Toner for Face: How to Choose the Right Formula

Clinique opened at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York in September 1968, with 117 products, a year after Vogue editor Carol Phillips ran a feature called Can Great Skin Be Created with dermatologist Dr. Norman Orentreich. The system had three steps: facial soap, Clarifying Lotion, and a moisturizing lotion. That middle step was the original toner for face, an exfoliating lotion you swept on with cotton after washing, in four strengths, one to four.

More than fifty years later, toner has split into two jobs. Some are still exfoliators, built around acids that loosen dead skin and clear pores. Others are about water and comfort, a hydrating layer that gets skin ready for the serum and cream after it.

The first grid is the exfoliating kind, from a gentle PHA to a seven percent glycolic acid. The second is the hydrating and balancing kind, some of them toners and serums in one bottle. I tried every toner here, and the honest pattern is that the acids reward patience and the hydrators reward nothing much except a good feeling.

Here is a test I like: before you commit to a new toner, put a little on one cheek and wait a minute. Stinging or tightness means your skin is telling you it is too much. Comfortable means you can try it at night, then a week later, then more.

Start with the two most talked about. Paula's Choice's 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner is a leave-on with two percent salicylic acid and green tea, made for normal, combination and oily skin. It is still my reference for blackheads and pores, and irritation is its one real downside, especially on dry skin. The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid 7% is a daily exfoliating and brightening toner. It works, but it felt stronger than its reputation, so use it slowly.

Farmacy's Deep Sweep is a 2% BHA with moringa and papaya that exfoliates, unclogs pores and absorbs oil. I got clearer pores without sting, though the results arrived gradually. Caudalie's Vinopure has salicylic acid too, and is for combination and oily skin. In the brand's 56-day self-evaluation of 30 people, 90 percent said skin looked less shiny.

If acids scare you, look at the gentle end. Paula's Choice's 1% BHA gel toner is made for sensitive skin, with allantoin, mushroom extract and prebiotics. The INKEY List's PHA toner pairs a three percent PHA with niacinamide and aloe, and it never irritated me. Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow has PHA and BHA in a hydrating watermelon base, and I found it pleasant, with subtle results.

Then there is Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 2, the direct descendant of the 1968 idea, made for dry combination skin with witch hazel. It is polarizing. Plenty of people swear by it, but I found the alcohol scent and sting a lot.

Here is a pairing I like: one exfoliating toner on alternate nights, with the softer ones in between.

What I would skip: the seven percent glycolic acid if you have never used acids.

These are the ones that go on every day. fresh's Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner is a non-stripping liquid with real rose petals, and it felt lovely, light and glowy, though enjoyable rather than corrective. belif's Aqua Bomb has honeysuckle, baobab and sodium hyaluronate, with a satin finish. I liked the cooling hydration but noticed the fragrance and alcohol, and it can feel a little sticky.

Glow Recipe's Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner is a concentrated essence with fermented cloudberry, CoQ10, glycerin and rice water. Dr. Jart+'s Ceramidin is a serum toner in one, with ceramide NP and panthenol to support the barrier. MARA's Pearl Peptide Glaze is a milky three-in-one essence, toner and serum with pearl powder, marine collagen peptides and beta glucan, aimed at hydration and redness.

Paula's Choice's RESIST toner is for normal to dry skin, with hyaluronic acid, fatty acids and evening primrose oil. Dermalogica's Multi-Active Toner is a spray with arnica and lavender, a good desk mist. Fenty Beauty's Fat Water is a toner serum with niacinamide, Barbados cherry and lemon myrtle, made to fight shine without stripping, and it smells of cherry and fig.

Here is a pairing I like: an exfoliating toner in the evening, and one of these in the morning, so skin gets both jobs.

What I would skip: any hydrating toner with a strong scent if your skin is reactive. Try the unscented ones first.

After trying all sixteen, I think the whole question of toner comes down to what you want it to do. For oily skin and blackheads, my pick is Paula's Choice's 2% BHA. For sensitive skin, The INKEY List's PHA toner. For dry skin, Dr. Jart+'s Ceramidin or fresh's rose toner. If you want smoother pores, choose an acid and go slowly. If you want comfort, choose water and something soft, and do not expect miracles.

My rule is one toner at a time, at the strength your skin is happy with. If it stings, it is too much. Give it two weeks, and then decide whether your skin likes it enough to keep the step.