What Toners Do in Skincare

Toners are often under-used in skin care regimes.

The main functions of toners are:

1) Provide an extra cleansing step

2) Improve your skin’s acidity -many skin care products are too alkaline, which disturbs your skin barrier, causing irritated, sensitive skin

3) Increase your skin’s hydration

4) Improve the absorption and effectiveness of active ingredients you may be applying to your skin. They allow these ingredients to penetrate deeper into your skin, which improves their effectiveness.

There are several types of toners:

Hydrating toners: make the skin moister and less irritated, good examples being CeraVe Hydrating Toner, and Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Toner.

Exfoliating toners contain mild acids, which cause gentle exfoliation (removal of damaged and dead skin cells), such as Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, or Pixi Glow Tonic.

Active Ingredient/ Treatment Toners deliver active ingredients, such as Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner, or Skin Active Vitamin C Toner, which contains Vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

How to Use Toners:

• Apply after cleansing, before serums
• Use cotton pad or pat directly into skin with hands
• Wait 30 seconds before applying next product
• Use morning and/or evening as needed

Modern toners are hydrating and treatment-focused rather than harsh and drying. They’re a good product if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your skin care regime, especially for dry, dehydrated, or treatment-resistant skin.

Toners aren’t essential – people with oily skin or using minimal skincare routines don’t necessarily need to use toners.