Top Skin Toners: Discover the Perfect Match for Your Skin Type

Gone are the days when you’re using dehydrating, irritating astringents that do more harm than good to your skin. In today’s era, toners have come a long way, thanks to their evolution in recent years – they boast tons of skincare benefits now. Whether it’s extra hydration you want, looking for a product that minimizes pores, wants help in removing excess grime and oil, or anything else, toners are a one-shot straight-way ticket that targets many skin concerns. 

Also known as second cleansing at times, toners are applied after the cleansing and before serums, moisturizers and other beauty products. If you’re wondering why, let’s talk about the science behind it. They look like water, but we swear the formulation is more complex than hydrogen and oxygen, as the newest generation of toners is packed with antioxidants, acids, glycerin and anti-inflammatory agents. It’s a fast-absorbing, penetrative beauty product that delivers an instant hydration dose, as many formulations are now alcohol-free. Plus, it also acts as a primer and sets the base for further makeup products. The result: plump, hydrated, glowy, healthy skin. 

But here’s a catch; to ensure you get the most out of it, you should use a toner that suits your skin type. The market is brimming with them, each claiming itself best, making a choice all the more difficult. To help you avoid the struggle of guesswork, we hand-picked five popular toners you can add to your skincare regimen.

Comparing the Most Popular Toners 

Biossance Squalane + BHA Pore Minimizing Toner — Best Overall

Insanely popular for its magical abilities, this Biossance Squalane + BHA Pore Minimizing Toner is everything you could ask for. Infused with an AHA (caviar lime extract), BHA (willow bark extract), and squalane, this pick hydrates, exfoliates, and unclogs pores for smoother, softer skin. The powerful yet gentle formula is free from toxic chemicals like parabens and alcohol and doesn’t dry your skin. What’s greater, it dissolves dead skin cells, calms the inflammation, and soothes the skin, leaving behind a feeling of freshness that radiates inside out. It’s safe, non-irritating and definitely the best overall product on our list. 

Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Toner — Best for Oily Skin

Oily and acne-prone skin babes, once you swipe on the Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner, you’ll understand what a match made in heaven looks like. The star ingredient of this pick – salicylic acid, a powerful BHA and exfoliating agent, paired with moringa water, helps to remove impurities, gunk and excess oil from the pores without stripping the skin of its natural moisture. The addition of papaya enzymes, and moringa extract aids in exfoliation, cleanse the skin, and controls shine. All these powerhouse agents work together to unclog the pores, control excess oil production, and nourish and condition the skin for a healthy-looking complexion. 

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner — Best K-Beauty

This brand has some super cute aesthetic sense and knows all the right tricks to make a place in a customer’s heart. Its skincare line is a crowd favorite and has next-level hype, and it’s easy to understand why. This Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner lives up to its name as it delivers a boost of hydration and offers a refined, smooth-looking complexion that you’ll fall in love with. Its formulated with impressive active ingredients such as PHA and BHA that provides the most gentle chemical exfoliation, remove dead skin cells buildup, help to decongest the pores, and target oiliness and breakouts for clear, clean skin. It also contains botanical, cactus water, and watermelon extract full of ammo acids and electrolytes that help the skin retain moisture, keeping the skin soft and supple with a dewy glow. 

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner — Best for Acne-Prone Skin

Exfoliating glycolic acid, rejuvenating grapefruit extract and soothing aloe vera, this Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner is perfect for gals that struggle with oily, acne-prone or combination skin. Add this to your routine and say goodbye to regular breakouts with this innovative formula, as it’s one step in achieving the skin of your dreams. It does an excellent job of reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and firms the skin, restoring a youthful, fresh-looking complexion. 

Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer — Best for Dry Skin

Who doesn’t love multi-tasking, especially when it comes to skincare? Targeting two concerns with one pick, this Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer is a go-to product for dry, flaky skin types. Enriched with white tea leaf water (richly concentrated in amino acids) and glycerin, this dual pick preps and hydrates the skin in one go, saving time and effort and is perfect for those lazy skin days. Its creamy texture is easy to glide and spreads nicely on the skin, leaving a smooth, slippery, dewy finish behind. 

Buying Guide: Skin Toner 

Toners deliver skincare ingredients right to your face, purifying and softening the skin for other treatment products. Just like all other skin and beauty items, you should also use a toner that meets the needs of your skin type. We know choosing a toner for yourself in this saturated market is a cumbersome task. Therefore, to ease the process a little for you, we are mentioning some basic pointers that you can use while on your next toner shopping. 

Things to Look for 

Skin type 

It’s always advised to do a patch test before incorporating any skincare product into your regimen to ensure no irritation or reaction. Determining your skin type is the first and most crucial step in selecting toner. Once you know this, you know exactly what your skin needs and concerns. 

Below are ingredients that you should look for and avoid when dealing with a specific skin type: 

• Dry and sensitive skin: Humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, squalane, and aloe are great for a moisture boost. Plus, it’s better to avoid a toner with alcohol as it can be a potential irritant due to its astringent qualities that may lead to excessive dryness. 

• Oily, acne-prone or combination skin: People with oily skin types should invest in toners with hydroxy acids, like AHA and BHAs. These ingredients help to clear pores, remove dead skin cells (exfoliates), reduce oil production and control shine.

Frequently Asked Questions