Facial toners are essential components of skincare regimens that aim to make skin appear radiant and even. By balancing PH levels and shrinking pore sizes, toners help balance out your PH levels and prepare the face to receive other components of skincare.
After cleansing (and removing makeup), using an appropriate cleanser, and pouring some onto a cotton pad or directly onto your skin, take time to gently sweep over your complexion with it.
1. Removes excess oil
Face toners help remove excess oil and sebum, helping prevent clogged pores that lead to breakouts. In addition, they balance skin’s pH level after cleansing. Formulations might include glycolic acid for exfoliation; glycerin for hydration; salicylic acid for acne control or even soothing ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil or aloe vera may be added for additional hydrating benefits.
Toner should be used twice daily – in the morning and evening – after cleansing your face, and prior to applying treatments or moisturizers. A toner helps ensure any remaining impurities are cleared away so your skincare products can absorb properly into your skin; plus it prepares it for smooth application while simultaneously reducing pores for an enhanced glow!
2. Hydrates
Face toner is a water-based liquid designed to balance your skin’s natural pH level, remove residual makeup or impurities, and prepare your skin to absorb any post-cleansing treatments you use. Some toners contain humectant ingredients for added hydration while others feature high concentrations of alpha or beta hydroxy acids to exfoliate. They can be divided into different intensities: bracers (the mildest option), acid toners and astringents.
Though toners were once neglected as skincare necessities, they’ve since been reinvented into essential beauty tools with skin-loving ingredients tailored to every skin type and concern. Soothing properties in particular are beneficial in relieving sensitive skin of redness and irritation, while those with oily complexions may benefit from using balancing formulas that regulate sebum production or unclog pores; those with dry or dull complexions should look for products packed with humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid to prevent tightness in tightened or tightened pores.
3. Unclogs pores
Chemical exfoliators such as glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid offer an alternative to physical exfoliators by dissolving dead skin cells to keep pores unclogged and by dissolving sebum plugs that form blackheads and whiteheads.
Toners can help reduce inflammation and redness from acne as well as other skin conditions like rosacea and psoriasis, while simultaneously soothing any potential irritation from ingredients like glycerin, centella asiatica extract or panthenol that do not irritate skin.
Toners should be stored in cool and dry locations and discarded once they show any sign of spoiling or degradation. Astringent toners with high concentrations of alcohol (e.g. denatured alcohol) should be avoided as they can irritate and strip away moisture from your skin’s moisture barrier, leading to irritation and stripping away hydration barrier layers. Choose a non-comedogenic toner tailored to your skin type for application with gentle technique layering accordingly for best results. Used properly a toner can boost cleansing efficacy, balance pH of skin while simultaneously prepping your skin for absorption of serums and moisturizers from serums and moisturizers for smooth absorption by your body – making a thoughtfully selected toner an integral component of preventive skincare.
4. Soothes
Face toner may seem unnecessary if your skincare regimen consists of serums and creams that seem to do the job just as effectively, but modern formulas have come a long way since those harsh old-school astringents of yesteryear; today they contain skin-nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica and aloe to balance pH levels after cleansing, remove any remaining makeup or dirt and help your other products absorb more effectively.
If you want to incorporate toner into your routine, we suggest adding it daily after cleansing and before applying moisturizers or treatments. Just be careful that any active ingredients (exfoliants or vitamin C) found in a serum don’t conflict and cause irritation – for sensitive skin individuals this could even mean avoiding toners with alcohol in them!
