Toner is a thin, watery liquid you put on right after cleansing and before serum or moisturizer. What it does depends entirely on which kind it is: a hydrating toner adds a light layer of water-binding ingredients, an exfoliating toner uses an acid to loosen dead skin and clear pores, and an old-style astringent strips oil with alcohol. You don’t need one. Cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen make a complete routine, and no toner does a job that another product can’t. A toner is worth adding in two cases: your skin still feels tight after moisturizer, or you want a leave-on acid for clogged pores or rough texture. If neither sounds like you, skip it and spend the money on sunscreen.
One name, five different products
“Toner” tells you where a product goes in the routine and how runny it is. It says nothing about what’s inside. Read the ingredient list, because two bottles with the same word on the front can do opposite things.
| Type | What’s in it | What it does |
| Hydrating | Water plus humectants (ingredients that hold water) such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid | Leaves a thin layer of moisture under your cream |
| Exfoliating | An acid: glycolic or lactic (AHAs), salicylic (a BHA), or gluconolactone (a PHA) | Loosens dead surface skin; salicylic acid also works inside the pore |
| Astringent | Denatured alcohol, often with witch hazel | Removes oil and leaves skin feeling tight |
| Milky | A hydrating toner with oils or ceramides blended in | Hydrates and adds a little of what a light lotion would |
| Toner pads | Any of the above, pre-soaked into a round pad | Same as the liquid, with a light wiping action |
Hydrating toners
These are the modern default. A humectant pulls water toward the skin’s surface, so skin feels less tight and the next product spreads more easily. That’s the whole job. It’s pleasant and it’s real, but a good moisturizer has humectants too, so the two overlap. Our hydrating toner guide goes ingredient by ingredient.
Exfoliating toners
This is the kind that changes skin you can see. Acids dissolve the bonds holding dead cells to the surface, which smooths texture and brightens a dull face over a few weeks. Calling one a toner undersells it. It’s a treatment in a watery bottle, and it deserves the caution you’d give any active: start slowly and wear sunscreen. The FDA recommends that products with an AHA carry a sunburn alert, because these acids can make skin more sensitive to the sun.
Astringents, the toner you remember
If toner means a sting and a squeaky face to you, this is why. The classic formula was mostly alcohol, sold to teenagers on the theory that oil was the problem. It does remove oil for an hour or so. It also dries skin out. The American Academy of Dermatology’s acne advice is to choose products labeled alcohol-free and to avoid astringents, which can dry skin and make acne look worse. Leave these on the shelf.
Milky toners
A milky toner is a hydrating toner with a little oil or ceramide (a fat that skin makes naturally) blended in, which turns the liquid cloudy. It sits between a toner and a light lotion. For normal or oily skin in a humid summer, one can stand in for moisturizer. For dry skin it’s an extra layer, not a replacement.
Toner pads
Pads are a format, not a formula. The liquid can be hydrating or exfoliating, so check the ingredients the same way. What you’re paying for is convenience and a pad that doesn’t drink half the product the way a cotton round does. More in our toner pads guide.
Who needs one, and who can skip it
Skip it if your skin is comfortable on cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen. Nothing is missing from that routine. Skip it too if you already use a retinoid or another acid at night, since a second exfoliating step is the fastest route to red, stinging skin. And skip it if you’re buying it to “balance your pH” after washing. Skin settles back on its own, and a gentle cleanser makes that a non-issue. Our post on whether toner is necessary covers that part in detail.
Buy a hydrating or milky toner if your skin feels tight by lunchtime even with moisturizer on, if heavy creams break you out and you’d rather build moisture in thin layers, or if your skin is oily and a milky toner is all the moisturizer you want in summer.
Buy an exfoliating toner if you have blackheads and clogged pores (salicylic acid) or rough, dull texture (glycolic or lactic acid), and you aren’t already using a leave-on acid or a prescription retinoid.
Nobody needs an alcohol astringent. Oily skin does better with a salicylic acid product and a light moisturizer.
Where it goes in your routine
- Cleanse. Pat your face mostly dry. A little dampness is fine for a hydrating toner. For an acid, let skin dry first.
- Apply the toner. Pour a nickel-sized amount into your palms and press it in, or soak a cotton pad and sweep it across your face. Hands waste less. A pad is better for an exfoliating liquid you want spread evenly.
- Keep it away from your eyes and lips if it has an acid in it.
- Give it a few seconds, then go on to serum if you use one.
- Moisturize. A toner doesn’t seal anything in by itself.
- Sunscreen in the morning. Every day, and without exception if you use an acid.
Hydrating toners can go on morning and night. Exfoliating toners are better at night, two or three times a week to start. If you’re also sorting out essence and serum, here’s how toner, essence and serum differ and what order they go in.
Common mistakes
- Using toner to finish cleaning your face. If the cotton pad comes away dirty, your cleanser isn’t doing its job. Fix the cleanser.
- Stacking acids. An exfoliating toner plus a retinoid plus a weekly peel is too much. Pick one exfoliating step per night.
- Starting an acid daily. Begin a few nights a week and add nights only if your skin stays calm.
- Stopping at toner. A hydrating toner with nothing over it evaporates. Put moisturizer on top.
- Reading tightness as proof it’s working. Tight and squeaky means stripped.
Toners worth buying, by type
Prices move constantly, so we link to live listings instead of printing a number that is wrong by the time you read it. Links go to Amazon, which is where a referral gets credited.
Thayers Unscented Facial Toner is about $8, though the price changes often. It’s witch hazel done the modern way: no alcohol, no added fragrance, with glycerin and aloe. Thayers’ directions are to saturate a cotton pad and sweep it over your face morning and night. It’s the cheapest way to find out whether you like having a toner step at all.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner is a water-based toner with 7% glycolic acid at a pH of about 3.6. The Ordinary suggests using it in the evening and says it shouldn’t go on sensitive, peeling or compromised skin, or in the same routine as other direct acids or strong retinoids. It carries a sunburn alert, so daily sunscreen is part of the deal.
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 comes as a tub of 70 pads soaked in an exfoliating liquid with salicylic acid, a BHA, plus an AHA. Each pad has two sides. Medicube’s directions are to swipe the embossed side across your face after cleansing, working from the center outward, go over it once more with the silky side, and pat in what’s left. Medicube says the pads are gentle enough for daily use, morning and night, and tells very sensitive skin to start with a few times a week. This is an acid step, so we’d begin at two or three nights a week and wear sunscreen every morning. Keep them away from your eyes and off freshly shaved or irritated skin. Our Zero Pore Pad review covers what an acid pad can and can’t change.
Laneige Cream Skin Milky Toner is the milky type: glycerin, meadowfoam seed oil, squalane and a ceramide in a liquid thin enough to pat on with your hands. Laneige says to pat it on after cleansing and layer it for more hydration. If your routine is already long, this is the one that can replace a step.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is a leave-on liquid with 2% salicylic acid, and it fills the exfoliating-toner slot. Paula’s Choice says to start a few times a week, build up as your skin adjusts, and finish with SPF 30 or higher in the daytime. It’s the most expensive pick here. If breakouts are your main concern, see our toners for acne-prone skin.
If I Were You
If your routine is cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen and your skin feels fine, don’t add a toner. You aren’t missing a step.
If your skin feels tight an hour after moisturizing, try the Thayers first, and move up to the Laneige if you want something richer.
If blackheads and clogged pores are the problem, use the Paula’s Choice a few nights a week and skip every other exfoliant.
If your skin is sensitive but looks dull, go slowly with any acid. Look for a toner with a PHA such as gluconolactone, which is a milder acid than glycolic or salicylic, and use it one or two nights a week. Leave the glycolic toner alone.
FAQ
Is toner necessary?
No. It’s optional for every skin type. It’s useful when it solves a specific problem, like tightness or clogged pores, and unnecessary when your skin is already comfortable.
Do you use toner before or after moisturizer?
Before. Toner goes on right after cleansing, then serum if you use one, then moisturizer, then sunscreen in the morning.
Can you use toner every day?
A hydrating or milky toner, yes, morning and night. An exfoliating toner depends on the acid and on your skin; start a few times a week and follow the directions on the bottle.
Does toner shrink pores?
Nothing changes pore size for good. Salicylic acid can clear out what’s clogging a pore, which makes it look smaller, and an astringent tightens the surface for a short while.
Is witch hazel bad for your skin?
It depends on what it’s mixed with. Traditional witch hazel astringents contain alcohol, which is drying. Alcohol-free versions are much gentler. If your skin is very reactive, patch test first.
Is micellar water a toner?
No. Micellar water is a cleanser that lifts makeup and oil. A toner goes on clean skin and stays there.
Bottom line
Toner is an optional step, and the word covers products that have almost nothing in common. Decide what you want fixed before you buy: tightness calls for a hydrating or milky toner, clogged pores or rough texture call for an exfoliating one, and comfortable skin calls for nothing at all. Leave the alcohol astringents in the past. If irritation doesn’t settle after you stop a new product, see a board-certified dermatologist. There’s more in our skin care archive.
