Origins • United State Balancing Toner • Toners

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materialface on 4/23/2013 3:56:00 PM more reviews by materialface

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This isn't a holy grail toner, however, it did exactly what it says in the name "balancing". This is what I need in a toner.
- I have combination skin: oily t-zone, normal cheeks, chin and sides of my face.
- This did not dry my face out. I was able to keep the oilyness at bay, and lightly cleanse/tone my normal skin areas.
- This did not cause my skin to feel tight whatsoever.
- It had a light refreshing scent to it which was pleasent in the morning.
- The bottle packaging is nothing spectacular although it did look nice on my shelf. The top however needs to be redesigned. The bottle twist cap is not secure enough and can easily be flimsy. I drop it constantly because its rounded and thin. There's no top filter on the bottle, so be careful.
- I honestly think Origins' toners are a bit overpriced. Their facewashes are in the $26 CAD range, and toners are usually less expensive (?). Their toners are in the same price range but I think these should be priced at $20-$22. My personal opinion.
- This lasts me about 2-2 1/2 months.

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dunibuni on 1/13/2013 10:10:00 PM more reviews by dunibuni

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is a pretty decent toner. It didn't do TOO much for my skin, but it did feel refreshed after applying. Nothiing too good about it, yet nothing bad about it. One bottle lasted me a while, so I guess it's a good deal for your money, but still I did not repurchase since I didn't see too many benefits from using it.

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whereismymind59 on 12/28/2012 5:32:00 PM more reviews by whereismymind59

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I like this toner a lot. Its not too high in alcohol so it doesnt dry out my skin, but it does help minimize shine in my tzone, and even made my pores look smaller. I like to use this in the morning before I put on my makeup to get off any nigh cream residue and oil from when I was sleeping (I hate washing my face in the morning-it makes my skin so dry!). It is also gentle, I have rosacea and this toner didn't irritate (it contains lavender oil which reduces redness). Overall this is a good toner for people who have combination skin.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Rexina on 12/30/2011 9:03:00 AM more reviews by Rexina

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Relaxed, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This toner is soooo good! It does everything a toner should do: prep for moisture, adjust ph level, rinse and tighten pores, fade acne and scars, normalize dry and oily patches. Pretty much perfect for my skin! Love this and will buy again for sure! Only con is that you run through it quickly. All the other Origins products has lasted a really long time, but not this.

BTW: This only works when my skin is oily. Then it's a lifesaver! Otherwise it's to drying for my skin, so I can't use it every day.. But it is a really good product!

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*TOP REVIEWER* missn74 on 10/27/2011 11:28:00 PM more reviews by missn74

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is great for normal and combination skin because it refreshes the skin while also hydrating it as well. It has a very clean citrus smell and because of that I also think it balances out the skin tone as well. It doesn't my skin neither dry or oily. It's also a good wake me up in the morning.

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nalina82 on 4/8/2011 2:30:00 PM more reviews by nalina82

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

First off, I can never get the dang cap open. It's a flippy lid, but it is so hard to flip open. I have nearly seperated my fingernail from the skin at the top trying to force it open. The product itself was just ok. I don't feel like it helped with oil control at all. I am also not a fan of the alcohol content.

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nahlahknee on 3/21/2011 7:22:00 PM more reviews by nahlahknee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This toner was great for me for the winter time! I'm super oily but I still get dry patches. It helped balance my skin. I really like the smell and the product itself. It doesn't do anything for acne or breakouts (for me), but it does a good job of picking up leftover dirt and oil that's still laying on your face after cleansing. I don't think it'll do justice for my oily skin in the summer though! I would buy this again, but only during the winter months.

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volare424 on 11/3/2010 11:57:00 PM more reviews by volare424

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It doesn't dry out my skin, which is good. But it smells too much like alcohol for me. Alcohol is not good for skin anyway, so I won't be repurchasing.

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rawcus on 8/17/2010 8:33:00 AM more reviews by rawcus

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Discontinued in the UK! Sob. I was using this for over a year, and loved it - did a great job of balancing out my combination skin. And then the Origins SA told me that a lot of people found United State too harsh on the skin due to the high alcohol content, and as a result it was discontinued. I was surprised by this as it never had an adverse effect on my skin...but I'm glad it's been pointed out as I've now switched to the more gentle Origins toners (A Perfect World and Make a Difference) and they DO feel gentler.

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chloechan88 on 8/9/2010 12:47:00 AM more reviews by chloechan88

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This product has too much alcohol in it so it irritates and dries out my skin. I guess it would work nicely on oily skin. I have normal to dry and a little senstive skin and it doesn't work really well on me.

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amhendy on 6/3/2010 12:55:00 AM more reviews by amhendy

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

United State is awesome. I will admit it did make my skin oily at first and bring out some impurities, but I am totally loving this toner. The more I use it the more I love it. I just promised my mom I would not switch and try anything else because this is it!!!! The crater that shows up once a month wasn't such a crater this time around. It is expensive, but the smell is good, and the packaging isn't terrible. This is def. for combo skin.

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hawaiiankiss on 4/12/2010 4:34:00 AM more reviews by hawaiiankiss

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I first tried this toner 2 years ago based on a recommendation by a friend. I used to get cystic acne along my chin and forehead, that were worst when it neared that time of the month. So, I was surprised how well it worked for me, especially since it contains alcohol. This toner leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. I wasn't expecting this toner to cure my acne problems in one day or even a week after using it, but I did notice that my skin cleared up a lot after a month. I find it helpful to use a bit more toner on problems areas, almost like a spot treatment, for instance, :[ when 2 pimples decide to form an alliance...

After my second bottle, I wanted to try a different toner from origins. I read good reviews about the Perfect World toner, and since it didn't contain alcohol, I decided to give it a try. The PW toner was good, but I didn't find it as affective as the United States one. So I switched back. I took away one lippie because of the price ($20), and the packaging. I liked it a lot more when the cap was one you flipped open, instead of the screw cap they have now.

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*TOP REVIEWER* husserl on 4/9/2010 4:24:00 AM more reviews by husserl

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Alas, I believe my LTR with Origins is coming to a close.


I'm not one to regularly use toners but I do like to keep one around for when I need to remove any make-up residue or if I am particularly oily. So, if this toner is supposed to work its mojo after consistent and repeated use, then I suppose I just set myself up for disappointment from the get-go. But, in my opinion, I think that the whole point of a toner is to give you immediate results -- whether they be mattifying, clarifying, moisturizing, whatever. Of course, those immediate results become more permanent if the toner becomes a permanent part of one's routine.


The weather has started to change and for the past couple of weeks, my skin has been an oily and broken out mess with the exception of my cheekbones which tend to stay dry for some reason. So, clearly, it was time again for United States to work its way back into my skin-care routine since this toner is supposed to "unite" my oily and dry "states" of being. As the days went on, I realized that my skin wasn't becoming any less oily to the touch after cleansing and toning. In fact, I noticed that I was starting to *overproduce* oil even more so than usual. My dry areas weren't any less dry, either. My guess is that this toner was stripping my skin if my skins response was to become even greasier. Annoying, gross, and depressing (because oil slicks and breakouts are definite mood-killers for me).


This must have worked for me at some point for me to use as much as I've used. But when I really think about whether or not I want to buy this again, I find myself thinking that, at its very best, it is only an average toner. At its worst, it encourages a greasy mess. And you know what? I don't want to feel annoyed and depressed after I cleanse and tone my face. My recent experience with this toner makes me want to not even bother finishing the bottle and I hate wasting product, no matter how much I hate it.


Also, it's way too pricey for the amount you get (A five-ounce bottle of toner?! That's mighty stingy of Origins, in my opinion -- it may think itself "department store" fancy but it's just not that fancy!). I mean, if I want something that is going to strip my sensitive skin, I guess could just blindly pick out any random drugstore toner and have at it. If you want to spend twenty bucks or something like that on a toner, get something that at least feels like a twenty dollar toner.


One last thought about why this product isn't worth a repurchase: Origins fancies itself a "natural" brand. If this is so, then why am I looking at the ingredients and reading things like "polyquaternium?" WTF is that about!? It sounds like either an undiscovered element or denture glue. I think Origins has one or two good skin care products out there that are worth it if one is willing to accept that they aren't entirely "natural" or anything close to organic. If something being "natural" is a priority for me (which, for some products, it is and for some it isn't), I don't have the consumer confidence in Origins like I used to. Now that the world of natural cosmetics has practically exploded in the past couple of years, the need for a brand like Origins becomes less and less clear to me because it's easier to find better products with more stringent regulations for acceptable ingredients. And, what's more, we can now have those products for less money.

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cakeisgood on 2/14/2010 3:18:00 PM more reviews by cakeisgood

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

UPDATE: STARTED CAUSEING MAJOR IRRITATION!! MY SKIN IS SO DIFFERENT THAN IT USED TO BE.
It has been years since I have used this product- just picked some up (i love the smell of geranium and lavender) and I am very happy. I have some breakouts due to my recent foundation search and this is taking care of them. It is also greatly reducing the amount of oil I am producing. Now I know this may feel harsh for those with dry, sensitive skin, but if you have problems with acne or oil, give it a try! Besides, Origins has a great return policy if it doesn't work out for you.

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adlynnz on 12/12/2009 11:37:00 AM more reviews by adlynnz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

this gets a plus point for its lovely smell. it may have loads of alcohol but it certainly doesn't smell like it. coupled with never a dull moment (cleanser) and balanced diet (moisturizer), this gave the perfect balance of moisture where my face needed it and strips off oiliness where my face doesn't.

i live in singapore where it's hot and humid, so usually my make-up comes off and my face gets oily by afternoon (4h after applying). but this trio has been the perfect combi for my skin so far.

love it. can't rave enough about it.

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suabcua on 9/16/2009 6:55:00 PM more reviews by suabcua

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This toner has alcohol in it and it burned my skin! So if you have sensitive skin the alcohol in this might irritate your skin. The packaging is also bad because you have no control over how much toner you're going to get. I just dip a cotton ball into the bottle. I guess the hole is big so that you'll be able to get all the product out. This bottle is not like the APW where there is a small hole for you to cover with the cotton ball and dispense the product with a light shake. I give it 2 lippie because it was able to remove traces of dirt that the cleanser left behind. It also didn't break me out but it did strip my skin.

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idontknowmomo on 7/3/2009 7:05:00 PM more reviews by idontknowmomo

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I'm pretty sure that this product has been discontinued. I've been using it for about two years now. It is my favorite toner. Feels nice and refreshing but doesn't burn or sting. And the scent is lovely also! I'm not sure what I'm going to switch to after I finish up my last bottle.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Gabster90 on 12/29/2008 11:28:00 PM more reviews by Gabster90

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

It leaves my skin matte and non-shiny without being harsh. This is one of the few toners that doesn't sting my skin.

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HappyPretty on 12/9/2008 11:46:00 PM more reviews by HappyPretty

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This product contains too much alcohol, doesn't perform well, adds no benefit to my skin. Definitely won't buy it again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pootiebear1031 on 11/30/2008 1:02:00 PM more reviews by pootiebear1031

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This toner is excellent for combination skin. It helped balance my skin and prevented my t zone from becoming oily during the day. I used the toner twice a day after cleansing. The toner contains laminaria, soy protein, bergamot, spearmint and lavender. Origins describes this toner as being able to unite dry and oily areas and make them become one This toner helps remove pore clogging debris and smooth rough spots. When I used this toner it made my skin feel fresh and clean.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No