In the winter months, our instinct is often to slather our skin with heavy creams and moisturizers. But in order to keep your skin hydrated throughout the entire day, there is a much more effective—and lightweight—solution. Read on to discover what makes this hydrating toner stand out from the rest.

“The most wonderful time of the year” is also the coldest and, in many cases, the driest. Chilly December days lead to low humidity, harsh winds and more reliance on artificial heat, all of which can strip the skin of its natural moisture and weaken our protective skin barrier. Even with several months of winter left to go, your skin may already be feeling tighter, drier or more irritated. While we are often tempted to reach for thick creams and lotions as a solution, they tend to be made of large molecules, including oils, silicones and waxes that struggle to truly penetrate your skin, leaving product sitting on the surface. But is there a better way?

One Step for All-Day Hydration

Our team spent six years obsessively researching this question. We wanted to create a product that would deliver hydration to your skin not only in the moment of application, but create a shield of hydration that would protect your skin all day long. We wanted this formula to be lightweight and easy for your skin to absorb, while still providing powerful, multi-beneficial results, strengthening your skin barrier and providing dozens of water-soluble nutrients at once, including vitamin C, so that your skin was left not only hydrated, but also plump, firm, illuminated and exfoliated.

The result is Active Treatment Essence. Named the “Best Luxury Essence” by Marie Claire, this formula was painstakingly designed to be the world’s most effectively hydrating toner. After applying the formula, powerful hydrators and humectants including hyaluronic, apple pectin, aloe and more create a hydration matrix over your skin, continuing to capture hydration from the environment and deliver it to your skin all day long. In an eight-week clinical trial, 94% of participants showed an improvement in overall skin hydration, and agreed the product left their skin looking bright, illuminated and visibly plumper.

I've sworn by Active Botanical Serum for years—it's that good—but turns out it only covered the moisture piece of the puzzle. Active Treatment Essence (a soft, skin-loving spritz) is what locks in hydration. Now I won't go without either. Vintner's Daughter aims to perfect, and they seriously deliver.

— Megan Karp, wellness and beauty writer and designer, This Part of Me

Why It Works Better

Many other hydrators rely on ingredients with a large molecular weight, meaning the benefits are more difficult for your skin to absorb. We ferment Active Treatment Essence for two full weeks, which helps break down larger molecules into smaller components that are able to penetrate your skin more deeply. While other hyaluronic acid serums rely on high molecular weight hyaluronic which often ends up sitting on top of your skin, we use mini and micro hyaluronic acid in this formula, which allows for much deeper hydration. This synergy creates comprehensive hydration for dry skin that works on multiple levels at once, plumping deeper layers while shielding the surface. 

To ensure our hydrating ingredients are fully absorbed, the skin must also be free of dead cellular buildup. But instead of solving this problem by adding an extra exfoliation step to your routine, Active Treatment Essence serves as a gentle micro exfoliator and powerful hydrator (not to mention its myriad of other nourishing benefits) at once. We utilize plant-based enzymes from pineapple and papaya to gently slough off dead skin cells without harming your skin barrier, essentially dissolving the "glue" that holds dead skin cells together. Unlike a harsh face scrub, which can tear at the skin barrier and damage sensitive or dry skin even further, this method reveals fresh skin without damage, ensuring that every drop of hydration can penetrate your skin effectively.

How to Incorporate More Hydration Into Your Routine

To get the most out of this hydrating toner, apply it immediately after cleansing your face. Spray the formula 5 to 7 times across your face, neck and chest, or spray into your hands first and then apply. Next, firmly push and press the formula into your skin, creating an almost pump-like motion with your hands. Continue to push and press until the product feels tacky or sticky on the skin. This "sticky" feeling indicates that the powerful humectants are bonding to your skin and drawing moisture from the air. Next, finish your routine with a moisturizer or face oil to lock this hydration into your skin.

Many products have a simple approach to hydration, delivering one or two actively hydrating ingredients and hoping your skin manages to absorb them. But we take five weeks to craft each bottle of Active Treatment Essence, over 66 times longer than it requires to create the average skincare product. In that time, we meticulously ensure this formula provides your skin with multi-beneficial results. This unconventional approach is the secret behind Active Treatment Essence's powerful results, and the reason it stands alone as the best hydrating toner—but that is just the beginning of its powerful benefits.