Then I Met You’s Birch Milk Refining Toner is a hydrating and lightly exfoliating toner designed to refine pores, brighten and smooth the skin. Then I Met You is a skincare line founded by Charlotte Cho (@charlottejcho), who is also the founder and curator of Soko Glam. I have purchased and tried almost every single product from Then I Met You and am admittedly a fan of the brand! There isn’t a product that I’ve tried so far that hasn’t delivered effective results and the luxurious experience it promises.
My Overall Experience
9.5/10. This is a great toner to gently prep and exfoliate the skin on a daily basis. I find that it helps to reduce breakouts, refine, and clear clogged pores on my acne-prone skin. My skin gets easily sensitized from stronger concentrations of acids. As a result, I often find myself either not exfoliating enough or overexfoliating. The Birch Milk Refining Toner hits a great balance.
While the toner also advertises to help with hydration, I don’t find this toner particularly hydrating but am okay with that. I typically follow up with a hydrating essence and/or serum for my dehydrated skin anyways.
Of the products I’ve tried from Then I Met You, this is the one that has been most effective for me. This is actually my third bottle of the Birch Milk Refining Toner and I have a backup ready!
Where To Buy
At the time of writing, the Then I Met You Birch Milk Refining Toner retails for US$32 (100ml). For those living in the US, the toner is available for purchase directly from Then I Met You’s online store. For those outside of the US, the toner is also sold on Soko Glam’s online store.
Key Ingredients
Then I Met You highlights the following as the key ingredients used in the Birch Milk Refining Toner:
- Birch Juice – used in place of water. Full of amino acids, antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, proteins and vitamins to help soothe and hydrate the skin.
- Marshmallow Root – an anti-aging plant extract that helps to reduce inflammation, fine lines, and soften the skin.
- Squalane – found naturally in our skin already. Helps to maintain moisture in skin.
- 1% AHAs & PHA – the low level of concentration of acids in the toner helps provide gentle exfoliation that can be used on a daily basis. This product uses a combination of glycolic and lactic acid (AHAs) and gluconolactone (PHA). Then I Met You notes this product as having a pH level of 4.0.
Texture and Scent
The toner has a milky color and a very watery consistency. The product absorbs extremely quickly so you have to spread it over your skin fast. There is no added fragrance and no real detectable scent to it. See it in action in my short video below!
How I Use It
I use this toner daily in the AM and PM as the first step to my skincare routine. If you are not used to having acids in your skincare routine, always start slow – incorporate exfoliating products a couple times a week and increase the frequency of use over time.
Then I Met You suggests using 3-5 drops of the toner. I personally find myself using at least 5 drops and apply the product directly from the palms of my hands.
Tip: because this product absorbs very quickly, I dampen my hands first before dispensing the product. This prevents your palms from absorbing too much product!
Packaging
The toner comes in a opaque, tall and narrow glass bottle with a plastic twist cap. The bottle allows you to control and dispense dispensed fairly easily. At 100ml in size, it also meets the maximum size limits for bringing liquids on an airplane.
The only small complaints with the packaging I have are its relatively heavy weight and opaqueness of the glass. Firstly, the glass packaging adds a lot of weight to your toiletry bag if you are travelling. Secondly, the fully opaque bottle means it is very difficult to tell when you are almost done using the product. Perhaps leaving a small section of the glass bottle clear on the side or near the bottom would solve this issue!
Notes: This post does not contain any affiliate links. Transparency is very important to me! Learn more in my Disclosures.
