Some By Mi Retinol Bakuchiol Bubble Toner Review | Retinol for Oily Skin
Some By Mi is a traditional skincare brand that has created nourishing and botanical-rich formulas that broke all the first Korean skincare records. Their 30 Day Miracle Toner was the acne skincare toner globally and is still a longtime favourite due to its ability to soothe redness, refresh skin as well as hydrate. It seems Some By Mi has re-joined the toner game with their new Some By Mi Retinol Bakuchiol Bubble Toner. In a striking, purple bubblegum packaging, it comes with a large foam head to produce thick bubbles and promises to balance oily skin, improve texture and hydration and (most importantly) exfoliate oily skin well enough to help clear acne.
Retinol is a famous therapy for acne spots and oily skin, due to its ability to rapidly improve cell turnover. Where acne causes irritated spots due to a mixture of excess oils mixing with dead skin cells and clogging pores, retinol helps cut through and rapidly shed outer skin to reveal clearer and smoother skin underneath.
This new toner from Some By Mi not only contains retinol, but its more powerful derivative retinal. This is topped with bakuchiol, which is a more gentle and soothing molecule that mimics retinol. All this combines to create a low-dose, but synergistic punch of retinol that can be used in either a morning or evening routine.
But... Why Bubbles?
If you are all over K-Beauty trends, you may have noticed this new one. Bubbles! Bubble cleansers are old news now, but Korea has started adding the bubble format to everything! From Menokin starting the trend with their famous bubble mask treatments, to bubble serums and now bubble toners – this lightweight and fun way of adding skincare to your routine has kicked off a variety of brand new products in the last few months. It’s supposed to enhance delivery into skin, with a lighter layer and the bubbles help clear pores for a cleansing process (which enhances exfoliation in acne-care).
Importantly, it also breaks up the routine into a fun new texture, instead of layering thick serums on top of each other. So, is it worth picking yourself up a bubble toner? Let’s evaluate the effect on acne-prone skin to see if Some By Mi retains their crown of K-Beauty's best acne toner.
What's In The Bottle?
This refreshing bubble toner has been carefully formulated to be acne-friendly, but also hydrating to prevent any drying or burning effect. Hydrating agents are also clever in any retinol products, as by default retinoids can be drying to the skin.
Niacinamide: brightening vitamin B3 that helps reduce dark spots and even skin tone for a radiant glow.
Silverweed extract: cooling botanical extract that helps reduce redness, irritation and improves skin texture and health. Perfect for improving skin barrier repair and moisturizing cells.
Adenosine: refreshing and hydrating molecule that helps stimulate collagen production to firm and improve elasticity, for refreshed and youthful appearance.
Oat extract: powerful, soothing agent that reduces inflammation and redness in skin, whilst acting as a healthy prebiotic to improve natural skin flora and strengthen skin barrier.
Artichoke extract: vitamin-rich extract that helps reduce face puffiness, boost natural elasticity of skin and provide protection against environmental pollutants.
Green tea extract: deeply rich in antioxidants and healing agents, tea helps refresh skin cells and boost energy for reduction of fine lines.
Beta-Glucan: deeply moisturizing agent that helps cool irritation and provides stronger and long-lasting hydration for refreshed, bouncy skin.
Bakuchiol: plant-derived retinol that helps boost collagen, refresh fine lines, reduce pigment and help refresh the skin barrier (without the irritation of retinol).
Retinol/Retinal: when used in the right concentration, provides the ultimate balance to skin. Helps refresh dryness, balance oily skin, exfoliate dead skin cells and reduce pigment for a refreshed and smooth visage.
Soybean oil: rich in fatty acids, helps deeply moisturize and provides building blocks for cell repair and improved texture and shine.
Sodium hyaluronate: plumping agent that draws moisture into skin cells for boosted appearance, skin firmness and long-lasting hydration.
Allantoin: improves skin texture, healing and helps improve exfoliation of dead skin cells. This combined effect produces relief to irritated or inflamed skin.
Trehalose: powerful sugar molecule that seals skin barrier for improved moisture and deep, refreshing hydration. Works powerfully with sodium hyaluronate to push moisture deeper into cells.
Chamomile extract: powerful flower extract that helps heal damaged skin, itching, lesions and acne. Rich in antioxidants to protect skin cells against damaging agents into the future.
Borage plant extract: rich in phenols and GLA to improve skin barrier function and cell cycle for refreshed skin cells and protection for stronger barrier.
Cornflower extract: cools inflammation and irritation, whilst providing protection against UV damage. Inhibits inflammatory molecules for clearer, refreshed and healthier skin.
Lavender extract: rich, soothing extract that helps reduce acne-causing bacteria, reduce pore size and rich in antioxidants to promote skin healing. A perfect, healing extract for acne.
Who Should Avoid?
This toner is designed for oily skin first, with deep exfoliation – so it’s likely to be too drying for dry skin types (unless combined with a second toner). It also contains fragrance, so not to be used on sensitive skin (especially those sensitive to fragrance). The toner is ideal for acne-prone skin, oily skin types and dull skin/fine lines.
The Results
As a bubble product connoisseur, I love a good bubbly time. From trying out bubble masks, bubble serums and bubbling face treatments – this was actually my first bubble toner. I struggle with acne and was trying to find a good skincare balance to help refresh spots. Having used the previous Some By Mi toner (30 Days Miracle Toner), I had really great hopes for this one. Some By Mi creates high-quality and thoughtful products, so I was excited to add it to my routine.
Retinol is best used in the evening, as it increases exfoliation of dead skin cells and increases skin sensitivity to the sun. However, if you are being careful to wear a good sunscreen, this toner is light enough to be safe for morning use. I prefer using toners most in the morning, as I love a good morning cleanse to prepare for the day. This toner pumps out a light, bubbly foam which spreads easily and absorbs really well into the skin. It’s best to massage it in, to mechanically exfoliate away dead skin cells and reduce the risk of purging. How do I know? Well, initially I didn’t exfoliate well enough and the retinol caused a bout of new spots (which panicked me initially).
The purging lasted about a week of regular use, but with an increase of other exfoliators and being sure to massage well, it faded quickly. This toner is actually amazing when used directly after washing and drying your face, as massaging in circular motions causes a real deep exfoliation that you can feel. After two weeks of use, when I applied the toner dead skin cells would come rolling off easily and left my face clear and incredibly soft. When paired with a strong cleanser and a hydrating serum/moisturizer, this toner is a great addition to an acne care routine.
Just don’t start it close to an important event (or when you want to look your best) as the retinol combinations are at risk of purging. But the exfoliating power of this toner is amazing, I literally could feel my cells shedding away and it helped clear acne breakouts faster and the retinol level was low enough that there was zero irritation.
Final Thoughts
This bubble toner was a fun addition to my skincare routine, as well as truly effective. The retinol works well to help refresh acne-prone skin and improve spots (although you have to be careful of purging). I'd really recommend it for anyone with oily skin who is looking to add gentle retinol to their routine.
Want to look for more Some By Mi classics? Or check out the new Some By Mi Dual cream (which matches their refreshing toner). It's all on Arktastic!
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Want some more fun K-beauty reads? Check out our review of K-Beauty's fanciest eye patches. Or check out our guide to the top products for sensitive skin.
