These proven formulas have been tested and approved by Byrdie editors. Today’s toner formulas are more advanced than ever. Not only do they offer multiple skincare benefits (like hydration, pore shrinking, dirt and oil removal, and more), but they also deliver active ingredients directly to your face. According to board-certified dermatologist Lucy Chen, MD, a good toner is either acid-based (to exfoliate and renew the skin) or hydrating (to lock in moisture). To get the most out of a toner, we recommend using it after cleansing. Whether your skin is sensitive and needs soothing, acne-prone and needs to remove excess oil, or dry and thirsty and needs to be hydrated, the right toner can address the problem and treat it accordingly. There are hundreds of options available. To take the guesswork out of choosing the right toner for you, we selected 24 of the most popular toners and asked our testers to give them an honest try.
After testing the toners in our Manhattan testing lab, testers evaluated each toner’s feel, absorbency, hydration, and appearance. The highest-rated products made this list. Keep reading to find the best toners
of 2023, as reviewed by our testers.
Best Overall: Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Face Mist: Tower28 is known for its delicate, skin-friendly makeup and skincare formulas. This toner, which comes in a fire-engine red spray bottle, is beloved for its uncanny ability to soothe, cleanse, and repair stressed skin.
It’s approved by the National Eczema Association, so it’s proven effective for relieving eczema flare-ups, but you’ll also find plenty of fans who swear by it for soothing inflamed acne and perioral dermatitis.
Hypochlorous acid is also considered a key ingredient, which is why this formula is so effective at calming redness and irritation. According to the brand, hypochlorous acid is similar to the hyaluronic acid and ceramides that our skin produces.
“Hypochlorous acid is naturally found in white blood cells and has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that help fight foreign pathogens and promote healing,” the brand’s website says. With all that goodness in one bottle, you’ll want to savor every drop.
Luckily, the spray bottle ensures there’s no mess, spills, or accidentally applying too much product. Our lab tester loved the ability to apply the toner to a cotton pad or directly to the face. She said the watery, lightweight toner was easy to dispense from the bottle and “absorbed into the skin in seconds,” noting that her skin felt “more hydrated, brighter, and fresher” after use. Although the formula has a water-like consistency and comes in a spray bottle, it can be a little trickier to apply than your average toner. Our tester needed about five pumps to fully saturate the cotton area. Best Treatment: SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Emulsion Toner. If a product has a proprietary ingredient, you know it’s going to be good. In the case of the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Emulsion Toner, the superstar ingredient is Pitera™, a signature ingredient that contains 50 micronutrients. Along with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), these nourishing ingredients work to improve the skin’s overall appearance, starting with uneven skin texture. Our tester can attest to that. She shared that it felt “hydrating” and “soothing” when she used this toner, and that it seemed to help her dull and uneven skin texture almost immediately. She was also impressed by the toner’s ability to “deep clean” her pores. Although she washed her face before using the toner, she noticed that it absorbed excess dirt and grime that would otherwise stick to her face. The clear, light-colored solution is slightly liquid and comes out of a small opening at the top of the bottle. So be aware that you may pour too much product out of the opening if you’re not careful. Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Murad Clarifying Toner. Toner can be a valuable tool in the fight against skin imperfections. The key is choosing the right remedy that fights excess oil and keeps pores open without over-drying the skin (which, ironically, can lead to more oil and more breakouts). That’s where this toner comes in, with a minimal but effective base of witch hazel and algae extracts to regulate oil production and tighten pores. This combination helps refresh skin, clean pores, and fight oil.
Plus, added vitamin E protects against free radical damage. Our testers loved its consistency compared to water. It’s not too thick or greasy, making it perfect for a mid-day refreshment or after cleansing.
One tester even said it “wakes up” her skin and absorbs into her pores right away. However, keep in mind that while you’ll feel the effects (witch hazel has a subtle firming effect), if you have dry skin, you might find it a little too drying.
Skin is already dry. Best for Redness: Innisfree Green Tea Hyaluronic Acid Toner Green tea is praised for its anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce skin irritation, redness, and swelling, making it a great choice for those who want to calm angry, red skin.
Innisfree’s Green Tea Facial Toner captures the balancing benefits of green tea leaves in a liquid formula that feels “incredibly light and gentle” on skin. According to our tester, the toner absorbed into her pores immediately after application and made a huge difference in the appearance of her hormonal acne.
She admitted that redness was significantly reduced, and even noticed a “significant decrease” in the number of zits. What’s more, she even claimed that the product reduced the appearance of her acne in about three minutes. So much to love, but there’s a downside: The toner is very slow to come out of the bottle. Normally, this would be a good thing, but since our tester admitted that she had to use “quite a bit of elbow grease” to get the toner out of the bottle (thanks, little donor head), it wasn’t exactly ideal.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Renee Rouleau Elderberry Toner If you hate the tight, dry feeling your skin feels after cleansing, you’ll love this toner from Renee Rouleau. This antioxidant-rich elderberry toner is designed to be used after cleansing to balance and relax irritated skin. Our tester, who has sensitive skin that’s prone to breakouts and dryness, admitted that this toner saved her face from the effects of post-wash tightness and lack of movement. Instead, her skin felt “relaxed” and had a “healthy glow.”
She also noticed a difference in the appearance of hyperpigmentation. She also said she loves that this toner is low in ingredients and has multiple anti-aging benefits. One thing that might be even better is how hydrating it is.
While it helps nourish tight and irritated skin, we wish it was a little more hydrating and did a better job retaining moisture.
Best for Oily Skin: Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Clearing Toner The right toner can go a long way in controlling excessive shine for oily skin, and this toner is key. It combines oil-soluble salicylic acid,
exfoliating papaya enzymes, and purifying moringa seed extract to unclog pores and refresh oily skin. Additionally, chlorella, an antioxidant-rich natural ingredient, nourishes and soothes the skin and eliminates irritation
and prevents overdrying.
Our tester was impressed by how light this formula felt on her skin, noting that she almost forgot she had applied it. She was also happy that the product didn’t cause any stinging. But remember that toners
contain active exfoliants and should be avoided on days when you use retinoids and other active ingredients to avoid excess (like redness, burning, and dryness of the skin). Best for Hyperpigmentation: Freck Beauty Cactus
Water-Clear Lactic Acid Toner Dark spots are caused by sun damage, genetics, hormones, and acne scarring, none of which can compete with the exfoliating and anti-inflammatory properties of a toner.
Combining lactic acid to minimize discoloration, hydrating cactus flower extract, and antioxidant-rich seaweed extract, this toner targets the hyperpigmentation problem from every angle at Freck Beauty. Our tester was thrilled and compared the consistency of the toner to micellar water. It absorbed into the skin quickly and effectively, to the point that she said her skin “absorbed it so quickly” that she wanted to “apply more.” Since the container is made of glass and looks more like a perfume bottle than a toner, there’s nothing that can be squeezed out. You have to carefully (and evenly) pour a small amount from the bottle into your hand or onto a cotton pad, or you risk spilling it.
