Where does this toner go in my routine?

Straight after cleansing, morning and evening, while the face is still damp. Anything thinner than a toner goes on before it, and anything richer goes on after. If you are adding it to a routine you already like, give it a week on its own first, so what you see is the Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and not three changes at once.

Is this the Korean-market toner or a US version?

The Korean-market one, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and all. We match this toner to its Korean barcode before it reaches the shelf, which is the check that tells you which market release you are holding.

What else is on the list besides Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate?

Adenosine, Tetrahydropiperine and Cyanocobalamin. The order they are printed in on this toner's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Phloretin and Tocopherol.

Isntree

Yam Root Vegan Barrier Milky Toner 200ml

Name: Isntree Yam Root Vegan Barrier Milky Toner 200ml
Brand: Isntree
SKU: 12649998061
Price: 35.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Yam root extract sits eleventh on this 200 ml Isntree toner, then ceramide NP, ectoin, cholesterol and phytosphingosine in the next four places, and a run of twelve hydrolysed plant proteins behind them. Korean-market formula.

Reviewed by Nurcan Saglam, licensed dermo-cosmetic expert (Paris)

No reviews yet

$35.00

200 ml

$17.50 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Dry skinCompromised barrierDehydrated skinSensitive skin

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate in a tonerRoutines that want Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine in one stepFilling the toner step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate toner sold on Korean shelves

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$35.00

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How it works

The Yam Root Vegan Barrier Milky Toner is a 200ml toner, used straight after cleansing, morning and evening, while the face is still damp. The active it is built around is Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, named thirty-ninth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Adenosine, Tetrahydropiperine and Cyanocobalamin, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the toner format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the toner Isntree sells in Korea, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and all.

Key benefits

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, the active this toner is built around
Adenosine and Tetrahydropiperine on the same list, actives
Cyanocobalamin on the same list, a vitamin
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate on the same list, a ferment
Phloretin and Tocopherol further down the same list
Ceramide NP and Cholesterol further down the same list

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

1 of 4

54 of 57 explained

Water solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Tripropylene Glycol solvent: Tripropylene Glycol is a glycol used mainly as a solvent, keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid.
Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Diphenyl Dimethicone silicone: Diphenyl Dimethicone is a glossy silicone used to add shine and a smooth film, particularly in lip and highlighting textures.
Triethylhexanoin emollient: Triethylhexanoin is a light ester emollient that softens skin and disperses pigment. It absorbs cleanly and is often used to thin a heavy oil phase.
Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster: Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Dioscorea Japonica is Japanese wild yam, whose root is naturally slippery with mucilage. Its extract hydrates and leaves a cushioned feel.
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate ferment: Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate is the ferment with the bacterial cells broken open, so their contents are in the formula too. It is a conditioning ferment used in barrier-focused products.

42 more explained

Ceramide NP barrier lipid: Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
Ectoin humectant: Ectoin is a small molecule that microbes in salt flats and hot springs make to survive extreme conditions. In skincare it holds water tightly around itself, which is why it appears in formulas aimed at reactive, easily dehydrated skin.
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid cut into much shorter fragments. The smaller the fragment, the further into the outer layer it can settle, which is why serums stack several sizes together instead of using one.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Cholesterol barrier lipid: Cholesterol is the third of the three lipids the outer layer of skin is built from, with ceramides and fatty acids. Formulas that carry all three are following the ratio skin itself holds.
Phytosphingosine barrier lipid: Phytosphingosine is the backbone every ceramide is built on, and skin uses it in its own lipid layer. In a formula it works with ceramides and cholesterol and also keeps the product stable against microbes.
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein is plant protein cut into water-soluble fragments. It forms a light conditioning film that holds water at the surface.
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein comes from the lupin bean, which is unusually protein rich. Hydrolysed, it dissolves and works as a conditioning, water-holding protein.
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Soy Protein is soy protein cut into water-soluble fragments. It conditions the surface and holds water, and it is one of the most used plant proteins in cosmetics.
Hydrolyzed Potato Protein protein: Potato protein cut into small fragments. It is a plant protein used as a humectant and light film former.
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Rice Protein is rice protein broken into small fragments. It is a humectant and film former that leaves a soft, smooth finish.
Hydrolyzed Pea Protein protein: Pea protein cut into small fragments so it dissolves in water. It is a plant protein used as a humectant and a light film former.
Hydrolyzed Corn Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Corn Protein is corn protein cut into small soluble pieces. On a label it usually sits with two or three other plant proteins, because each brings a different amino acid balance.
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein protein: Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein is wheat protein broken into fragments small enough to dissolve in water. It holds water at the surface and leaves a smooth film, which is why it is as common in hair products as in skincare.
Hydrolyzed Barley Protein protein: Barley protein cut into shorter water soluble fragments. The smaller pieces spread evenly and dry to a smooth film, which is what conditioning proteins are used for.
Glycoproteins protein: Glycoproteins are proteins carrying sugar chains, usually supplied by a ferment. They hold water and leave a conditioning film.
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract plant extract: Soybean Seed Extract carries isoflavones, plant sterols and soy proteins. It is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract.
Phloretin antioxidant: Phloretin is a flavonoid from apple and pear trees. It is used as an antioxidant and is often paired with vitamin C and ferulic acid.
Behenic Acid fatty acid: A long-chain saturated fatty acid. It thickens and stabilises an emulsion and gives a rich, waxy feel.
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate thickener: Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate is a polymer thickener that holds a gel stable even with a lot of salt or acid in the formula.
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate is a mild sugar-derived emulsifier used to keep oil dispersed in a watery formula.
Arginine amino acid: Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate active: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. It is the licorice fraction Korean formulas use for the look of redness, and it is far more stable in water than the whole extract.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer thickener: This is a carbomer relative with fatty side chains, so it thickens and stabilises an emulsion at the same time. It gives a light gel-cream body rather than a heavy one.
Coptis Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Coptis Japonica is a traditional East Asian medicinal root, bright yellow from its berberine content. In skincare its extract is used for the look of congested, oily skin.
Carbomer thickener: Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
Glyceryl Polymethacrylate film former: Glyceryl Polymethacrylate is a polymer that forms a smooth, water-holding film and gives a formula a cushioned, non-sticky feel.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emollient: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is the light fraction of coconut oil, with the heavy parts removed. It is the workhorse emollient of modern formulas: it softens skin, dissolves oil-soluble actives and absorbs without the greasy weight of a whole plant oil.
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract plant extract: Ulmus Davidiana is Japanese elm, whose inner bark yields a naturally slippery mucilage. Korean formulas use the root extract for that cushioned feel and for the look of reactive skin.
Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract plant extract: Amaranth seed extract, carrying squalene, sterols and peptides. It is used as a conditioning extract.
Maltodextrin film former: Maltodextrin is a starch-derived sugar chain used to carry powdered extracts and to form a light film. It also gives a soft, smoothing feel.
Adenosine active: Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate is a mild sugar-derived emulsifier and solubiliser used where a formula must stay clear.
Lecithin emulsifier: Lecithin is a soy or sunflower-derived phospholipid, the same class of molecule cell membranes are built from. It emulsifies oil into water and is the basis of the liposomes formulators use to carry actives.
Cyanocobalamin vitamin: Cyanocobalamin is vitamin B12, and it is a deep pink-red, which is why a formula carrying it often has a colour nobody added on purpose. It is used as a conditioning vitamin.
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate Citrate is a mild, citrate-modified emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is chosen for formulas aimed at reactive skin.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Hydrogenated Lecithin emulsifier: Hydrogenated Lecithin is lecithin with its unsaturated bonds filled in, which makes it far more stable. It emulsifies and is the standard shell for the liposomes that carry actives into the outer layer of skin.
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer thickener: This is a synthetic thickener that gels quickly and holds an emulsion stable across a wide pH range. It gives a light, non-tacky body.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Tetrahydropiperine active: Tetrahydropiperine is a modified form of piperine, the pungent compound in black pepper. It is used in traces to help other actives spread and sink in more evenly.

How to use

Apply within a minute of towelling off, while the surface is still slightly wet.
Pour a coin sized pool into your palm and pat it on rather than soaking a cotton pad.
Add a second thin layer over dry patches before moving on to your serum.
Do not wait for it to dry completely, since a dry surface wastes the point of a toner.

Worth knowing

Patch test this toner on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate on the list.
Introduce this toner on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate rather than to three changes at once.

Complete the routine

This itemIsntree Yam Root Vegan Barrier Milky Toner 200ml$35.00
The treatment step of this routineIsntree TW-REAL BIFIDA Ampoule 50ml$37.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepIsntree C-Niacin Toning Cream 50ml$22.50

Total for 3 items$95.00

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Isntree Yam Root Vegan Barrier Milky Toner 200ml

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Isntree, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula toner from Isntree, 200ml formulated with Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine, shipped from California or direct from Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic