13 Affordable Toners For Your Skin You Have To Try
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Do you use a toner? This post-cleanse skincare step is the subject of a heated debate, but there are sure benefits of including one in your routine. In the past, toners often contained alcohol—an ingredient that dried out the skin—giving toners a bad reputation that led to them not being part of most skincare routines.
But, with the rise of lengthy Korean beauty (K-beauty, for short) routines and nearly on-demand recommendations from skincare professionals via TikTok, toners are becoming popular again. We’ve rounded up over a dozen of the best affordable toners for your skin, grouped by skin type below. Read on to find a formula that will boost your skincare routine and improve your skin.
What Does a Toner Do?
Facial toners are often water-based products that you apply after the cleansing step of your skincare regimen. Toners typically remove any remaining makeup, dirt, or debris, and they help prepare your skin to better absorb the next skincare items in your routine. Spritzing toner on a cotton round or directly onto your face can also be cooling and satisfying.
Not all toners use the same ingredients and produce the same results, however—but that’s a good thing! There are many types of toners for different skin types and concerns, including sensitive, dry, oily, and combination skin.
Best Toners For Sensitive Skin
Image: Amazon
Squalane + BHA Pore Minimizing Toner
Biossance
Biossance makes eco-conscious skincare that is soft on skin, making the brand a favorite among those with sensitive skin. I’m a big fan of the brand’s formulas for protected and nourished skin year-round, and the Squalane and BHA Pore toner is no exception. This mild toner cleanses the skin—but don’t skip the cleansing step before it! The toner has ingredients like willow bark extract to gently exfoliate without irritation and squalane for long-lasting hydration. The Biossance toner is one of the best affordable toners for your skin that is also vegan, cruelty-free, and free of parabens and synthetic fragrances.
Image: Ulta
Rosewater Toner
Cocokind
Cocokind’s Rosewater Toner is made with only one ingredient, and as anyone with sensitive skin will tell you, the fewer the ingredients to test out the better. If you don’t experience irritation with rose water (technically Rosa Damascena Flower Water), then this toner is a safe bet for you and your skin. The spray toner is a breeze to use: just spritz it on the skin to reduce any contact inflammation. Though there’s only rosewater in the bottle, you can still expect skin to feel hydrated, balanced, and calm.
Image: Rael
Daily Zen Toner
Rael
This daily-use toner from Rael is one of the best toners for sensitive skin, but it can be used on any skin type. Rael is a Korean skincare brand, so you can bet that the ingredients are high-quality and the list of benefits is lengthy. The Daily Zen toner hydrates skin with hyaluronic acid and keeps skin’s pH levels balanced with a low-acidity formula. The toner also contains Vitamin B5 and Chinaberry extract that will leave skin feeling clean and “bouncy.”
Best Toners For Dry Skin
Image: Sephora
Intensive Hydrating Toner with Green Tea Seed
Innisfree
This intensive toner by Innisfree is one of the best hydrating toners on the market. It’s also calming, making it perfect for those with dry skin. The facial toner is water-based and includes Jeju green tea and green tea seed oil, both of which help to hydrate the skin. The toner also contains panthenol to help strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier, helping to lock in the benefits of any serums and moisturizers that you follow this toner with.
Image: Amazon
Witch Hazel Facial Toner with Aloe Vera
Mario Badescu
When it comes to caring for dry skin, sometimes a simpler formula is best. This water-based toner from Mario Badescu has simple ingredients that won’t irritate or dry out your skin. The witch hazel removes leftover makeup and dirt that your cleanser may have missed and balances the skin. Then, the mixture of rose oil, rosewater, rose extract, and aloe vera nourishes and helps skin glow.
Image: Sephora
Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner
First Aid Beauty
Products from First Aid Beauty have been having a moment, all thanks to thousands of positive reviews on social media. This hydrating toner is perfect for dry skin: it has a liquid formula that is more viscous than a spray toner that allows it to sink into the skin. Wild oats and colloidal oatmeal help repair dry and “distressed” skin by relieving irritation. The toner also has honey to soften and moisturize the skin with every use.
Best Toners For Combination Skin
Image: Amazon
Witch Hazel Facial Toner
Thayer’s
Thayer’s is a top brand when it comes to accessible skincare, so it’s no surprise that the company makes one of the most affordable toners for your skin. This alcohol-free formula is good for all skin types, including those with tricky combination skin. This face toner claims to “soothe, tone, hydrate, and balance the pH level of skin.” It also has aloe vera to calm redness and inflammation.
Image: Credo Beauty
Face Toner with Mandarin + Chamomile
UpCircle
Like others on this list, the Mandarin + Chamomile facial toner is suited for all skin types. It has hyaluronic acid to help lock in moisture, making it a great candidate for practically any skincare routine. The formula also has chamomile to soothe the skin and green mandarin fruit for anti-inflammatory benefits. The toner comes in a spray bottle and smells bright and refreshing, so it’s perfect for on-the-go or after a gym session.
Image: Sephora
Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner
Farmacy
The Farmacy Deep Sweep facial toner is one of the best toners for combination skin. The formula contains “clean” ingredients that even skin texture, address oiliness, and reduce the appearance of pores. Moringa water and papaya enzymes keep skin clean and reduce shine. This water-based toner is perfect for everyday use.
Image: Sephora
Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Toner
Ren Clean Skincare
The Ren Ready Steady Glow toner cleanses and brightens skin for an energetic finished look. It’s a liquid toner with an alpha hydroxy acid in the form of lactic acid that rids the skin of dead cells and promotes an even skin texture. Other ingredients, like azelaic acid precursors, help to brighten and even your skin for a glowing look. The mixture of AHA and BHA acids is okay for daily use, and you’ll love the youthful finish this lightweight toner leaves on your skin.
Best Toners For Oily Skin
Image: Sephora
Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toning Solution
The Ordinary
The Ordinary is known for simple skincare with incredibly straightforward formulas. This Glycolic Acid facial toner has (duh) glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid. The toner also has amino acids, aloe vera, and ginseng for a balanced, yet uncomplicated product. The product can be used on many skin types, but it’s especially great for those with oily skin because the alpha hydroxy acid chemically exfoliates skin and cleanses pores.
Image: Sephora
Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner
Paula’s Choice
This Paula’s Choice toner is specially formulated for oily and/or combination skin types. It’s an alcohol-free face toner that claims to refine pores, clarify uneven skin tone, soften fine lines, and restore hydration. It does all those things with the help of niacinamide to reduce visible signs of aging, peptides to firm the skin for a youthful look, and willow bark extract for gentle exfoliation.
Image: Ulta
Niacinamide Brightening Toner
Good Molecules
The Niacinamide Brightening toner from Good Molecules is one of the best toners for oily skin. It contains niacinamide, as well as Vitamin B3, to even skin tone, brighten dullness, and shrink the appearance of pores—both of which are commonly found in products for drier skin types. This toner also addresses hyperpigmentation and has licorice root extract to soothe inflammation on a daily basis.