Celebrity Facialist Sofie Pavitt Says You Should Freeze Your Toner
When superstar facialist Sofie Pavitt launched her skincare brand in early 2023, it didn’t take long for her die-hard fans and those who’d never heard her name to become obsessed with her. But that’s no surprise to us — Pavitt has earned a reputation as NYC’s acne whisperer for her signature deep-cleansing facials, which often come with month-long waiting lists. No longer just a secret for NYC cool girls, Pavitt is also a facialist to the stars, frequently prepping celebrities like Lorde and Zendaya for their red carpet appearances.
Her brand, Sofie Pavitt Face, was a natural evolution of her in-office treatments, allowing her to offer services previously reserved for NYC It girls, editors, and celebrities to the world. Their first product, the Mandelic Clearing Serum, was an immediate success and introduced many to the healing powers of mandelic acid. Their second product, the Clean Clear Cleanser, is the perfect no-flaking, no-fuss gel cleanser that feels like a cream.
On September 5, she added a third step to her Sofie Pavitt Face routine with the new Nice Ice Toner Pads, single-use toner capsules that can be frozen before use. Below we dive into the inspiration and recipe behind the product, as well as my honest review.
Inspiration
If you’ve ever scrolled through Pavitt’s Instagram, you know she’s a big fan of anti-inflammatory sugaring—both at home and in the studio. However, she wanted to create an easy way to perform cryotherapy treatments at home.
Sophie Pavitt Nice Ice
Sophie Pavitt Face
“I’m a huge fan of skin sugaring,” Pavitt told Byrdie. “In my own practice, we’re a firm supporter of the technique to help clients reduce inflammation, calm irritation, and increase circulation.”
She added that she’d “always wanted to create a cryotherapy treatment for clients to use at home. Ice rollers and tools are great, but they’re a hassle to clean and store—I wanted to create something super sanitary and easy to use—a product that I would use only for my own clients.” That’s how Nice Ice was born.
Sofie Pavitt Face Nice Ice Toner Pads $68.00 SHOP FORMULAS For Pavitt, “Nice Ice is the panacea for dull skin.” The product contains four key ingredients—glycerin, niacinamide, green tea extract, and ashwagandha—all of which are gentle, non-comedogenic, and soothing. Contains glycerin to improve the skin barrier with every use. Niacinamide is great for brightening, soothing redness, and fighting acne. Green tea extract acts as an antioxidant to reduce inflammation and skin irritation. Finally, ashwagandha protects the skin from environmental stressors and pollution and helps nourish the skin. Models using Sofie Pavitt Face Nice Ice Toner Sofie Pavitt Face Since all of these ingredients are gentle and work well with most active ingredients, there’s really no limit to how often you can use Nice Ice. It can be used daily or occasionally (Pavitt recommends one to two times a week) on clean, dry skin and applied evenly to the face and neck.
Pavitt says she “tested the product over and over again with freeze-thaw/stability tests to ensure the formula remained active and could withstand the low temperatures of the freezer, which means not only can all the ingredients be kept on ice, you can also do your job thanks to the added benefit of freezing.”
Sofie Pavitt Face Nice Ice Toner
Sofie Pavitt Face
The product took more than two years to develop, and the biggest challenge was finding the right manufacturer for the unique packaging—Pavitt and her team “even interviewed food and beverage factories at times,” she says. However, they eventually found “a manufacturer with the right tools to bottle and assemble this innovative product.”
If you freeze this innovative product, Pavitt says, “make sure to lay the Nice Ice Box flat in the freezer: this will ensure you get an even and perfect slice of your frozen toning treatment.” She said she prefers to press mine “onto a cotton pad; that way you can catch the melted treatment on the cotton pad once it melts into your skin.”
She recommends using “circular motions all over your face and neck or anywhere you have inflamed or irritated skin” and can even use it “on waxed legs, after laser treatments, injectables [and] microneedling.”
Reviews
Zizi Strater Tried the Nice Ice Toner
@Generationzizi
It feels really good to use ice. I’ve only just been re-introduced to toners thanks to TikTok, but this one really stood out for its genius idea. The icy touch immediately made my skin feel amazing and incredibly refreshing, and I noticed that my irritated zits loved it. After cleansing with my usual cleanser and toning with Nice Ice on a cotton pad, my acne redness has decreased and is less noticeable. I also can’t get over how fun it is to use. I can see myself using Nice Ice regularly and would even say it might be my new favorite toner.
