Review: Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer

This is my FAVORITE toner at the moment. 21 years of research at Amore Pacific resulted in their “Cream Blending Technology” which is a two in one toner and moisturizer combo. There is an entire jar of cream blending into the bottle! Yet, the consistency is a water-like, opaque white fluid that pats right into skin seamlessly. I have normal to dry skin so my skin loved the creamy/dreamy-ness of the finish. The biggest criticism of the product is that it’s “sticky” or that it’s not actually enough to replace your moisturizer. Click through to read my final verdict!

What is it?

If you’re not familiar with what a toner is, it is the first step in your skincare routine after cleansing. The toner helps sets the pH level of your skin back to it’s happy, natural state at 5.5 pH. Toners also puts back moisture in skin and therefore helps your other products absorb better (serums, treatment, mask, cream, sleeping mask, facial oil). Having a good toner is sort of the foundational step in having a good skincare routine! This product claims that it will be your toner AND your cream however.

The key ingredient is White Tea Leaf Water which is full of amino acids that strengthen the skin barrier. The ingredient list is actually amazingly short. It is also free of parabens, phthalates, and mineral oil, and contains less than one percent of synthetic fragrances.

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl- 10 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propanediol, Disodium Edta, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol.

How to Use

You can use this 3 ways in my book:

1. Just dispense a few drops in the palm of your hands and dip two fingers into the small pool and start dabbing it all over your face. Once the pool in your palm reduces to about half, spread it onto rest of the clean fingers and then use both hands to pat the toner on your face.
2. Dispense the toner onto a cotton pad and dab all over your face. I find this a bit wasteful as you’re throwing out the pad that absorbed a lot of the toner! For a less wasteful approach, let the pads sit on your face like a mask for 2 minutes as recommended on the Laneige website.
3. My favorite way, put your toner into a spray bottle and mist all over your face for the easiest way to apply toner! You can buy travel sized ones in Muji, Daiso or Amazon. This super quick and you just pat the toner on your face.

Cream Skin Refiner vs Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer?

These are actually both the same thing. In Korea/Asia, Laneige released it as “Cream Skin Refiner” in a simple frosted glass bottle. In the United States, it was released as the Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer in a plastic bottle which I have. Both are the same formula. It was most likely changed in the U.S.A. so users understood it as a toner and moisturizer combination.

Rating: 4.8/5

The texture isn’t sticky to me, it’s more tacky so that the rest of your skincare routine can “attach” and absorb into your skin. This tackiness sort of goes away depending on what you’re using in your routine (if your serum is sticky, then your skin will obviously be sticky). There’s definitely a moisturized film over your skin when I wore this alone in the daytime. There’s a slip and almost oily feel to it but this is what’s giving your skin that dew factor so some people may not like this finish. I actually don’t like the dewiness so I wear this at night time and wake up to majorly plump and hydrated skin. It is so hydrated that I don’t need to wear it in the daytime. Under makeup, this actually helps your foundation blend seamlessly since your skin is so plump and moist. It works as a great primer.

Some points docked off because I don’t think it can actually replace a proper moisturizer in the fall or winter seasons. It will evaporate from harsh winds so putting a cream over it will help seal it all in. If we’re talking about warm spring or summer months, sure this will work as a light moisturizer!