As far as facial toners go, I love Pangea Organics’ French Rosemary w/Sweet Orange. Like, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that product. But my local Whole Foods doesn’t keep it in stock and every so often, the price of $23.00 + shipping is not in my budget. When this happens, I turn to Thayers alcohol-free rose petal witch hazel toner. It is $9.95 a bottle and thankfully, Whole Foods keeps it in stock.
Witch hazel is another one of those superhero herbs:
Witch Hazel (hamamelis virginiana) is found in damp, open woods and along stream banks from Nova Scotia east to Minnesota and south to Georgia. It is a deciduous spreading shrub or small tree with a smooth gray/brown bark. Its astringent properties are extracted from its bark, leaves and twigs. The natural astringent tannins reduce inflammation and stem bleeding. Native Peoples applied witch hazel poultices to ease swelling and ulcers. Herbalists consider witch hazel an excellent remedy for hemorrhoids and varicose veins, as well as cuts and bruises.
Those natural astringent properties make it an excellent facial toner. And since Thayers witch hazel extract (derived from the bark) is not distilled, it maintains all of the beneficial natural tannins. Their rose petal and other alcohol-free toners are even better for delicate facial skin since alcohol is very drying. The story behind Thayers rose petal witch hazel is found on the bottle’s label:
Over 120 years ago, Rose Thayer, niece of Henry Thayer M.D., developed an all natural recipe for extra soft, youthful looking skin. As she aged, many would comment on how she always looked 10 years younger than she was. Now, for the first time, her secret formula of rose petal water blended with witch hazel extract, certified organic aloe vera, and vitamin E is being made available.
This isn’t the first time I’ve read about the anti-aging benefits of rose extract. To be honest, rose is not my first aroma choice (unless my husband gives me a dozen roses, which is fine by me), but the scent of Thayers rose petal witch hazel is not overpowering and smells softly authentic. Nonetheless, I was worried that the rose fragrance was artificial, so I sent Thayers an e-mail. I quickly heard back from JoAnn with good news: their rose fragrance is derived from rose petals and nothing else. See? Fragrances can easily be real, and good for our health.
The rose petal toner link above could be troubling, too, since it lists propylene glycol and methylparaben (0.10%) within the ingredients. The bottle I purchased from Whole Foods does not list those ingredients at all, and the label actually makes me pretty happy:
Purified water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice (certified organic filet of aloe vera), glycerin (vegetable), fragrance (natural rose), hamamelis virginiana (Thayers proprietary undistilled witch hazel) extract, rosa centifolia (rose) flower water, citric acid, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, tocopheryl (vitamin E) acetate.
JoAnn also shared that all of their alcohol-free witch hazel toners will soon be paraben-free and propylene glycol-free. This includes their new cucumber witch hazel which will be on the market around March 17th. It is refreshing to see a company (with a 120 year old formula) discover that they don’t need parabens, and therefore strive to eliminate that nasty ingredient from their product line.
Dear Whole Foods, please stock the cucumber formula in all of your stores. I do want to keep Thayers witch hazel in my medicine cabinet, in a variety of scents. Thank you.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
maria 05.31.08 at 11:56 am
Nice review…I just purchased it, been using it only for 2 days, and so far love it, but wanted to make sure. Thanks for taking the time to inform others.
maria 05.31.08 at 11:59 am
Oh, and mine doesn’t contain the parabens or glycol. Thank goodness. It feels wonderful on the skin is all I can say.
Jenni 06.02.08 at 4:40 pm
Thanks, Maria! I’m glad you like it as much as I do.
John Gehr 06.10.08 at 12:31 pm
Hello Jenni,
I own THAYERS® with my mother, Karen. I came across your wonderful review and wanted to say, “THANK YOU!”. I also wanted to clarify a couple of things. THAYERS® is no longer producing toners with parabens or glycol (YEAH!). There may be a few bottles still on the shelves, so look at the label before purchasing. Also, I wanted to clarify the source of our Natural Rose Petal Fragrance. The aroma is derived from several plant sources, not just rose petals [the rose water is derived from only the Rose (rosa centifolia) flower]. Typically, an aroma would be listed as an essential oil if it is derived from a single variety of flower. Have a great day! Best regards, John
Jenni 06.11.08 at 10:24 am
Thanks for the updates, John!
verumprimoris 07.20.08 at 10:17 am
So if it doesn’t have alcohol (that’s how witchhazel is extracted) and it isn’t stabilized with parabens (from blueberries) or rose ether or benzoin, what IS in that witchhazel? I think someone’s not revealing everything — and playing the scaretactic game with their ingredients.
Renee Mills 07.28.08 at 8:21 pm
Wow. I like this product and was not scared into it. Cosmetic witch hazel is obtained by steaming the twigs of the shrub. (hydrosols)
Methylparaben IS found naturally in blueberries.
Too bad all commercially used parabens are synthetically produced by the esterification of para-hydroxybenzoic acid. There is still quite a scientific debate on weather the estrogenic effects increase the risk of cancer or if it is just found in tumors. Thats a personal choice until proven otherwise. Took a while for the tobaccco companys to agree that their products cause cancer too… I’m glad Thayers found a way not to use these controversial ingredients. Balances out for the retinol complex I smear on my face every night!! (so I tell myself)..
Looking forward to trying the new cucumber product!
connie 10.30.08 at 5:44 pm
i wish thayers make facial moisturizer and cleanser !