An Incomplete Introduction to Hydrating Toners

I LOVE TONERS. SO MUCH

I currently have all of these pictured above in rotation, and honestly my skin has never looked or felt better. If you haven’t gotten on the hydrating toner train yet, I 110% encourage and endorse it, regardless of your skin type. Specifically for dry skin in a dry place, I can truly feel the difference if I don’t do at least one or two layers of a toner in my routine. And, just between us, when I hit 10 total layers YOWZA my cheeks feel good and bouncy.

“Traditionally” (in US-based skincare, that is), toners have long been a pore-tightening, astringent step — think the still-very-popular Thayer’s witch hazel, for example. Indeed, some consider toners to actually be the last step of cleansing. But the hydrating toners more typically seen in k- and j-beauty could not be more different.

Note: the toners I’m talking about here are NOT exfoliating toners, like the Krave Kale-lalu-yAHA, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution, or even more gentle exfoliating toners like the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner.

Benefits of Toners

Toners, by nature, are very watery products. Indeed, many of them are indistinguishable from water when you hold them in the palm of your hand. As such, they’re great for hydration, first and foremost. To that end, they’re usable by all skin types — after all, we could all do with a bit more hydration, inside and out. Many toners have additional benefits, though, depending upon what sort of “star ingredients” they might feature.

Cosrx is a prime example of this. I’ve been extolling the virtues of the Cosrx Propolis Toner for MONTHS as a good way to get some gentle anti-acne benefits, especially for those of us who have dry skin but still are doomed to break out when we menstruate. Since December I’ve also been using and loving the Cosrx Cica Toner, which is significantly more watery but layers up beautifully to strengthen and soothe the skin (good old centella asiatica).

How to Use a Toner

Many folks who’ve previously used toners are accustomed to popping that sucker on a cotton pad and swiping all over. And indeed, I still endorse that mode of usage for exfoliating toners. But that’s unneeded and arguably wasteful for a hydrating toner. All you need to do is tap some into your palm (I like a dime-sized amount) and then pat it into your face. What exactly “patting” entails is up to you — I personally do more of a “smear it all around and then press and hold” person. I then do that, well, up to 10ish times in my PM routine.

Layering Toners

“10ish times in your PM routine?!?!?!?” you exclaim, quite rightly. Well, at some point within the past few years, “Seven Skins” became a very popular trend — it’s basically applying your toner seven times. If it sounds excessive, it is. But most toners are quite easy to layer, and even oily skin types can benefit from a couple layers. Given that I live in Colorado, my poor water-deprived skin looooooves a lot of layers.

Importantly, you don’t have to do all of your layers of the same toner. In fact, you might not want to. I, personally, like to put about as many ingredients as possible on my face, so I enjoy doing a couple of each. Lately my PM toning routine has been:

1. Two layers of Missha First Treatment Essence
2. Two layers of Cosrx Cica Toner
3. A spritz of Peach & Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist
4. Two layer of Peach Slices Snail Rescue Toner
5. Another spritz of mist
6. Two layers of Cosrx Propolis Toner
7. Two layers of I’m From Mugwort Essence

In the name of expedience (and lack of caffeine) my AM toning routine is much simpler — usually just Missha, Cosrx Cica and the mist.

How you layer your toners, how many layers you do and what order you put them in is largely up to you and what makes your skin feel happy.

Toners vs Essences

I pulled a bit of a fast one and included some essences in there. That’s because in a lot of ways, essence fulfill the same function as toners. Essences, however, frequently have just one single ingredient. Many of them, additionally, are fermented. “First Essences” are named that because they’re intended to go first, while plain old essences are typically the last step in your toning routine. Once you actually open one, the reason for this becomes clear — first essences like the one from Missha are incredibly watery and lightweight, whereas essences like the one from I’m From have some body to them. Since in skincare we typically like to layer least heavy to most heavy, it make sense to do first essence, toner, and then essence.