Review: Pixi Glow Tonic | Is It Really That Good?

Is Pixi Glow Tonic worth the hype? This exfoliating toner is raved by so many beauty addicts globally as it's said to give the skin GLOW! It contains 5% Glycolic Acid and a mixture of soothing ingredients that will prep the skin to achieve its ultimate goal, which is to look more radiant. I've tried the Pixi Glow Tonic way back and still am using it until now and just look at how big my tubs of Glow Tonic are. You can really tell I'm a fan right? However, this post isn't just a review and trust me I wouldn't be saying that this Glow Tonic is 100% fantastic as I have a few opinions on my own which I'll love to highlight. Read on to know more on this highly raved product from Pixi Beauty.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me from Pixi Beauty. I was not paid to write a review but that does not affect my thoughts on it. Do take note that my experience with this product may not be the same as yours as each skin type is different.

What is Pixi Glow Tonic?

Pixi Glow Tonic is an exfoliating toner. It's said to be a gentle daily exfoliating toner that has won awards for its highly bomb reputation. Pixi says it's a miracle bottle that helps remove impurities while also hydrating and protecting the skin.

What Pixi Beauty Claims on Its Glow Tonic

Refer pixibeauty.co.uk:

1. Suitable for all skin types

2. Alcohol-free formula

3. Instant glow enhancer

4. Preps skin for makeup application

5. Removes impurities

6. Hydrating

7. Protects the skin

8. Won Teen Vogue Acne Award Winner

Main Ingredients of The Glow Tonic
5% Glycolic Acid 
Glycolic Acid 
Exfoliator 

Glycolic Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that is known as a chemical exfoliator. It's purposed to remove dead skin cells to fasten the renewal process of new skin. Its ingredient is derived from plants, such as sugar cane, pineapple, and sugar beet, and does a number of beneficial things for the skin.

Aloe Vera 
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice 
Soothing 

Aloe Vera has many benefits but it's most popular purpose is for soothing. It's highly moisturising and works great for those with sensitive skin as well. 

Ginseng
Panax Ginseng Root Extract 
Anti-ageing 

Ginseng is known to be expensive and for a good reason as well. It's loaded with goodness and most high-end brands use ginseng extract as their main ingredient. Ginseng is known to be able to prevent the skin from ageing, maintains skin’s elasticity, improves skin complexion, treats dark circles and also prevent acne.

Product Details
Purchase: 

Local: Sephora

Global: pixibeauty.co.uk
Price: 70MYR | 10BP (100ml)
Origin: United Kingdom
Skin Concern: Exfoliation
Skin Types: All Skin Types
Shelf Life: 12 Months
Full Ingredients List (INCI): 

Goodie |  Superstar | Blocky | Icky

Water/Aqua/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Urea, Dextrin, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Biotin, Panthenol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Caramel, Red 4 (CI 14700).

My Thoughts on Pixi's Glycolic Acid

As I mentioned above, I have been using Pixi's Glow Tonic for almost 3 years now. It started when I was looking into products to help with acne. My skin was at a very bad state back then, I've been neglecting a proper skincare routine and honestly, I didn't have much idea on how skincare worked back then.

So my first mission was to look for acne treating products, (if you have severe acne problems you should visit a dermatologist) my acne at that time was almost like Cystic Acne but I had a strong feeling it was hormonal acne (which turned out to be true after seeing a dermatologist) but I didn't visit a dermatologist until my skin was already recovering and left with acne marks only.

Anyways, one of the products that I got for my acne-treatment was Pixi's Glow Tonic. I started doing the 10-Step Korean Skincare routine which is a highly raved technique to get glowing skin. So when I first started, I didn't know much on what Glycolic Acid is and how it worked. I just knew it was good for treating acne.

So below is a bit of information on the product and also my experience using Pixi's Glow Tonic throughout the years.

This is my review on Pixi's Glow Tonic
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Ingredients
Looking into the full ingredient of Pixi's Glow Tonic, it's key ingredients are 5% Glycolic Acid, Aloe Vera and also Ginseng. It also contains Witch Hazel, Horse Chesnut, Urea and Alanine. Most of these ingredients are antibacterial and would help treat acne.

Packaging
Pixi's signature packaging is always with a green label. Their Glow Tonic is like the signature tonic for all other tonics Pixi has as it all basically comes in the same bottle just with different coloured bottles with green labels. Pixi has various sizes to choose from which is 10ml, 50ml and also 500ml which is the largest bottle that comes in a pump. I'm not sure if the large bottle is being sold by Pixi as I received it as a PR gift, that's why it has my name on it.

Some have asked where did I get that metallic rosy brown design for the Glow Tonic. That was actually sent to me as a PR gift. They had a special edition of the Glow Tonic last year and I was among the lucky ones to receive it. Probably if you're lucky you'll probably find that in stores.

Using a pump is definitely easier but their normal bottles function well too. Of course, you'll have to open up the lid and pour it out which are adds a few extra steps but the small bottles are more convenient. They take less space and I've never experienced spills or leakage with a perfectly tight cap, so it's more travel friendly.

Texture
The Glow Tonic is very watery indeed. Just like tap water, you'll find applying it directly on the face so refreshing. That's what I do. Some advised that Pixi's Glow Tonic should be used with cotton pads as it being a chemical exfoliator, the cotton pads will help remove out the dirt and dead skin. 

However, some may oppose to this as using cotton pads could worsen the skin barrier as you're supposed to be very gentle to the skin in order to get glowing skin.

For me, I have no problem with both ways but for Pixi's Glow Tonic, I find using it without a cotton pad is better. By patting the tonic with both my palms, my skin indeed feels super refreshing and hydrated at once. With using cotton pads, the pads need to be really drenched to be able to feel it be hydrating. Yes, some may want to save up because this tonic is considered quite pricey, but think of it this way. What use of even using a product if you don't use it properly? I find that using the Glow Tonic without a cotton pad works better and my skin reacts to it faster too. 

Scent-Wise
The scent is quite strong but I love it. It has a very fruity citrusy sweet scent.

Experience
I have a long experience with the Glow Tonic. In my early days, the days when I first started using Glow Tonic I used it every day. The results we amazing, my acne simply cleared out leaving just slightly visible acne marks.

I didn't experience any bad reactions with the first few weeks of my try. No stings or irritation whatsoever so I thought this was my holy grail. However, as times passed, I learnt more about skincare and of course, I've tried other products along the way. I also have a better understanding of exfoliators so I decided to cut my daily routine of using the Glow Tonic and used it at least times a week.

After doing that, I noticed that by trying out new products and acids, my skin does tend to breakout but not as bad as before I used to put on skincare properly. It's periodical as well, I noticed my skin gets breakouts near my period which normally I get acne at other parts of my body too. My hormones have a lot to do with it I suppose.

So somedays I have clear skin and some days I see a few pimples popping out and some days I get those really big pimples (the ones that hurt like last time) but only one or two at a time. Not that bad as before though. So normally when I see that happen, I know something should be wrong with my skincare products so I'll slowly change back to my trusted products which include Pixi Glow Tonic. 

However, I still don't use the Glow Tonic daily as when I first started to. I'll use it 3 times a week and reserve the rest of the weeks using soothing and hydrating toners instead. This combination works like a charm with the Pixi Glow Tonic.

Overall Thoughts
Even though I've said that I have other options for exfoliation but Pixi's Glow Tonic is still compulsory in my yearly routine. It's really the best exfoliator solution when it comes to bad breakouts. 

I know I have a huge tub of Glow Tonic, how can I ever finish that within 12 months? I had that question too since now I'm only using it 3 times a week. Well, in order not to waste any of this miracle water, I came to find out that the Glow Tonic could be used at any part of the body and I have been using that generously at the back of my neck and on the armpits because I feel like that I have a lot of dead cells there since the skin tends to be a bit dark than my usual tone. Differently from how I use it on my face, I used it with a cotton cloth. It's like a cotton pad but so smooth, originally meant for my baby, but I had better use of it instead. LOL... 

Overall, the Pixi Glow Tonic does speak up to its reputation but not everyone can use it the same way as others. I didn't find this product giving an obvious glow to my face but it solved my acne problems which was the main reason I ever used it in the first place.

My Rate
Rate: 5/5
Repurchase: Yes of course! The Pixi Glow Tonic is compulsory in my yearly skin routine.

What To Know About Pixi Glow Tonic

I normally don't add this segment in my skincare reviews but since I've had a lot of question on Pixi's Glow Tonic over the years, here are some of the popular questions I get on this highly raved tonic. Do note that the answers are my opinions based on my experience of using this tonic. Some people may advise otherwise.

1. What is Pixi Glow Tonic used for?

It's an exfoliator so it removes dead skin cells in order to fasten the growth of healthier skin. Exfoliating is compulsory for everyone to do weekly to make sure the skin is in a healthy state. Some exfoliators could be harsh and do more damage than good to the skin. Hence, the Pixi Glow Toni is a gentle option for those just beginning to explore the world of exfoliation.

2. Can you use Pixi Glow Tonic everyday?

A reader of mine once reached out to me asking where she can get the big bottle of the Pixi Glow Tonic as she can't seem to find it in stores. She says that she loves the Glow Tonic and uses it every day that's why she wants the big one. I had a thought like that too when I first started using the Glow Tonic, I did use it once every day until I improved and studied more about Glycolic Acid. 

Glycolic Acid is an AHA which is an active ingredient that acts an exfoliator to remove dead skin cells to fasten the process of regeneration of new skin. Cutting things short, exfoliators are not to be used every day especially for beginners as it may cause breakouts from over-exfoliating. However, in my case that didn't happen, in fact, it helped reduced my acne even better.

Pixi, however, claims that their Glow Tonic is a gentle exfoliator with a pH level of 4-5 so it should be suitable for sensitive skin to use. Hence it could be used daily as it's Glycolic Acid content is said to be weak. Some also use it 2x a day as they say that it doesn't properly exfoliate it they don't. But some has experienced breakouts after that which means they skin could possibly be over-exfoliated which means their skin barrier is weakened. 

Hence, to answer the question if Pixi Glow Tonic could be used every day. The best answer is to follow how your skin reacts to it. For beginners, you'll need to be extra careful because you wouldn't know how your skin would react to acids so it's best to build up the reaction of the acid to your skin.

My advise:

1st Week: Use it once a day, 3 times a week only

2nd Week: Use it once a day daily

3rd Week: Use it twice a day daily

From the interchanging of the weeks, makes sure you take note on how skin reacts, best snap pictures so you can clearly see the difference. Let's say if week 1, you see no difference to your skin then probably your skin can endure acids, so you can increase the usage in week 2, and if you see no change too, then you can game up it up with twice a day in week 3.

Changes I'm mentioning if either your skin is showing more breakouts or healing breakouts. If you see breakouts then its best to reduce the usage. That's the safest way you could try acids without doing much harm to your skin. 

Remember, you can't simply follow how other people use acids because each person's skin is different and would react differently to every product. So it's best to make sure how your skin reacts to acids by applying it into your routine slowly.

3. How long does Pixi Glow Tonic take to work?

It depends on a person. Everyone has different skin hence their reaction towards acids are different too. So faster and slower it's your skin to decide so don't give up too fast and say the Pixi Glow Tonic does not exfoliate. Give it some time and you'll see if this tonic either did good or bad to your skin.

4. Is Pixi Glow Tonic good for acne?

From my experience, obviously, it works so good for acne! If you skipped my write-up above, you can consider reading it as I explained how I see this tonic works great on clearing out my acne.

5. Does Pixi Glow Tonic help blackheads?

It should be, the Glow Tonic is said to help remove impurities as well. Since it worked well in helping my skin clear out acne, I guess my skin has produced less sebum and clogged pores. Most probably because I got my blackheads cleared, but I can't really say it's obvious because the ones on my nose are definitely stubborn, won't budge until I actually use something that really focuses on removing it. So to me, I don't find the Glow Tonic 100% helpful with removing blackheads.

6. Should Pixi Glow Tonic sting?

Some use it and experience stings, which is normal as the Glow Tonic is an acid. However, if it's unbearable, its best to stop using it at once and consult a dermatologist. Usually, those with sensitive skin are prone to feel stings while applying active ingredients for the first time. 

I, however, did not experience any stings during my first application. My skin is able to withstand most acids.

7. Is Pixi Glow tonic worth the hype?

YES! LOUD AND CLEAR YESSS! It may be a bit pricey but owning a small bottle of it should be enough.

Other Products From Pixi's Glycolic Range

Read my past review on: Pixi Glow Tonic Collection 

1. Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel
A hydrating cleanser with a unique blend infused with Glycolic Acid

2. Glow Tonic Serum
A lightweight serum gently exfoliates, hydrates and nourishes

3. PHnononel Gel
A moisturiser said to help bring back normal pH to the skin

4. On-the-Glow
A travel-friendly moisturiser in a deodorant stick

Till then peeps!