Thanks to hormonal acne, my skin unfortunately breaks out once a month like clockwork. Every pimple used to leave a trail of dark spots in its path. Lately, I’ve been reaching for Haruharu wonder’s TikTok-viral power duo—Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence—to prevent acne scars and get my uneven skin tone back to uniform smoothness. Now, I no longer dread that time of the month because I now have reinforcements to keep my skin clear and even-toned.
Yup, toner can be used as a dark spot corrector and to improve skin texture and tone. Over the past decade, Korean toners have gained major global recognition for their moisturizing benefits. Water-like, alcohol-free formulas helped people stateside realize that toner doesn’t have to be irritating and astringent. Instead, adding the right toner to your skincare routine can help rebalance your skin after cleansing, boost hydration, and prepare your skin for optimal absorption of the rest of your product lineup. Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner does all this while brightening skin and evening out texture. And when you follow it up with the Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, your skin will be well on its way to the glass skin of your dreams.
Ahead, I’ll share exactly why you should use toner for uneven skin tone, how it helps diminish the appearance of acne scars and dark spots, and my favorite ways to use toner.
Step 1: Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner
After cleansing, I gently pat the Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner all over my face while it’s still slightly damp—morning and night. Sometimes, I even add two, three, or even four layers of the viscous, silky liquid because it feels incredibly refreshing and instantly hydrating. You can also sprinkle the toner onto a cotton pad and swipe it around your face. It has a subtle, spa-like lavender scent, which I find incredibly calming. (There’s also a sensitive skin version that’s free of fragrance and alcohol.)
Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is infused with hyaluronic acid to provide immediate hydration, which has made it a favorite for those with dry skin types. This popular skincare ingredient is known to attract water to help skin retain moisture and keep it plump.
Our hyaluronic acid toner also features our signature fermented black rice extract to add amazing moisturizing, antioxidant, and nourishing properties to your skincare routine. But did you know black rice can also help decrease the appearance of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation? To understand why, allow me to get scientific for a moment.
Hyperpigmentation, like dark spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, occurs when skin cells become inflamed due to sun exposure, aging, acne, injury, or hormonal changes. As a result, these cells start leaking pigment to help repair themselves and discoloration starts appearing on the surface of your skin. If the inflammation is severe enough, it can scar collagen fibers within the skin and cause indented or raised acne scars.
Black rice can effectively calm inflammation of any type while protecting your skin from sun exposure with its antioxidant benefits. It also helps brighten skin in the process to help even skin tone and texture. Although many K-beauty rice toners are on the market, Haruharu wonder’s packs fermented black rice, making it two times more effective than other rice toners. Basically, your skin will have no choice but to be radiant and even-toned with fermented black rice in your skincare routine.
Speaking of fermented ingredients, Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is also formulated with fermented bamboo shoot bark extract, which gently exfoliates and intensely moisturizes skin to improve uneven skin tone and texture.
I’ve been using Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner for a couple of weeks now. As a result, my skin has been more even, glowy, hydrated, and glassy than ever.
Step 2: Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence comes next in my skincare routine to thoroughly lock in moisture and give my skin the dreamiest velvety soft feel. It has a creamier, milkier texture than the toner, and I weirdly get excited every morning and night when I get to this step of my routine. It’s like a liquid moisturizer that helps deeply nourish my skin, so it doesn’t solely rely on actual moisturizer for all its moisture benefits. This essence is even packed with five different kinds of ceramides to help maintain your skin barrier, elevate hydration, and prevent water loss like a moisturizer.
Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence acts as a gentle exfoliant thanks to its addition of Galactomyces and bifida ferment filtrate. These antioxidant-rich probiotic ingredients melt away dead skin cells and stimulate cell turnover to clear pores, brighten skin, and improve skin texture and tone. They’re also known to replenish and strengthen skin barrier function while rebalancing your skin’s microbiome (aka the healthy bacteria living on it).
If you have sensitive skin, Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence is a great alternative to strong exfoliators that could potentially worsen inflammation. Plus, it’s packed with soothing ingredients, such as panthenol, fermented black rice extracts, healthy cholesterol, and a complex of five healthy fatty acids, to keep your skin calm, moisturized, and free of irritation.
Adding both the Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence as a special two-step system is an incredible way to jumpstart your skin and get it glowing, especially if you are dealing with uneven skin tone and texture. You can simply apply moisturizer (and sunscreen during the day) afterward, and your skin will be set for hydrated, glass skin success. Alternately, you can add Haruharu wonder’s Centella 4% TXA Dark Spot Go Away Serum or Centella 3% PHA Gentle Liquid Exfoliating Serum to your skincare routine to supercharge your skin tone-evening regimen.
I’m a huge fan of skin cycling, so I’ll use a retinol one day, an acid-based serum the next, and then a repairing serum. However, I apply Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence first every single day. They lay down a skin-rejuvenating base for whatever serum I’m using and help them penetrate my skin more potently and effectively. Get ready to meet the happiest, healthiest, clearest version of your skin!
Uneven Skin Tone Back to Basics: Understanding Toners
Thanks to hormonal acne, my skin unfortunately breaks out once a month like clockwork. Every pimple used to leave a trail of dark spots in its path. Lately, I’ve been reaching for Haruharu wonder’s TikTok-viral power duo—Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence—to prevent acne scars and get my uneven skin tone back to uniform smoothness. Now, I no longer dread that time of the month because I now have reinforcements to keep my skin clear and even-toned.
Yup, toner can be used as a dark spot corrector and to improve skin texture and tone. Over the past decade, Korean toners have gained major global recognition for their moisturizing benefits. Water-like, alcohol-free formulas helped people stateside realize that toner doesn’t have to be irritating and astringent. Instead, adding the right toner to your skincare routine can help rebalance your skin after cleansing, boost hydration, and prepare your skin for optimal absorption of the rest of your product lineup. Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner does all this while brightening skin and evening out texture. And when you follow it up with the Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, your skin will be well on its way to the glass skin of your dreams.
Ahead, I’ll share exactly why you should use toner for uneven skin tone, how it helps diminish the appearance of acne scars and dark spots, and my favorite ways to use toner.
Step 1: Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner
After cleansing, I gently pat the Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner all over my face while it’s still slightly damp—morning and night. Sometimes, I even add two, three, or even four layers of the viscous, silky liquid because it feels incredibly refreshing and instantly hydrating. You can also sprinkle the toner onto a cotton pad and swipe it around your face. It has a subtle, spa-like lavender scent, which I find incredibly calming. (There’s also a sensitive skin version that’s free of fragrance and alcohol.)
Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is infused with hyaluronic acid to provide immediate hydration, which has made it a favorite for those with dry skin types. This popular skincare ingredient is known to attract water to help skin retain moisture and keep it plump.
Our hyaluronic acid toner also features our signature fermented black rice extract to add amazing moisturizing, antioxidant, and nourishing properties to your skincare routine. But did you know black rice can also help decrease the appearance of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation? To understand why, allow me to get scientific for a moment.
Hyperpigmentation, like dark spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, occurs when skin cells become inflamed due to sun exposure, aging, acne, injury, or hormonal changes. As a result, these cells start leaking pigment to help repair themselves and discoloration starts appearing on the surface of your skin. If the inflammation is severe enough, it can scar collagen fibers within the skin and cause indented or raised acne scars.
Black rice can effectively calm inflammation of any type while protecting your skin from sun exposure with its antioxidant benefits. It also helps brighten skin in the process to help even skin tone and texture. Although many K-beauty rice toners are on the market, Haruharu wonder’s packs fermented black rice, making it two times more effective than other rice toners. Basically, your skin will have no choice but to be radiant and even-toned with fermented black rice in your skincare routine.
Speaking of fermented ingredients, Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is also formulated with fermented bamboo shoot bark extract, which gently exfoliates and intensely moisturizes skin to improve uneven skin tone and texture.
I’ve been using Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner for a couple of weeks now. As a result, my skin has been more even, glowy, hydrated, and glassy than ever.
Step 2: Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence comes next in my skincare routine to thoroughly lock in moisture and give my skin the dreamiest velvety soft feel. It has a creamier, milkier texture than the toner, and I weirdly get excited every morning and night when I get to this step of my routine. It’s like a liquid moisturizer that helps deeply nourish my skin, so it doesn’t solely rely on actual moisturizer for all its moisture benefits. This essence is even packed with five different kinds of ceramides to help maintain your skin barrier, elevate hydration, and prevent water loss like a moisturizer.
Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence acts as a gentle exfoliant thanks to its addition of Galactomyces and bifida ferment filtrate. These antioxidant-rich probiotic ingredients melt away dead skin cells and stimulate cell turnover to clear pores, brighten skin, and improve skin texture and tone. They’re also known to replenish and strengthen skin barrier function while rebalancing your skin’s microbiome (aka the healthy bacteria living on it).
If you have sensitive skin, Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence is a great alternative to strong exfoliators that could potentially worsen inflammation. Plus, it’s packed with soothing ingredients, such as panthenol, fermented black rice extracts, healthy cholesterol, and a complex of five healthy fatty acids, to keep your skin calm, moisturized, and free of irritation.
Adding both the Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence as a special two-step system is an incredible way to jumpstart your skin and get it glowing, especially if you are dealing with uneven skin tone and texture. You can simply apply moisturizer (and sunscreen during the day) afterward, and your skin will be set for hydrated, glass skin success. Alternately, you can add Haruharu wonder’s Centella 4% TXA Dark Spot Go Away Serum or Centella 3% PHA Gentle Liquid Exfoliating Serum to your skincare routine to supercharge your skin tone-evening regimen.
I’m a huge fan of skin cycling, so I’ll use a retinol one day, an acid-based serum the next, and then a repairing serum. However, I apply Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence first every single day. They lay down a skin-rejuvenating base for whatever serum I’m using and help them penetrate my skin more potently and effectively. Get ready to meet the happiest, healthiest, clearest version of your skin!