At the heart of the Christian Dior Gentle Toning Lotion’s performance is the extract of the tender Velvet Peony flower, which is known for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.  For dry or sensitive skin, the alcohol-free Dior Gentle Toning Lotion removes any last traces of makeup and softens the skin, creating a supple and gently moisturized complexion ready for the application of your next step in skin care.

I decided to personally review the Dior Gentle Toning Lotion since I happen to have it stashed in my beauty arsenal. I bought the toner about six months ago but I generally only use it when my skin seems sensitive and it needs something gentle and soothing, and the product happens to smell wonderful. I’ve mentioned before that my sister used to work for Dior, and I’ve used their Capture Totale line in the past so I’m very familiar with the Dior line of skin care products.

Dior Gentle Toning Lotion Ingredients and How They Work

In researching Dior Gentle Toning Lotion reviews online, I was actually surprised with how many people said it caused them an allergic reaction or itchy skin, since it seems so gentle and calming when I use it.  However, it does have added fragrance which is more than likely the culprit. Let’s take a closer look at Dior Gentle Toning Lotion to see what else is in it and how effective the ingredients are for toning the skin.

The Dior Gentle Toning Lotion is alcohol free and the main ingredient is water so its no wonder that this product is well suited for dry or sensitive skin. There are three ingredients however, that top the list as being effective for soothing and moisturizing, which is peony flower extract, hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

• Velvet Peony Flower Extract – Known for it’s ability to sooth and nourish the skin while reducing inflammation, the velvet peony flower extract is a popular ingredient in the Dior cleansing lineup for sensitive skin. Velvet Peony is also the main ingredient in the Dior Gentle Cleansing Milk Cleanser and the Dior Gentle Foaming Cleanser. While it isn’t the velvet peony flower that gives the Dior Gentle Toning Lotion its appealing and delicate smell, it is the ingredient that helps to calm inflamed, irritated skin.
• Hyaluronic Acid – Perhaps playing the most significant role in any quality moisturizing cosmetic product, hyaluronic acid has an ability to deeply penetrate the skin with its small molecules and increase the skin’s ability to retain water.  It softens and restores elasticity to dry or sun damaged skin and is able to significantly reduce wrinkles by naturally plumping the skin at a cellular level. As we age, the amount of natural HA in the skin decreases, which contributes to the loss of moisture and elasticity in the skin which is a cause for wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid is formulated into many cosmetic products such as creams, lotions, serums, foundations and lip sticks.
• Glycerin – Glycerin is a humectant and extremely hygroscopic, meaning its able to absorb water from other sources.  Glycerin helps to moisturize the skin because of its ability to attract water from the environment and from the lower layers of skin (dermis) increasing the amount of water in the surface layers of skin. Since this reaction could actually dry out the skin (with moisture being released from the skin’s surface), glycerin is often combined with softening emollients or oils and is a fundamental combination in most moisturizers.

My Experience Using Dior Gentle Toning Lotion

I was browsing the cosmetics department of Nordstrom’s one day searching for a gentle toner when I saw my sister’s old manager at the Dior counter so I decided to say hello and see what she had to offer. I wasn’t looking for a toner with active ingredients such as glycolic, AHA’s, or anything specifically meant for treating wrinkles or anti-aging, in fact quite the contrary. I just wanted something very gentle and non-irritating, something that I could use to calm my skin if it felt inflamed or irritated, so she showed me the Dior Gentle Toning Lotion. It sort of has a smell that resembles rose water in that it has a light floral scent, except its softer, sweeter and smells much better.  The toner cost me $35 and I was soon on my way and excited to try it.

The Dior Gentle Toning Lotion works very well with my sensitive skin and I experience no irritations at all when I use it. It’s gentle, cooling and calming and leaves the skin supple and moisturized.  It doesn’t have that stripping effect like some harsh toners do with high alcohol contents, and it doesn’t cause me any redness. While I don’t use the Dior Gentle Toning Lotion everyday, I sometimes like to use it just to feel a little pampered or after I do a serious face mask.  It’s definitely a splurge product that does less in the way of anti-aging, and more in the way of making your skin feel calm. Sometimes, just using a product that feels good is enough for the day.

Pros and Cons of Dior Gentle Toning Lotion

Taking an inventory of the pros and cons of a product before you spend your hard earned money it is a wise idea, especially when it comes to products which I would consider a splurge rather than an anti-aging necessity.

Pros

• Gentle and made for dry or sensitive skin
• Alcohol free
• Very pleasant floral scent
• Contains soothing agents known for calming and moisturizing skin
• Can be purchased at your local department stores
• Feels calming to the skin

Cons

• Expensive, $35 for a 6.7 oz. bottle
• Contains added fragrance
• Many customer reviews reported that it caused skin irritation and/or itching

Recommendation and Where to Buy

My recommendation for the Dior Gentle Toning lotion is a simple one, if you can afford the splurge in order to have an “optional” toner in your beauty arsenal for when you just want something that smells good and is calming to the skin, then go for it.  However, if you’re on a tighter budget and you really need a toner that can battle signs of aging and actually work to reverse the signs of aging, then you need to look elsewhere for a product with more effective ingredients. But all in all, I do like the Dior Gentle Toning Lotion, as it’s very calming to my skin and it just feels good.

Read about our Top Recommended Toner with AHA’s

Have you used Dior’s Gentle Toning Lotion? Leave your review below!

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