Best Toner Recommendations For Different Skin Types
Beginners to skincare or teens building your first skin routine are prone to picking up a toner from the local drugstore without understanding its benefits or knowing your skin type. A toner can be a secret skincare weapon that goes a long way in a skincare regimen. Face toners balance our skin's pH levels, remove dirt and impurities, and prepare our skin for the next products in our routine.
However, with the huge availability of many toner brands, finding the right one indeed needs some due diligence. So, without further ado, let's get right at it.
This blog will discuss the best Korean and Japanese toner brands suitable for different skin types.
First, you must learn the job of a toner!
“A toner gently refreshes your skin without stripping it of its natural moisture. Adding a toner to your skin prepares it to absorb moisturizer and other treatments you may use. A toner also neither irritates sensitive skin nor dries it out.”
Different Skin Types And Suitable Face Toners
Before we dive into the best toners for different skin types, it's essential to understand the different skin types. There are four main types of skin: oily, dry, combination, and sensitive.
We will also discuss specific toner brands for dull, dehydrated skin and acne-prone skin.
Oily Skin
When most people think about oily or acne-prone skin, they don't realize it can also be dehydrated. One should choose a toner formula that is not only designed to help reduce oil or acne, but also to hydrate skin.
Here are our top face toner picks for oily skin:
Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Toner 2x
People with large pores can benefit from this wipe-off toner as it effectively absorbs excess sebum and removes dead skin.
Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner
Green tea helps combat fungal breakouts and remove excess sebum. Anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory features make it sooting for acne-prone skin as well.
Also suitable for irritated, sensitive, acne-prone, and dull skin
Dry Skin
Hello, dry-skin peeps! It's time you make moisture your best friend, as your skin lacks natural oil. You need a facial toner with extra hydrating ingredients, like beta glucan, hyaluronic acid, or snail mucin.
Here are our top face toner picks for dry skin:
I'm from Rice Toner
This watery toner contains 78% rice extract that deeply nourishes and brightens the skin. Polysaccharides & Omega-3 fatty acids help brighten skin, anti-aging, and smooth texture.
Suitable for dry and dull skin.
Tony Moly Wonder Ceramide Mochi Toner
It contains ceramides and Centella to keep the skin looking plump and soft and comes in a massive 500ml bottle.
Round Lab Birch Juice Toner
The product contains birch juice and red seaweed extract to hydrate, nourish, and reduce fine lines and scaliness caused by dehydration.
Combination Skin
This skin type is a mix of oily and dry skin, with an oily T-zone and dry cheeks.
If you have combination skin, it's always hard to choose products, not knowing if you should tailor it to the oily or dry parts of the face. For some steps like serums or moisturizers, it might make sense to have different products, but for toners, it's best to go with something hydrating and nourishing that both oily and dry skin can benefit from.
Here are our top toner for skin suitable for combination skin:
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner
This toner contains red seaweed extract that helps improve elasticity and strengthen the barrier. It also has sugarcane extract that gently exfoliates and seawater that detoxifies.
Also suitable for dry skin.
CosRx AHA/PHA Clarifying Toner
This clarifying toner is a gentle exfoliator that controls oil, removes dead skin cells, and prevents whiteheads, blackheads, and congestion.
Also suitable for sensitive skin.
Sensitive skin
The latest skincare products aren't always suitable for sensitive skin, but that doesn't mean you should avoid them entirely. This skin type is easily irritated and prone to redness and rashes. Choose a formula with gentle ingredients specially designed for your skin type.
Here are our top face toner picks for sensitive skin:
Dear Klairs Unscented Toner
This product contains licorice root extract that fights acne and reduces scarring. The other major ingredients are Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Centella Asiatica Extract, and Natto Gum.
Also, suitable for dry, dehydrated, and acne-prone skin
Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
It contains Astragalus membranaceous root extract that is anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. Thus, it is highly suitable for hydrating and strengthening irritated and sensitive skin.
Also suitable for dry skin.
Dull skin
Dull skin typically means your skin isn't getting the vitamins & hydration it needs to sustain a healthy biome, or you have a lot of dead skin cells on the surface that aren't renewing. Lack of sleep, poor diet, and not washing your face regularly can all lead to dull skin, so if these are you, fix it from the source.
Here are our top face toner picks for dull skin:
CosRx Propolis Synergy Toner
CosRx propolis synergy toner is the top toner for achieving a healthy and translucent glow. This toner contains 73% propolis and 10% honey extract, which helps improve texture & adds hydration and glow to the skin.
Also suitable for dry and acne-prone skin.
Hada Labo Premium Whitening Lotion
This facial toner contains arbutin, the most stable hydroquinone derivative, known for skin lightening to help with discoloration & pigmentation.
Acne Prone Skin
If your skin is acne prone (either oily or dry), the toner step is to ensure your skin is soothed and hydrated for the rest of your routine.
Here are our top face toner picks for acne-prone skin:
Dr G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Toner
It contains 5 Centellas that quickly reduce irritation and redness and heal acne. The presence of willow bark extract helps with gentle exfoliation.
Some by Mi AHA BHA PHA Toner
This toner removes oil and shrinks pores through 3 kinds of exfoliants—AHA, BHA, and PHA. Besides, it is best for daily use.
Also suitable for sensitive and dull skin
Wrap up!
Toner is a crucial product that is quite helpful in removing any last traces of dirt, grime, and impurities stuck in our pores after we wash our face. Regular use of this product can have a major positive impact on the appearance and tightness of your pores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are astringent and toners the same thing?
Astringent is always mistaken for toner, but they are slightly different. Astringents contain alcohol, a key ingredient for oily skin. Astringents are especially good at oil control.
When and how should I use a face toner?
When applying the toner, soak a cotton ball and gently sweep it across your face after cleansing every morning and night. Ideally, toner should be your second step so your skin can absorb your moisturizer (third step) and skin treatments (fourth step).
Who should use face toner?
Everyone! Whether you wear Korean makeup Canada, have oily skin, or are prone to acne, toner for skin will always help since it deep cleans and closes pores.