The best skin toners with clean ingredients 2024
Toners often get misunderstood – are they really needed in your skin care routine, and what exactly do they do?
Whether you need extra hydration, your skin feels dull, or you have acne-prone skin, the right toner can target your needs and give your skincare routine a major boost!
In this post, we’ll discuss:
- What are toners?
- What do toners do?
- Are toners necessary?
- What makes a product clean?
- How to incorporate toner into your routine
- 6 best clean ingredient toners – tried and tested
What are toners?
Toners are thin, water-based products meant to be used after you cleanse your skin and before applying any other products.
What do toners do?
Toners can have many uses. They can help remove leftover skincare products, makeup, dirt, or pollution. Toners also prep your skin for the rest of your skincare routine.
Toners can contain a wide variety of ingredients that can target specific issues you may have, such as dryness, blemishes, or signs of aging.
Are toners necessary?
Do you have to use a toner? The short answer is no, you don’t. But can toners be a great addition to your skincare routine? Absolutely.
Toners can be an amazing product to add to your skincare routine. They allow you to introduce extra ingredients that boost hydration, help with exfoliation, and oil control. They can also make a huge difference in calming irritated skin.
It’s important to choose a toner with ingredients that target your skincare concerns and that also contains clean ingredients.
Why is it important to use products with clean ingredients?
Using products with clean ingredients benefits both your health, and the health of the planet.
Many products contain harmful ingredients and harsh chemicals like parabens, phthalates, and fragrances, which can have negative side effects.To learn more about clean beauty and what ingredients to check for in your products’ ingredients list, check out our article What is Clean Beauty and Why Does It Even Matter?
How to incorporate a clean toner into your routine
Toners are extremely easy to incorporate into your skincare routine!
How often you should use a toner depends on the toner’s ingredients. For example, hydrating toners are normally suitable for daily use, while exfoliating toners should be used less often.
If you are using an exfoliating toner with active ingredients, limit its use to 2 to 3 times a week. Always check the product’s packaging for specific directions!
Not all active ingredients can be mixed in your routine. Avoid using too many active ingredients at once, as this can cause skin irritations.
Popular active ingredients include:
- Retinoids/retinol
- AHAs (glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, malic acid)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Vitamin C
- BHAs (salicylic acid)
Many articles, including this one, explain which actives you shouldn’t mix.
If you have dry skin, consider adding a hydrating toner into your routine. Hydrating toners provide an extra layer of hydration and moisture, which is especially helpful if you live in a dry climate or experience harsh winters.
Ingredients such as glycerin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid are great for hydrating and moisturizing.
If you have acne-prone skin or are looking to address blemishes, choose a toner with ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or mandelic acid.
6 best clean ingredient toners – tried and tested
Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner
If you are looking for a hydrating and affordable toner, Byoma’s Hydrating Milky Toner is a great option!
This face toner contains ceramides and polyglutamic acid, which keep your skin hydrated and comfortable. Ceramides offer many benefits, including:
- Strengthening the skin barrier (learn more about the skin barrier and how to keep it healthy in our article Best Clean Skincare Products for Sensitive Skin 2024)
- Preventing water loss
- Targeting signs of aging
Polyglutamic acid is an amazing ingredient that isn’t talked about as much as it deserves to be! It is similar to hyaluronic acid and is very effective at keeping your skin hydrated and preventing moisture loss.
As well as keeping your skin hydrated, this toner targets redness, dark spots, and sensitivity.
Whenever I use this toner, my skin always feels refreshed and bouncy. I notice a visible difference in the texture, bounciness, and overall appearance of my skin.
Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner is:
- Dermatologist tested
- Alcohol free
- Fragrance free
- Vegan
- Cruelty free
If you want to add a hydrating toner into your routine that is at an affordable price point, Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner could be a great place to start!
Caudalie Vinoclean Moisturizing Toner with Rose Water
Vinoclean toner is another amazing choice for a hydrating toner. This toner has a more watery texture compared to the milky, slightly thicker Byoma toner.
It helps to hydrate your skin as well as remove any leftover makeup from the day. It targets dryness, dullness, and uneven texture.
This toner contains rose water, which helps leave your skin feeling refreshed. While it is fragrance free, it has a very subtle smell which comes naturally from the rose water – without harmful, undisclosed fragrances. This makes it ideal for those who love a slight, natural scent that gives a spa-like feel!
I love to use this toner on days when my skin isn’t overly dry but when I want to add extra hydration. It always feels very luxurious using this – I think it is the rosewater!
Vinoclean toner is:
- Suitable for all skin types
- Dermatologically tested
- Ophthalmologically tested
- Vegan
If you want to add hydration into your routine (or just want to make your routine feel more fun and luxurious) then this toner could be a perfect fit for you!
Laneige Cream Skin Toner
Laneige’s Cream Skin Toner also gives your skin some much-needed love. There is a reason that this toner won the Allure 2023 Best of Beauty Award and the 2024 Vogue Best Hydrating Toner Award. Similar to the Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner, this toner has a thicker texture and feels extremely moisturizing.
It contains ceramides and peptides, which are known to be amazing for their hydration benefits and game-changing effects in skincare.
This toner is suitable for normal, dry, combination, and oily skin. It targets dryness, loss of firmness, and elasticity to leave your skin feeling refreshed and looking amazing!
I love to use this toner when my skin is dry and feels like it needs an extra layer of hydration. I notice a huge difference in not only the hydration of my skin when I use this, but it also seems to help clear any blemishes that I have.
Laneige cream toner:
- Has refillable packaging
- Is hypoallergenic
- Is dermatologist tested
- Is free from parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and mineral oils
This toner leaves my skin feeling calm and soothed. I always look forward to using this product! If you have dry skin, this could be the perfect addition into your routine!
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Chances are, you’ve probably heard of Paula’s Choice BHA. It has gone viral for a good reason. This toner contains salicylic acid, which targets acne, blemishes, pores, and texture.
This product has won over 30 (!) global beauty awards and been named as one of the top 100 skin care products of all time by WWD! It’s safe to say this exfoliant is a pretty big deal!
If you’re looking for an exfoliating product to clear your complexion, this one works wonders. Besides salicylic acid, it also contains green tea extract, which works to calm redness and help soothe your skin barrier.
Whenever I use this product, I see a noticeable difference in my skin. It clears blemishes and keeps my skin smooth. It helps exfoliate away any dead skin cells to leave your skin feeling renewed and soft. As it’s an exfoliant, make sure that you don’t overuse it, as that could cause irritation.
This product is suitable for normal, dry, combination, and oily skin. Be sure to patch-test before trying a new product!
Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant is:
It is always exciting when a product goes viral and you discover it has clean ingredients! If you’re looking for an exfoliating product and want to see why this e has won so many awards, now could be a great time to give it a try!
Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner with Moringa + Papaya
Similar to the Paula’s Choice BHA, Farmacy’s Deep Sweep is also an exfoliating toner. It uses salicylic acid, which helps to clear skin, exfoliate, and target oil and blemishes. It also contains moringa seed extract to refresh skin and papaya enzymes that also exfoliate the skin.
This facial toner exfoliates your skin, helps with excess oil production, and clogged pores. This means it could be particularly useful if you have combination or oily skin. If you want to target pores, texture, or oil production, then this toner could be helpful to add to your skincare routine.
The impressive ingredient list in this toner helps target skin texture and leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.
Farmacy Deep Sweep toner is:
- Cruelty free
- Vegan
- Paraben free
- Alcohol free
- Gluten free
If you want to target texture, oil production, or blemishes, then Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% toner could be a good option for you! As it’s an exfoliating toner, make sure you don’t over use it, and remember to patch test first!
Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating Essence
While technically this product is an essence and not a toner, it deserves a special mention. What exactly is the difference between toners and essences? Toners cleanse your skin to remove leftover impurities and prepare it for the rest of your products. Essences, on the other hand, focus on skin hydration and locking in moisture. They fall between a serum and a toner in terms of texture and function.
When I use Honey Milk Essence, I use it instead of a toner. I find them to be very similar; the only difference is that this product is a little bit thicker than my other toners.
The key ingredients in this product are Hawaiian white honey, ceramides, and chamomile. These ingredients leave your skin feeling hydrated and soft.
Hawaiian white honey contains antioxidants that help heal your skin, while ceramides are great for the moisture barrier, and chamomile has a soothing effect.
Honey Milk Essence feels like an indulgent treat for your skin. It’s unlike any other product I’ve tried. Farmacy says that it is suitable for normal, dry, and combination skin, and it has been accepted by the National Eczema Association, making it safe for those with sensitive and eczema-prone skin!
This essence targets dryness, redness, and fine lines while also supporting your skin’s moisture barrier. Another bonus is that Farmacy is cruelty free!
Although you don’t absolutely have to use a toner in your skincare routine, they can be extremely helpful for addressing specific concerns.
Whether you need extra hydration or want to tackle breakouts on your journey to healthy skin, a toner could be your skin’s new best friend!
With so many options available, it’s easier than ever to find the best toner for your skin that also contains clean ingredients! Which one are you going to try first?
