Review: Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner

I guess you won’t be surprised to hear me praise an essence. It clearly became a part of my personality now! “Bonnie Garner, essence worshipper, at your service.”

But for the record, and as surprising as it sounds, I believe this is the first essence I’ve tried from Paula’s Choice. I should mention that I’m excluding their exfoliating lotions, which I’m very fond of, but which are not the same thing. As one skincare purist to another, I know we understand each other! 😉

And the brand Paula’s Choice does have a few essences in their collection, which I’ve always heard great things about! But, and again, this won’t come as a surprise to regular BTY ALY readers, the appeal of Asian essences is always stronger with me. So, until now, I never took the time to look more closely into the essences (or toners) from Paula’s Choice.

But when I heard that one of my favorite content creators, Renee Chow aka Gothamistha on YouTube, had worked with the Paula’s Choice brand on the redesign of this CALM line, it suddenly became impossible for me to resist!

I’ve been following Renee’s YouTube channel for years, and I know that she loves Asian skincare at least as much as I do, if not more. So I expected to find her influence, especially in this product, as Renee is also part of the essence-worshipping club. I know she’s a proud member. The proof is that she was the one who introduced me to the existence of this club a few years ago! 😉

So in this review, I’m going to introduce you to Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner in more detail, and I’ll also explain why, in my opinion, it’s the star of this great CALM range!

Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner, product presentation:

I already mentioned in my first review of the CALM Rescue & Repair Weightless Moisturizer, the CALM line was already available at Paula’s Choice. But it has recently been re-vamped with a new, aesthetic aqua green packaging, and especially for some products, a brand new formula. This is the case of this essence. The product has been completely reformulated.

Reminder, Paula’s Choice’s renewed CALM line is specially formulated for sensitive and reactive skin. So if you suffer from redness, your skin is easily irritated and/or uncomfortable, this range is for you!

For this, the brand relied on gentle but very effective ingredients that will target the causes of sensitivity problems. They don’t just soothe sensitive skin, they also prevent future signs of irritation by making the skin more resilient. And as a second bonus effect, they also fight against the signs of aging!

So there’s a whole cocktail of ingredients that will act both on soothing and on strengthening the skin in the long term!

The Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner is no exception: its formula is packed with moisturizing and soothing ingredients.

Like for example:
– marshmallow root extract with soothing, restorative and antioxidant properties,
– extract of Japanese lily root (Ophiopogon Japonicus) with antioxidant, soothing and anti-redness effects,
– calming and revitalizing allantoin,
– soothing, repairing, healing and emollient panthenol (vitamin B5),
– moisturizing and plumping glycerin, sodium PCA and hyaluronic acid.

And really, I want to officially give credit here to the teams at Paula’s Choice for their work on textures! Already, with the CALM Rescue & Repair Weightless Moisturizer, it was quite something. But with this essence, they have outdone themselves!

The texture is milky and plush, but not rich at all. Skin is immediately comforted when you apply it, but it’s not suffocating. It doesn’t leave a heavy film on the skin. The skin is comfortable (for a long time) without being shiny. Even on combination skin like mine, it works! And I imagine dry skin will love it too, I have no doubt.
Really, this texture is insane. 🥰

I think Renee/Gothamista put her twist on it, because you can definitely feel that the texture of this essence has been carefully crafted. And it’s a real standout, no doubt about it!

Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner, my experience:

I started using this essence late last Fall. I tend to apply it in the morning. You can use it in the morning and evening if you want, but I really like its texture at the beginning of the day, and it doesn’t especially make me shine more than usual.

I’ve been using it for several months, notably in winter when I was in Europe and it was definitely colder than in Dubai (yes, it’s easy, I’ll admit it!). And I’m still using it right now, when it’s 35 degrees outside and my skin is exposed to AC almost all the time.

And in every case, this essence fits perfectly. It gives me just the right amount of comfort, without feeling heavy, and I also find my skin more resilient. Since I’ve also used other products in the line, I guess this effect was enhanced! (I also have the CALM Serum and the CALM Rescue & Repair Weightless Moisturizer that I reviewed a few months ago).

And really, I insist, but it’s really a super sensorial and pleasant product to use, which is a real plus for me! The “pleasure” aspect is essential in skincare, especially if you want to finish it! 🙂

Not really having a reactive skin, I can’t vouch too much for its anti-redness effect, but what I can say for sure is that my skin was nice and “calm” with it, and I found it to be quite moisturizing too.

And of course, I appreciate the fact that a bottle lasts a long time! I started mine at the beginning of December and it’s still not empty! I still have a good 2 months of it left, I think. 🙂

In conclusion:

I love this essence! It’s effective, extremely pleasant to use and over several months of use, I can really vouch for its soothing effect, and I also think it helps my skin to be stronger.

And I love that its milky texture can work for all skin types. For a product designed specifically for sensitive skin, it’s quite a plus to be able to use something other than thick, rich textures!

The Paula’s Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner retails for $22 for 118ml.