Formulating a Pore-Tightening and Exfoliating Toner

You're looking to create a toner using Encapsulated Salicylic Acid, Witch Hazel (Alcohol Free) Plus Allantoin, and Aloe Vera Extract, using Witch Hazel as the base. While these ingredients are suitable for the intended purpose, simply mixing them together is not sufficient to create a stable, effective, and safe product.

Here's why and what you need to consider:

1. Incorrect Salicylic Acid Type: The specific product you mentioned, Encapsulated Salicylic Acid (Liquid, Timed-Release, Wash-Off), is explicitly designed for products that are rinsed off the skin, such as cleansers. It is not suitable for a leave-on toner. For a toner, you would need a Salicylic Acid product intended for leave-on applications, such as a water-soluble or leave-on encapsulated type.

2. Proper Proportions are Crucial: As the reply you received highlighted, calculating the correct proportions is essential. Each ingredient has recommended usage rates for safety and efficacy. Using too much or too little of any ingredient can lead to poor results or potential skin irritation.

3. Ingredient Compatibility: You need to ensure the ingredients are compatible when mixed. For example, the description for the wash-off Encapsulated Salicylic Acid notes incompatibility with Aloe Vera Gel, and Aloe Vera Extract can act as an electrolyte that might affect formulation stability. While you are using Aloe Vera Extract, not gel, testing for compatibility is important when combining ingredients, especially different raw material types.

4. pH Considerations: Salicylic Acid's effectiveness as an exfoliant is often dependent on the final product's pH. While encapsulated forms might differ, the overall pH of your toner needs to be within a range that is both effective for exfoliation (if applicable to the leave-on type you choose) and safe for the skin. Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera Extract have their own pH values that will influence the final mixture's pH.

5. Preservation: Combining water-based ingredients like Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera Extract requires a proper preservative system to prevent microbial growth. The ingredients you listed contain different preservatives (Benzoic Acid in Witch Hazel, Phenoxyethanol in the others), and you need to ensure the final formulation is adequately preserved.

6. Stability: A properly formulated product will remain stable over time, meaning it won't separate, change color, or lose efficacy.

Using Witch Hazel (Alcohol Free, Paraben Free) Plus Allantoin as the base is possible, as it is commonly used in toners and has a suitable pH range. However, it replaces the water phase, and its concentration (recommended 10-100% for this product, >50% for toner) must be factored into the overall formula percentages.

In summary, while the ingredients are relevant to your goal, you cannot simply mix them. You need to select the correct type of Salicylic Acid for a leave-on product and develop a proper formulation that considers the correct usage rates, ingredient compatibility, pH, preservation, and stability.