The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (2024)

The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (1)

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  • Glowing skin is essentially an art form these days, requiring a whole shelf of products to give you Moo Deng skin. Toner, essence, serum, more serum, even more serum, another essence, moisturizer, face oil—it's a lot. But as an expert, I'm here to let you in on a lil secret: You don't actually need everything; the answer can be as simple as toner to get glowing skin. "Toners were originally created to balance the pH of the skin after using the more harsh alkaline cleansers of the past," says dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, MD. But these days, they're filled with either exfoliants to help smooth skin and clear acne, soothers to calm down irritation, and/or hydrators to moisturize the f outta your face.

    With that said, though, they're not all created equal. Here are the best toners for glowing skin, whether you want to brighten, soften, hydrate, or a combo of all of the above.

    1

    Best Toner Overall

    Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (3)Gently exfoliates without irritating skin, per testing
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (4)Leaves my skin feeling hydrated and soft
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (5)Has a strong watermelon scent that some reviewers didn't love

    Ranked by you (!!) as the best toner of all damn time in our 2024 Readers' Choice Awards, this pick is truly like the golden ticket to glowing skin. It's filled with willow bark extract—a BHA that helps get into your pores and break down oil that causes clogged pores and zits—as well as PHA to gently slough away dead skin. But I love it because it's still totally suitable for sensitive and dry skin, since it combines hella hydrators like hyaluronic acid and cactus water. I just dab it on with a cotton round, but you could also drip a few drops in your hand and pat in.

    • Key ingredients: PHA, willow bark extract, cactus water, watermelon extract
    • Size: 1.35 oz

    Glowing customer review: "I've tried several toners over the years, and none had ever left me feeling like I wanted more. The watermelon scent smells amazing. I've been using this for over four years and absolutely love it."

    2

    Best Soothing Toner

    Sofie Pavitt Face Nice Ice Frozen Toner Pods

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (6)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (7)Feels *so* good on my skin when it's irritated or inflamed
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (8)Easy to use
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (9)Packaging can be difficult to open (especially if you have long nails)

    Not only is this the coolest, most innovative toner on this list, but it's extremely effective at calming down redness, inflammation, and irritation. Lemme explain. Pop these toner pods—which are filled with a fab liquid containing green tea extract, niacinamide, ashwagandha, and glycerin to help soothe and hydrate—in the freezer for five hours (I just keep mine in there all the time, tbh), then take them out of their package and massage the juicy lil ice cube over your face.

    It's fantastic to help calm down an angry zit, IMO, but I also use it when my skin feels extra tight and dry in the winter. Plus, the ice really helps bring down some puffiness in my face. Tip: Hold the ice with a cotton round to make it easier to glide it over your face, as well as absorb the liquid as it inevitably melts. You don't wanna waste any of it, K?

    • Key ingredients: Ashwagandha, green tea extract, niacinamide, glycerin
    • Size: 12 pods

    Glowing customer review: "These Toner Pods are soothing and feel great as the liquid melts on my face. Since I’ve been using the toner pods as a part of my skin care ritual my face is becoming clearer and I no longer have inflammation. I so happy I found something that calms down the redness and inflammation from breakouts."

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    3

    Best Toner for Hyperpigmentation

    Eadem Cashmere Peel Gentle AHA + PHA Exfoliating Toner

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (11)Uses tranexamic acid to help fade hyperpigmentation
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (12)Gently sloughs away dead skin
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (13)A few sensitive skin testers found it a bit too strong

    Ima let you in on a lil secret: Tranexamic acid, one of the MVPs of this exfoliating toner, is one of the best over-the-counter ingredients to help fade hyperpigmentation. It decreases melanin production, which is what leads to dark spots, so it's great to both brighten your skin and prevent more hyperpigmentation from forming. But this formula also incorporates lactic acid to gently exfoliate and azelaic acid to soothe, making it a powerhouse for anyone looking for clearer, brighter, smoother skin.

    • Key ingredients: Lactic acid, tranexamic acid, azelaic acid, sweet almond oil
    • Size: 5.07 oz

    Glowing customer review: "The formula is very light weight and gentle on my skin while leaving it smooth. As someone with hyperpigmentation, this product has been a staple in my routine and I look forward to the continued results to glowy skin."

    4

    Best Toner for Acne-Prone Skin

    Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid Exfoliant

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (15)Helps unclog my pores and prevent blackheads
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (16)Doesn't make my skin feel tight and dry
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (17)Bottle is prone to releasing too much product

    As a beauty editor, I can guarantee I'll have a bottle of this toner on hand at all times. TBH, I've been using this for years to help reduce the blackheads on my nose and chin, because the salicylic acid really gets into my pores and helps draw out the oil that clogs them—all without majorly irritating my face. Unlike other formulas I've tried for my acne, this one doesn't leave my feeling stripped or red. Instead, my face feels so clean. I soak a cotton pad and swipe it over my entire face every morning, followed by hydrating serum and sunscreen (a necessity, since the BHA can make your skin a bit sensitive to the sun).

    • Key ingredients: Salicylic acid
    • Size: 4 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "Within just days the poor started to shrink and now they look wonderful. I highly recommend this and I just bought a second bottle for the downstairs bathroom."

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    5

    Best Toner for Glowing Skin

    I'm from Rice Toner

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (18)

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (19)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (20)Locks in moisture with rice extract
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (21)Leaves my skin feeling so glowy when I pat it on
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (22)Might be a bit too hydrating for oily skin types

    I just got back from South Korea, and I can confirm that everyone has glass skin. It's unfair. But with this in my arsenal, I can get pretty damn close, since it's loaded with rice extract, which seriously moisturizes and seals your skin to give you a glowy, hydrated look. But this formula also has niacinamide to help soothe and balance my skin (which was fantastic after that brutal flight from NYC).

    • Key ingredients: Rice extract, niacinamide, purslane extract
    • Size: 5.07 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "This toner has made a world of difference for my skin! I've been using it pretty much nightly and I notice a difference in less than two weeks. I noticed the biggest difference wile on video calls; I didn't even have to have my ring light on and I had a natural highlight!"

    6

    Best Drugstore Toner

    Pixi Glow Tonic

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (23)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (24)Easy to find at most drugstores
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (25)Exfoliates with 5 percent glycolic acid
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (26)A few reviewers don't love that it's scented

    I always go back to this drugstore toner, which was actually the first exfoliant I ever used in high school. It's got glycolic acid to chemically buff away dead skin and dirt on my face to reveal smoother, brighter skin. I douse a cotton pad in the liquid, then swipe it all over my face. It can be a teensy bit strong if you have very sensitive skin, so only try it once or twice a week at first to start.

    • Key ingredients: Glycolic acid, aloe vera, ginseng
    • Size: 3.4 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "This stuff really works. I use it daily. Cleans my skin and gives me a glow. No smell at all. A little goes a long way. And it’s helping with my blackheads. They just come out on their own now. I get compliments on my skin all the time. I definitely recommend."

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    7

    Best Toner for Dry Skin

    First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (27)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (28)Helps calm down skin with colloidal oatmeal and oat milk
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (29)Reviewers loved the lightweight consistency
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (30)Needs to be paired with a rich moisturizer for very-dry skin types

    If your skin is dry or sensitive, feel free to take the gentle approach when it comes to getting glowy-as-hell skin from your toner. My bestie swore by this when she was going through Accutane because it was so calming and hydrating without clogging her pores. Colloidal oatmeal, oat milk, and honey are like a hug for your face, basically, helping to calm things down and moisturize.

    • Key ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal, oat milk, honey, hyaluronic acid
    • Size: 6 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "I’ve been using this toner for a few weeks now and it’s amazing. It makes my skin feel clean and fresh and ready for moisturizing."

    8

    Best Toner Pads

    Peach & Lily Lazy Day All-In-One Moisture Pads

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (31)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (32)Extremely easy to travel with
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (33)Pads don't dry up quickly, according to reviews
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (34)A few reviewers didn't love the residue it left on their skin (I, however, love that juicy feeling)

    I keep a permanent stock of these in my travel bag to tone and hydrate my skin in one quick step. Just grab a pad, swipe it all over, and go. It's not exfoliating, which I actually love for travel since my skin can be quite irritated and sensitive when I'm not home. Instead, these really help protect my skin barrier (ty, ceramides and allantoin) and moisturize with hyaluronic acid. After one use, my skin looks so much more hydrated.

    • Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, allantoin, prickly pear extract, carrot root oil
    • Size: 6o pads

    Glowing customer review: "I bought this for travel because I get lazy when I am not home. My husband refuses to use skin care stuff but I talked him into trying this and now this is his one stop shop. His skin was looking dull and now is starting to look vibrant! Keep in mind he used NOTHING before. but he legit has gotten compliments from people who know him asking, 'what are you doing different to your skin.'"

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    9

    Best Toner Mist

    Bubble Bounce Back Balancing Toner Mist

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (35)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (36)Most affordable toner on this list (!)
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (37)Love the fine mister
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (38)I wish the bottle were a bit bigger

    Shocker, IK, but I am supremely lazy. So sometimes, I just wanna skip the cotton pad and spritz this on instead. And because it's filled with sodium PCA to hydrate, willow bark extract to gently exfoliate, and niacinamide to soothe, it's super effective at boosting my skincare routine with very little effort. Win.

    • Key ingredients: Willow bark extract, sodium PCA, rose water, niacinamide
    • Size: 1.8 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "This product is very lightweight and hydrating. It's a gentle mist and overall I just really love it and I love tons of other bubble products. It's not too expensive."

    10

    Best Toner for Oily Skin

    Face Reality Skincare Sal-C Toner

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (39)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (40)Uses both salicylic acid and willow bark extract to help reduce oily skin
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (41)Could be a bit drying for some skin types

    Cosmo assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman turned me onto Face Reality (she's another acne-prone girlie). While she's a fan of the Moisture Balance Toner for her dry skin, I've become obsessed with this salicylic acid version. It's a godsend for my oily skin, since it uses salicylic acid and willow bark extract to help break down oil, as well as niacinamide to help balance oil production. It really helps mattify my T-zone and keep my skin clear.

    • Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, willow bark extract, niacinamide
    • Size: 6 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "This toner has been a game changer to my skin. It’s clarifying but hydrating, resurfacing, and boost that natural glow. I’m absolutely in love!!"

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    11

    Best Exfoliating Toner

    Curology Liquid Pore Exfoliant

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (42)

    Pros
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (43)Uses three different types of exfoliators to help smooth skin
    Cons
    • The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (44)Not gentle enough for those with sensitive skin

    This toner has an all-star ingredient lineup of simply the best exfoliants to help smooth, brighten, and tighten your skin. We're talkin' lactic acid, salicylic acid, and gluconolactone—three of the best, most gentle chemical exfoliators that reach both the surface of your skin and get into your pores. But this is also packed with anti-inflammatory zinc PCA, green tea extract, and allantoin to offset any potential irritation or dryness from the actives. TBH, it's one of the best products I've tried this year to help smooth out my uneven skin texture.

    • Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, zinc PCA, green tea extract, lactic acid, gluconolactone, allantoin
    • Size: 4 fl oz

    Glowing customer review: "This exfoliant was really good. It got to all the dark pores I have and took out all of the gunk inside it. My skin looks way better without it being sensitive after using it. I really loved this product!"

    Does toner help skin glow?

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (45)

    Sure, toner could help make your skin glow. But it totally depends on the ingredients. FWIW, toners initially were meant to help balance your skin after using harsh cleanser, says Dr. Jeffy. But now, modern cleansers are pH balanced on their own, essentially making the toners of the past kinda unnecessary. But in recent years, toners "have evolved to address concerns like dullness, oil control, acne, and dryness," she explains. Because of this, "often other products in a regimen are addressing these issues as well, making the extra step of a toner optional," says Dr. Jeffy. FWIW, I love incorporating toner into my routine to help exfoliate and treat, as well as to hydrate my skin.

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    Is toner or essence better for glowing skin?

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (46)

    Toners and essences are very similar, but not exactly the same thing. "Essences contain antioxidants or vitamins with the goal of hydrating or boosting skin health in some way," says Dr. Jeffy, while toners are can run the gamut depending on what they're used for (to hydrate, soothe, exfoliate, etc.). "There can certainly be overlap between hydrating toners and essences, though," she adds. With that said, neither is necessarily better than the other—it all depends on your skin type, preferences, and goals. Which brings us to...

    How to choose the best toner for you:

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (47)

    Consider your skin type.

    What your skin needs should always guide how you choose skincare products, but this is particularly essential for toner, since these can often contain active ingredients that could be irritating to certain skin types, but also heavy moisturizers that can be too rich for oily or acne-prone skin. "For more sensitive skin, go with a fragrance-free hydrating toner with hyaluronic acid and ceramides and other ingredients that calm inflammation like aloe, allantoin or centella asiatica," says Dr. Jeffy. Meanwhile, "for oily/acne-prone skin, look for more of an exfoliant toner with AHAs, BHAs, or PHAs," she says.

    Assess your goals.

    Are you looking to smooth, moisturize, calm, mattify, or a combo of all of the above? Make sure your toner aligns with what you're looking to add to your skincare routine. Dw, we outlined which toners above are the best for each skin type and need.

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    Meet the experts:

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (48)

    Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (49)

    Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from reviewing Apostrophe to under-eye wrinkle treatments. She's an authority in all skincare categories, but is an expert when it comes to toners, since she's been testing them practically since birth, and is constantly grilling dermatologists and aestheticians about the best formulas.

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (50)

    Beth Gillette

    Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.

    The 11 Best Toners of All Damn Time, According to Our Beauty Editor (2024)

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