A well-considered skincare ritual can be a simple way to give your complexion the care it needs. But with so many products to choose from, it can be difficult to know which steps are right for you—and where toner fits in.
So, what does toner do for your face? In this guide, Christine Dunn, National Director of Education at Pevonia International, explains what toner is, how it can complement your routine, and how to choose and use the right formula for your skin.
What Is Toner?
Toner is a lightweight liquid applied after cleansing to help prepare the skin for the rest of your routine.
As an educational expert and licensed esthetician, Christine Dunn explains that toner completes a skin cleanse, “removing tap water impurities and preparing the skin for the next skincare steps.”
Christine also notes that a toner can support different skin needs depending on its formula, from helping to rebalance the complexion to helping maintain moisture after the first cleansing step.
What Are the Benefits of Face Toner?
As Christine explains, depending on the formula, a face toner can offer visible benefits to the complexion while helping prepare the skin for the products that follow.
Everyday Benefits
Some everyday face toner benefits include:
Helps complete the cleansing step: Toner can help lift residual dirt, oil, and makeup after cleansing, allowing subsequent products in your skincare ritual to be effectively absorbed. Supports moisture and skin comfort: Incorporating a toner can help condition the skin, leaving it feeling refreshed, comfortable, and supple. Supports a balanced-looking complexion: Toners made with gentle acids and pH adjusters can help reduce the appearance of excess oil and maintain moisture levels for a clarified, radiant complexion.
Targeted Benefits
Helps deliver targeted actives: Depending on the formula, toner can utilize powerful actives to diminish the appearance of uneven texture, dullness, excess oil, and other common skin concerns.
Different Types of Skin Toners and What They Do
Toners are available in a variety of formulas, each designed to support different skin needs. Some help refresh and balance the complexion, while others are created to soothe, smooth, or target specific concerns.
As Christine further explains, choosing a toner suited to your skin’s needs can help support clearer-looking skin, “control excess bacteria, smooth the skin’s surface, and reduce post-inflammatory pigmentation.”
Knowing the differences between the various types of skin toners can help you identify and choose the correct toner to suit your routine.
Moisturizing Toners
Moisture-supporting toners are formulated with humectants and soothing ingredients to help leave skin feeling more comfortable after cleansing. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and enriching botanical extracts are commonly used to support a softer, more supple-looking complexion.
Exfoliating Toners
Exfoliating toners are formulated with ingredients such as AHAs or BHAs to help remove surface dead skin cells and improve the appearance of texture or congestion.
Common exfoliating ingredients include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid, with each ingredient providing distinct benefits for the skin.
Glycolic Acid Toner Benefits
Glycolic acid is an AHA used in toner formulas to help refine skin texture and support a brighter-looking complexion.
Lactic Acid Toner Benefits
Lactic acid is another AHA that supports surface exfoliation and is often used in toners designed to promote smoother-looking skin.
Salicylic Acid Toner Benefits
Salicylic acid is a BHA often used for oily or congested-looking skin, helping to support a clearer-looking complexion.
Expert Tip: Exfoliating formulas should be introduced to your skincare routine gradually. For more insight, explore our guide on exfoliation, including advice on how often to exfoliate your face.
Balancing Toner Benefits
Toners that help balance the complexion focus on ingredients that protect the skin barrier while calming the skin.
Niacinamide is often used in these skincare formulas to support balanced, healthy-looking skin and to help regulate oil production. When used in toners, it helps improve the appearance of an uneven complexion while helping to strengthen the skin barrier for optimum skin comfort.
How to Choose the Right Toner for Your Skin
When deciding which toner is right for you, Christine recommends choosing a toner based on your specific skin type for the best results—whether that is blemish-prone, dry, oily, or combination skin.
Toners for Dry Skin
For dry skin, choose a non-drying toner with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin E to support the skin’s moisture content.
Our Power Repair Hydrating Toner includes hyaluronic acid and vitamin E alongside marine elastin to deeply moisturize and bind water to the surface of the skin, leaving the complexion feeling refreshed, smooth, and comfortable after cleansing.
Toners for Oily Skin
For oily skin, look for a lightweight, non-drying toner that helps support a fresh, balanced feel without stripping the skin.
Our SpaTeen Blemished Skin Toner is designed to support a clearer, less congested-looking complexion. It contains exfoliating acids, including salicylic acid to help absorb excess sebum, alongside lactic acid to gently exfoliate and remove surface oil buildup, and botanicals such as witch hazel to help calm the skin.
Toners for Sensitive Skin
For reactive skin, choose a gentle toner with a low risk of irritation and avoid stronger exfoliating or alcohol-based formulas that may be abrasive or drying. A soothing, moisture-focused toner is usually the place to start. Our Sensitive Skin Lotion is an ideal option for reactive complexions, and our RS2 Gentle Lotion for redness-prone skin is clinically proven.
Toners for Mature or Uneven-Looking Skin
For mature or uneven-looking skin, look for a targeted moisturizing toner with actives designed to support the appearance of skin texture and tone.
Our Micro-Retinol Essential Toner is suited to mature or uneven skin types seeking a smoother, brighter-looking finish. Alcohol-free, this formula features aloe and glycerin to support moisture levels, alongside micro-retinol actives to support skin cell renewal and a brighter-looking complexion.
How to Use Toner on Your Face
Toner should be applied after cleansing and before the rest of your skincare routine. Depending on the formula, toner can be applied with a cotton pad or gently pressed into the skin with clean hands. Follow the product directions carefully, especially with exfoliating toners, avoiding the eye area.
Toner Before or After Serum and Moisturizer
If you use a serum and moisturizer, apply toner to freshly cleansed skin, followed by serum, then moisturizer. This allows each formula to be layered from the lightest to the richest texture. Always follow the product directions, particularly when using an exfoliating toner.
How Often to Use a Toner
How often you use a toner depends on your skin’s needs and the formula. Gentle, moisture-supporting toners may be suited to regular use, while exfoliating toners should be introduced gradually and used according to the product directions.
As Christine’s advice highlights, toner can be a transformative step when used correctly, complementing the rest of your routine while supporting a complexion that feels comfortable and looks refreshed.
Explore our range of toners to find a formula suited to your individual skin needs.
