the results that I want.

This is not to say that the product is terrible. It’s just not for me, and that is completely fine. This is a product for people who are new to skincare or just have sensitive skin and prefer to use actives from 5% and below.

Finally,

I’m glad that Pixi has improved that products over the years. It just goes to show that they actually listen to their customers. But unfortunately, the Pixi Clarity Tonic is a no for me and I will be using it on my body to exhaust it quickly. If it came in a spray or mist bottle, I probably would have considered exhausting it but it doesn’t which is a bit of a hassle for me.