FAQs on toners
What are skin toners used for?
Not to be confused with hair toner, which is a type of dye, face toner is a beneficial extra step in between cleansing and treating/hydrating.
So, what do toners do for skin? Face toner soothes your skin and restores its pH balance after cleansing, plus removes any oil or makeup your cleanser didn’t remove (as well as any leftover soap residue). Toners also provide hydration, which allows whatever you put on your skin next to penetrate deeper into it. So they make your serum and moisturizer more effective!
And that’s just a basic face toner. Nowadays, you can easily buy toners with additional benefits such as Vitamin C to brighten the skin, or targeted anti-acne ingredients.
How should I layer toners?
Toners should be the second step in your skincare routine, after cleansing and before applying any other products to your skin.
Although one face toner is usually enough (especially if your cleanser already contains exfoliating ingredients), in some skincare routines it can make sense to use both an exfoliating toner and a hydrating toner. In this case, apply the one with the thinnest texture first. If they are both similarly watery, apply the exfoliating toner followed by the hydrating toner.
Do toners help for acne?
100%! Skin toners are an excellent addition to your skincare regimen if you suffer from acne, as they help to really unclog the pores in a way that cleanser alone often cannot. By rebalancing your skin’s pH level, they also reduce the irritation that can lead to breakouts.
If you have acne-prone skin, some of our favorite toners with added acne-fighting ingredients are the Murad Clarifying Toner which helps to regulate oil production, and the Glytone Acne Clearing Toner which contains salicylic acid to remove the dead skin cells and other debris which can clog up pores.
