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Today we are doing an Abib Jericho Rose PHA Toner Review — a product that somehow claims to exfoliate, hydrate, firm the skin, reduce wrinkles and still be suitable for sensitive skin. Which immediately makes me suspicious, because usually when skincare tries to do everything, it ends up doing absolutely nothing except adding another layer in your already full routine.

But after testing this for several weeks, I actually think this product fills a very specific niche — especially if your skin is getting more sensitive with age, you’re tired of aggressive exfoliation, and you want your skin to just look healthier rather than aggressively ‘transformed’.

So let’s talk about what this toner actually does, who I think will enjoy it, and who should absolutely save their money.

What the Abib Jericho rose PHA Toner Skin Booster claims

Rose of Jericho: Contains Trehalose for enhanced moisture retention, delivering a refreshing, hydrating effect.

Slow-Aging Formula: Uses resurrection plant vitality to enhance skin elasticity, deeply moisturize, and create firmer, smoother skin—effective and gentle for sensitive skin.

Water Essence Texture & Skin Irritation Tested: PHA 5%-infused water essence penetrates easily without stickiness, clinically tested to improve texture on sensitive skin.

Facts about the Abib Jericho Rose PHA Toner Skin Booster

Prize and size

One bottle contains 200 ml and is available for 15 € on the website here. This is a standard size for toners, probably so you can layer them on easily, but still means you have a lot of product to go through.

Texture and smell

This one is nothing like the watery texures I am used to find in bottles like this. It is thick, almost feeling like a liquid gel. Great as it doesn’t run through your fingers and feels substantial when you spread it – some of the more watery textures seem to disappear into nothing when you pat them on.

While it isn’t sticky when you spread it, it develops some tackiness in the first thirty seconds that lingers. That disappears as soon as you put something on top and never let to pilling for me, but did mildly bother me.

How to use the Abib Jericho Rose PHA Toner Skin Booster

Here comes the usual disclaimer: Toners are not a necessity in a good skincare routine. If you don’t want one, you can totally skip that step. (More info: Toner, Tonic, Essence – The difference explained) I use them for an extra layer of lightweight hydration both in my morning and evening routine, sometimes even layered on multiple times. (More info: What is the Seven Skins Method?) For the hardworking part though I rely on a serum or a dedicated exfoliant.

Due to the stickiness this one develops it is more of an evening product for me. Even though the tacky feeling disappears when I use my Vitamin C on top, just knowing it was there bothers me. My mornings are pretty streamlined, and even thinking about anything that might throw me off is too much (Yes, I know I should probably work on that). The richer texture lends itself to evening use for me anyway though and I have used it every night during the colder months, often patted in in three or four layers fpr maximum hydration.

I know I am an advocate of using exfoliants targeted and never daily, but in this case I don’t consider it to be an exfoliating product. Neither the Polyhydroxy Acids nor the added Bakuchiol will do much as „actives“, so I wouldn’t worry about irritation either.

Why? Because of probably quite low concentrations and the way they work in general.

Polyhydroxy Acids compared to Glycolic Acid for exfoliation

There is a dedicated blogpost on the effects of Polyhydroxy Acids in skincare here, so this is just a short summary. While Polyhydroxy Acids are closely related to other Alpha-Hydroxy Acids like Glycolic Acid and do work on breaking the bonds between skin cells, facilitating exfoliation, they are also much larger than Glycolic Acid. Their size means they will stay on the surface level of the skin, affecting only the upper layer compared to the smaller Glycolic Acid that can get deeper into the skin and so affects more layers.

They also have more Hydroxy groups, which makes them attractive to water, so they have a humectant effect, improving hydration on the skin surface. This extra hydration paired with the minimal exfoliation means they aren’t good at targeting strong texture or giving drastic results over night. Instead they leave your skin a little smoother and a little better hydrated without the risk of irritation.

While in clinical studies up to 30% concentrations were used, 10% is usually the maximum you get in cosmetics and this product – according to the brand – contains 5%.

Ingredients of the Abib Jericho rose PHA Toner Skin Booster

Water solv, Propanediol solv|h, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, Gluconolactone exf|chel, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, 2,3-Butanediol h|solv, Tromethamine buff, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Anastatica Hierochuntica (Jericho Rose) Extract, Dipropylene Glycol solv, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract vc, Lactobacillus Ferment so|pres, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Centella Asiatica Extract so|aox|h, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract so|aox|h, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil emo, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Glycereth-26 h|emo|vc 0 0, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 vc, C12-14 Alketh-12, Hydroxyacetophenone aox|pres, Hydrolyzed Sclerotium Gum h, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Adenosine cci, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emo, Polyquaternium-51 h, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Hydrogenated Lecithin emo|emu, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Dextrin vc|h, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Bakuchiol cci|aox|amic, Ectoin aox|so|h, Trehalose h, Ceramide NP sii, Phytosphingosine sii|cci|aacne|amic, Octyldodecanol emo|perf, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate surf|emu, Phosphatidylcholine emu, Asiaticoside aox|perf, Asiatic Acid , Madecassic Acid , Glycolipids, Sorbitol h 0 0, Madecassoside aox|so, Copper Tripeptide-1 cci|so|aox, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 cci|h, Disodium EDTA chel

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The PHA used here is Gluconolactone. There are several different ones, but not one that seems superior to the others. For additional hydration you have Glycerin, Trehalose and Sodium Hyaluronate as humectants and Niacinamide for its various skin benefits. (More info: The benefits of Niacinamide in skincare explained). You will also find several fermented ingredients, Centella Asiatica both as extract and in its active forms as well as Adenosine, Panthenol, Ectoin, skin identical lipids and Ceramide NP for skin soothing. (More info: The benefits of fermented ingredients in skincare explained, The benefits of Centella Asiatica in skincare explained, The benefits of Panthenol in skincare explained, The benefits of Ectoin in skincare explained and The benefits of Ceramides in skincare explained)

Bakuchiol is often referred to as plant-based retinol alternative, but I am personally not convinced by the data and would recommend anyone able to use a true retinoid to use that instead. (More info: The benefits of Bakuchiol in skincare explained)

Also thrown in for good measure are two peptides: Copper Tripeptide-1 and Acetyl Hexaeptide-8. Peptides are a huge ingredient class and can do completely different things, but these two aim to firm the skin through an increase in collagen and elastin production. (More info: The benefits of peptides in skincare explained)

While all of this sounds like a lot, remember that it is a toner, so the individual concentration is likely low. Now not everything needs high concentrations, but I usually turn to a serum if I want to make sure my product has the most impact.

More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare

Does it live up to its claims?

Some.

It does contain Trehalose and is hydrating, but it surely isn’t the Rose of Jericho that does the slowing down of the aging process. And while I agree that my skins texture is slightly better when used consistently, I would attribute that to the hydration rather than the PHA content.

How does it compare to…

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Essence Toner

When I first tried Abib, I immediately thought about this toner from SKIN1004 as it feels very similar in texture (even in initial tackiness). Looking at the ingredients you get a similar selection, but with a stronger focus on Centella Asiatica (it is the name patron of the brand after all), but also Panthenol and Ceramides. What it is missing is the Gluconolactone and the Bakuchiol, so if you are specifically looking for these, SKIN1004 isn’t an alternative. Otherwise both work equally well in hydrating and soothing my skin.

You can read my full review of the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Essence Toner here.

The Inkey List PHA Toner

Now if it is a PHA toner you are after, it doesn’t get more streamlined than with the one from The Inkey List. It contains 3% Gluconolactone as well as 3% Niacinamide as well as a few hydrating ingredients. What you don’t get are the many soothing ingredients, the peptides and the Bakuchiol. In the end, it comes down to how your routine is build: Do you have your peptides and your retinoid in a separate product already? Then The Inkey List is the straightforward option. Or do you want something that does a little bit of everything? Then Abib might be the better choice.

You can read my full review of The Inkey List PHA Toner here.

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the Abib Jericho rose PHA Toner Skin Booster to?

I like the Abib Jericho Rose PHA Toner a lot for its hydrating and soothing properties. The exfoliation effect is subtle at best, but it leaves my skin soft, hydrated and smooth even during the colder months.

This is probably not a transformational anti-aging product, but it may be a very elegant maintenance product for people whose skin can no longer tolerate aggressive exfoliation.

You can easily skip this of you want strong results for texture, mainly target clogged pores or have well hydrated and calm skin already.

Shop Abib skincare here

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