Toner explained — benefits and best ingredients

We head to the sink, wash our face with tap water, dry off with a towel — and it seems we're ready for moisturizer. But between cleansing and moisturizing, there's one step in skincare that many people skip without even thinking about it. Yes, we're talking about toner.

Dermatologist and cosmetologist Hanna Kravchuk shared her thoughts with TSN.

Honestly, this is the step where people most often save time, thinking "it's fine without it." But toning is not a minor detail — it's the invisible yet essential step that restores balance to the skin and helps all other products work the way they're meant to.

What exactly is toner?

Toner is a light, watery liquid. About 95–98% of it is high‑quality purified water. The rest are active ingredients that make toner beneficial: plant extracts, vitamins, moisturizers, natural acids, and oils.

Good toners don't contain harsh chemicals like high concentrations of alcohol, parabens, or strong fragrances. Those can dry out the skin and cause irritation, so it’s best to avoid them.

Instead, ingredients like calendula extract, aloe, rose, vitamins A, C, and E, panthenol, and glycerin are what you want. These provide gentle hydration, toning, and prepare the skin for the next step in your routine.

Why toner matters

Your skin has a natural shield — the hydrolipid mantle. It protects against microbes, dryness, and irritation. It works properly only when the skin’s pH stays slightly acidic, between 4.5 and 5.5.

Here's the problem: as soon as we wash with regular tap water, the pH shifts toward alkaline. If you add soap or a harsh cleanser, the mantle breaks down even faster. The result? Dryness, redness, breakouts, and increased sensitivity.

Toner helps restore the skin's comfortable acidic pH in seconds. Without it, the skin may take hours to rebalance.

What toner does

• Restores normal pH after washing
• Prevents dryness
• Removes leftover water and cleanser
• Prepares skin for cream or serum
• Refreshes, hydrates, and soothes

You could say toner is the bridge between cleansing and moisturizing. And if you skip it, that bridge collapses.

How to choose a toner

The main guideline is your skin type. The rule is simple.

Normal skin

Look for products with light hyaluronic or lactic acid, aloe vera, rose, chamomile, or bisabolol. The goal is to maintain balance and gently complete cleansing.

Combination skin

It's important to hydrate dry areas and reduce shine in the T‑zone. Calendula, grape extract, vitamins A and E, witch hazel, lactic or glycolic acid work well. Alcohol should not be in the formula.

Oily skin

Here, toner should control sebum and tighten pores. Salicylic acid, zinc, green tea, eucalyptus, horsetail, menthol, and calendula are good options.

Problem skin

The task is cleansing, sebum regulation, and anti‑inflammatory action. Useful ingredients include acids (salicylic, glycolic, citric), moringa extract, aloe, St. John's wort, calendula, and vitamin B3.

Sensitive skin

Thermal water, lavender, chamomile, linden, aloe, panthenol, glycerin, and lactic acid are ideal companions.

Dry skin

You need moisturizers and soothing ingredients: hyaluronic acid, collagen, urea, cucumber, cornflower, bamboo, jojoba, avocado, and rose oil.

Mature skin

Peptides, hyaluronic acid, retinol, collagen, grape extract, lavender, and evening primrose work beautifully.

There are also universal toners — they suit almost everyone, but it's still worth checking the ingredient list before buying.

Toner should be used twice a day: morning and evening. It only takes a few seconds, but it truly changes the condition of your skin. If you choose a toner that matches your needs, your skin will become calmer, smoother, and more hydrated. And all the care you apply afterward will work much better.

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