I used to think toner was just fancy water for people with too much time. Then my T-zone started producing enough oil to fry an egg by noon.
So I caved. Spent 30 days testing UpCircle‘s Face Toner with Orange & Chamomile. The premise? Stop stripping your skin and it’ll stop fighting back. Counterintuitive. And honestly? It worked.
🧴 **What Even Is This Thing**
£12.99 for 100ml. UpCircle claims their toner balances oil without alcohol — the stuff in most “mattifying” toners that actually makes you oilier over time. Two things sold me: it’s made from repurposed coffee cherry pulp (zero waste flex) and it’s actually pH-balanced. Not just marketing speak.
1. **No alcohol** — Uses witch hazel distillate instead. Less stripping, still clarifying.
2. **Spray, not splash** — Misting means no cotton pad friction. Less waste, less irritation.
3. **Citrus that doesn’t burn** — Orange oil is in there but it’s low enough that my reactive skin didn’t scream.
Photo: Chandra Oh / Unsplash
🔬 **Ingredients That Actually Do Something**
Three active ingredients doing the heavy lifting. No filler nonsense.
- Orange Peel Oil: Natural astringent that lightly tightens pores without drying
- Chamomile: Calms the redness other citrus products cause
- Witch Hazel: Distillate version (not alcohol-heavy extract) tightens without stripping
- Glycerin: Holds hydration in so your skin doesn’t overcompensate with oil
Photo: Egor Komarov / Unsplash
📊 **The 30-Day Reality Check**
Texture is watery — obviously — but it dries in about 8 seconds. That’s not an exaggeration. I timed it. First week: felt nice, nothing dramatic. Week two: my forehead stopped looking like a glazed donut by 3pm. Week three: I ran out and used my old drugstore toner for two days. Bad idea. Pores looked larger, oil came roaring back. The control test I didn’t plan.
💡 *Spray directly onto damp skin after washing — the water helps it spread evenly. Dry skin? You’ll waste half the mist.*
💡 **Who Should Actually Buy This**
Your oil isn’t the enemy. Your stripping routine is. This toner works because it’s gentle enough to use twice daily without wrecking your barrier.
✅ **Buy if** — You have combo-oily skin that’s reactive. You want to stop the 3pm shine without powdering.
⏭️ **Skip if** — You’re deeply clogged and need salicylic acid. This won’t unclog blackheads alone.
💰 **Worth it?** — For £13, yes. It outlasted my £30 Caudalie by weeks.
⚖️ **Final Call**
Best toner for oily skin? If your definition of “best” means “actually fixes the root cause instead of nuking your face,” then yes. It’s not flashy — it’s smart.
8.1/10 — The gentle reset your oiliness needs
🛍️ **Buy direct from UpCircle** — they do a travel size for £6 if you’re skeptical. I’d start there.