Evaluation of Your Current Formula

Your formula contains several excellent ingredients for addressing oily and acne-prone skin concerns:

• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride): At 3%, this is within the recommended range for its key benefits of controlling skin oiliness and helping to tighten pores, particularly effective on oily skin. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Licorice Extract (Licochalcone A): At 1%, this is within the recommended range (0.5-1%) for reducing skin inflammation, redness from acne, irritation, and oiliness.
• Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide): At 5%, this is the recommended concentration for significant benefits, including reducing oiliness, improving pore appearance, reducing redness and hyperpigmentation, strengthening the skin barrier, and providing anti-inflammatory effects.
• Aloe Vera Gel (Heavy): As the base at 90%, this provides essential hydration for oily skin without being heavy or oily. It also contains Vitamin B5 and Allantoin, which help moisturize, soothe, and reduce irritation.

These ingredients work synergistically to target oil production, reduce inflammation and redness associated with acne, improve the appearance of pores (by controlling oil), and provide necessary hydration.

Regarding Nano Silver, its primary function is antimicrobial. While this can be beneficial for acne-prone skin, the compatibility of Nano Silver (especially colloidal types which prefer a higher pH of 6-12) with other ingredients like Vitamin B6 (stable at pH 2-6) and the likely pH of the Aloe Vera base (often lower) can be challenging. The other active ingredients (B6, Licorice, Niacinamide) are the main drivers for addressing your specific concerns of oiliness, redness, pores, and acne inflammation.

Sufficiency as a single product: For very oily skin, this formula provides a good balance of oil control, anti-inflammatory, and hydrating ingredients in a light gel base. Using this formula alone morning and evening after cleansing should be sufficient to manage your skin concerns and provide adequate moisture without feeling heavy.

Toner Recommendation

Adding a toner to your routine can provide additional benefits, especially for further oil control, pore refinement, and gentle exfoliation to help with clogged pores.

Here is a recommended toner concept for your skin type:

• Witch Hazel (Distillate - Alcohol Free): This natural astringent helps to tighten pores and reduce excess oil on the skin's surface. Using an alcohol-free distillate is important to avoid dryness and irritation.
• SalicSoft® (Betaine Salicylate): This is a water-soluble form of BHA (Salicylic Acid) that provides gentle exfoliation within the pores, helping to dissolve oil and debris and improve clogged pores. It is known to be less irritating than traditional Salicylic Acid.
• Tea Tree Water: This provides mild antimicrobial properties that can help in managing acne-causing bacteria.

Conceptual Toner Formula:

• Witch Hazel (Distillate - Alcohol Free): 60-70%
• SalicSoft® (Betaine Salicylate): 2-4%
• Tea Tree Water: 10-20%
• Purified Water: Balance to 100%
• Preservative: As needed (Tea Tree Water contains a preservative, but depending on the total water content and other ingredients, an additional preservative might be required for stability).

Mixing Notes for Toner:

Mix the Witch Hazel, Tea Tree Water, and Purified Water. Add the SalicSoft® powder. SalicSoft® requires the pH to be adjusted to the range of 3.8-4.2 using Triethanolamine to fully dissolve. Add Triethanolamine drop by drop while stirring and checking the pH until it is within the target range and the SalicSoft® is dissolved. Add any additional preservative if necessary.