Like impossibly elegant sunscreens and bouncy, cloud-like moisturizers, you can thank the rise of Korean beauty (yet again) for the best hydrating toners. These formulations, which fine-tune your skin’s pH and replenish hydration, live somewhere between face toner and essence, and the hype behind them isn’t slowing down anytime soon. If anything, it’s actually growing, with more and more formulas arriving both stateside and from Korea.
Vogue’s Favorite Hydrating Toners
While toners aren’t especially new—in fact, the American History Museum has one in its archives that dates back to 1930—the Korean emphasis on ample moisture gave rise to “milky” toners and more barrier-friendly formulations a few years ago. That’s a big deal, as toners of the past were known for being packed with alcohol, with an oftentimes drying effect on skin.
So, why not simply reach for an essence? Unlike the K-beauty mainstay, which is meant to restore moisture after cleansing and prep skin for skincare products to follow, toners balance the pH of skin—which is naturally acidic and critical for maintaining a healthy skin barrier. (In other words, it serves a different purpose.) And with the new hydrating toners, you can enjoy the best of both worlds, as well as healthier, more radiant skin. Scroll on for our favorites.
In This Story
Best Overall: Laneige Cream Skin Refillable Toner & Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: Formulated to offer the benefits of a moisturizing cream with the lightweight feel and quick absorption of a toner, this formula succeeds in delivering the best of both worlds. It “combines the benefits of a nourishing moisturizer with a lightweight texture of a toner,” says Dr. Y. Claire Chang, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY, who calls out its fluid, milky base. Driving its benefits is a ceramide and peptide complex, which both bolster the skin barrier and result in firmer skin over time. Not surprisingly, it’s especially beneficial for those with dry or dehydrated skin, says Chang.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, peptides, white leaf tea
- Best For: Normal-to-dry skin, mature skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, dispense into hands and pat it into skin, layering as needed for additional hydration.
Best for Dull Skin: I’m From Rice Toner
- Why We Love It: Chang is a fan of this bi-phase formula, which “is formulated with rice extract, offering both skin-softening emollients and skin-brightening ingredients,” she says, noting that it’s particularly helpful for people with dull or uneven skin tone. “When shaken, it becomes a milky hydrating fluid that leaves a silky finish without heaviness.”
- Key Ingredients: Rice extract, rice bran extract, purslane extract, adenosine
- Best For: Discoloration, brightening
- How to Use: Shake well to emulsify the formulas, then dispense onto a cotton pad (or into your hands) and pat it into your skin.
Best for Dry Skin: PCA Skin Hydrating Face Toner
- Why We Love It: One advantage of toners is that they offer extra cleansing power. This medical-grade formula is no exception, gently removing any excess sebum or grime that your cleanser may have missed. It’s also “packed with humectants like glycerin and sodium PCA, which act like water magnets to keep skin plump and balanced,” says Gohara. “It’s a great pick for those with dry or combination skin who want hydration without heaviness.” She recommends storing it in your fridge for an extra-refreshing feel.
- Key Ingredients: Evening primrose oil, glycerin, watermelon, apple, and lentil fruit extracts
- Best For: Dry or combination skin
- How to Use: Morning and night, moisten a cotton pad and smooth it over your face and neck.
Best Under Makeup: Rhode Skin Glazing Milk
- Why We Love It: This hydrating essence calms skin post-cleanse and sets the rest of your routine up for success. “Lightweight yet nourishing, it delivers barrier-loving ceramides and beta-glucan in a silky base that preps skin beautifully for serum or moisturizer,” says Gohara, who recommends layering it onto damp skin to lock in moisture. On top of that, it also offers long-lasting hydration and soothes irritated skin to reduce redness over time with the beta-glucan, a molecule that calms and moisturizes. It’s so gentle that it’s earned the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, beta-glucan, magnesium
- Best For: Dry, sensitive, and irritated skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, apply a generous amount to hands and pat it onto face, neck, and décolleté.
Best for Plumping: Tatcha The Essence
- Why We Love It: This essence, a mainstay of Tatcha’s lineup, contains nothing but the brand’s Hadasei-3 complex, a proprietary blend that combines rice, algae, and green tea. The rice in question is fermented with a particular yeast that yields less alcohol and more key nutrients, like amino acids, for skin. Meanwhile, the algae replenishes the skin barrier while green tea supplies antioxidants. “This lightweight formulation does not leave any greasy residue and can feel more like a serum than a toner,” says Dr. Gloria Lin, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. In addition to their individual benefits, these ingredients work together to boost the efficacy of other products in your routine and leave skin soft, supple, and radiant.
- Key Ingredients: Algae, rice ferment, green tea
- Best For: All skin types, mature skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, dispense a few drops between the palms and pat it into the face and neck.
Best for Very Dry Skin: CosRX Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner
- Why We Love It: CosRx was among the first Korean beauty brands to make its way stateside, so it’s little surprise that the brand offers a hydrating toner that’s more than the sum of its parts. Almost three-quarters of the formula is propolis extract—propolis being the resin-like material made by bees that brims with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties—and supplemented with honey extract. “The propolis makes this toner more hydrating, while the honey extract has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects along with the ability to promote skin healing,” says Lin. “It may feel more viscous than other toners due to these ingredients, but it does not leave a sticky or greasy residue.” In fact, it feels incredibly lightweight and sinks in quickly to thoroughly moisturize skin, preparing it for steps ahead.
- Key Ingredients: Propolis extract, honey extract, panthenol
- Best For: All skin types
- How to Use: After cleansing, pat it onto the face until absorbed, or use it to dampen cotton pads and wear them as a makeshift sheet mask.
Best for Mature Skin: SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
Why We Love It
- Why We Love It: As the story goes, the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence was born when scientists noticed the youthful appearance of Japanese sake makers’s hands (ostensibly from dipping their hands into fermented rice wine during sake production). From that happy incident emerged the brand’s Pitera complex rich in peptides, vitamins, and minerals—responsible for hydrating and brightening the skin. It’s bottled in a formula “so light that it feels like water, but leaves the skin more hydrated,” says Chang, who notes that it’s ideal for those looking to refine skin texture and boost luminosity. While you can apply it with a cotton round, New Haven, CT-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara, M.D.—who considers this formula critical for glass skin radiance—recommends pressing it in with your hands “to maximize absorption and save product,” she says.
- Key Ingredients: Pitera
- Best For: Normal-to-combination skin, mature skin, sun-damaged skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, dispense a few shakes into the palms, then press it over the face and neck until absorbed.
Best Mist: Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence
- Why We Love It: This hydrating essence draws its inspiration—and power—from nature, pairing hyaluronic acid with floral hydrosols (in which flowers are steeped in water), botanical extracts, and fermented plants. Many of the ingredients are from Tata Harper’s own farm in Vermont, and have a naturally uplifting scent that makes for a luxurious moment for the senses, too.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, lavender water, barley extract
- Best For: All skin types
- How to Use: Spritz it onto skin after cleansing, or as needed to set makeup or boost hydration.
Best for Oily Skin: Thayers Rose Petal Facial Toner
- Why We Love It: Traditional toner formulas once set out to address excess oil with high concentrations of alcohol—which worked too well, often stripping skin of its moisture. That’s not the case with this alcohol-free hydrating toner by Thayers, which instead uses witch hazel (a natural astringent) to regulate oil levels, as well as rosewater and aloe vera to restore hydration. That allows it to clarify skin without overdoing it. However, Lin notes that the witch hazel may be a bit much for those with very sensitive skin types, so patch test first to be safe.
- Key Ingredients: Witch hazel extract, aloe vera, rosewater
- Best For: Oily skin types
- How to Use: After cleansing, apply to a cotton pad and sweep along your face.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
- Why We Love It: Though this formula is soothing, it’s still incredibly powerful: It’s infused with a blend of active ingredients just as likely to appear in face serum, with vitamins C and E as well as hyaluronic acid. On top of that, “evening primrose and borage seed oil can help to hydrate skin while niacinamide helps with skin tone,” according to Lin, who considers it better for those with dryness. Together, these ingredients serve to protect from environmental aggressors and actively soothe skin, leaving it comfortable and calm.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, vitamin E, evening primrose oil
- Best For: Dry, compromised, and sensitive skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, apply it to a cotton pad and pat it onto your face and neck.
Best for Enlarged Pores: Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner
- Why We Love It: Not only does this look luxurious, with actual rose petals suspended in the amber liquid, but it feels that way, too: It quickly sinks into skin sans stickiness and leaves skin smooth and comfortable, thanks to a combination of hyaluronic acid, Damask rose extract, and rose fruit extract. The latter has a toning effect that minimizes the appearance of pores, leaving skin visibly smoother.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, rosewater, rose fruit extract
- Best For: Large, visible pores or uneven skin texture
- How to Use: After cleansing, apply a few drops to a cotton pad and sweep it over face and neck.
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
- Why We Love It: While this is among the best toners for dry skin, it’s also designed with acne-prone skin in mind, too. With a base of nourishing ginseng water, the formula also contains 2% niacinamide to control oil production and fade dark spots, as well as 0.5% beta hydroxy acid to gently resurface skin and slough away dead skin cells. “Ginseng root water and niacinamide both repair, revitalize and brighten,” says Chang. “The essence absorbs easily into the skin and is ideal for layering skin-care products.” This blend puts it among the rare formulas that works across most skin types, although Chang thinks it’s especially helpful for those who have combination skin or are targeting signs of aging.
- Key Ingredients: Ginseng root water, niacinamide, beta hydroxy acid
- Best For: Combination and breakout-prone skin
- How to Use: After cleansing, warm a few drops between the palms and pat it onto the face.
Best for Dark Spots: Shiseido Eudermine Activating Essence Lotion
- Why We Love It: While the best toners for dry skin may sink in within seconds, the results can be just as fleeting. That’s not the case for this watery formula, which delivers 24 hours of hydration with two types of hyaluronic acid. The formula also houses vitamin C to even out skin tone over time, leaving it more radiant and better protected against external stressors.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, yuzu extract
- Best For: Dark spots, discoloration
- How to Use: After cleansing, apply using cotton pads to the face and neck.
Best for Inflammation: Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner
- Why We Love It: While the Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner is well-equipped to balance pH, it does so with a much gentler hand than most toners—thanks in part to the titular heartleaf extract. “Houttuynia cordata (heartleaf) extract can help calm inflammation and has been shown to actually decrease the skin temperature after use,” says Lin, who likes that it’s free of alcohol and fragrance, and therefore especially easy on sensitive skin. On top of that, “glycerin, chamomile, and burdock root can help with the skin barrier and decrease inflammation,” she says.
- Key Ingredients: Heartleaf extract, glycerin, chamomile, burdock root
- Best For: Redness-prone, reactive, or very sensitive skin
- How to Use: Twice a day, apply a generous amount to hands and pat it onto your face after cleansing.
Best for Skin Barrier Repair: Joanna Czech The Toner
- Why We Love It: Nowadays, it’s pretty much common knowledge that skin barrier repair is actually the key to smooth, glowing skin—not harsh exfoliants and too-potent treatments. Czech’s toner mist is gentle on skin, providing essential nutrients and conditioning agents like prebiotics, vitamin C, sea chamomile, and minerals to limit inflammation and repair barrier function. Plus, its Triple-Hydration Complex of moisturizers like hyaluronic acid and fruit extracts ensures skin remains nourished for hours on end.
- Key Ingredients: A Triple-Hydration Complex (hyaluronic acid, plant sugars, fruit extracts), prebiotic, vitamin C, sea chamomile, minerals
- Best For: Skin barrier repair, irritated skin
- How to Use: Spray into the palms of your hands or directly onto the face. Press and release the toner into the skin for optimal absorption.
Everything You Need to Know
In the past, “toners were used to ensure there is no trace of makeup left after you wash your face and also to balance your skin’s pH—because in the old days, most of the face washes were soap-based and could be alkaline,” says cosmetic chemist Ginger King.
The problem? Skin’s innate pH leans acidic. “Balanced pH levels help the skin maintain its natural protective barrier, which is important for overall skin health,” says celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech, whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian. Not only does toner bring skin back to its acidic pH, but “it’s something that everyone can use in their routine after cleaning to prep your skin before your serums and moisturizers,” says Czech.
What is the difference between a toner vs essence?
An essence is thicker than toner; their compositions more closely resembles serum. “Essences are products that have a high concentration of active ingredients to help hydrate the skin, and may be formulated to provide other benefits like brightening,” says Chang.
To put it simply, these active ingredients allow essences to target specific concerns. Meanwhile, “a toner may or may not have active ingredients to help with skin concerns,” says King.
What types of ingredients should you look for in a hydrating toner or essence?
For the toner, it’s helpful to look for exfoliating ingredients like alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, “which are often used to help keep skin on the slightly acidic side,” says King. She also points to witch hazel as a popular option for refining the pores, making them look less visible.
In both essences and toners, hydrating ingredients are especially beneficial; Czech calls out hyaluronic acid and glycerin as two good options. They’re both humectants, meaning they draw water into skin, dampening it and preparing it for additional ingredients.
In the case of essences, Chang recommends supplementing these hydrators with more targeted actives. “Niacinamide, vitamin C, green tea, and licorice root extract are antioxidants that help brighten the skin and have anti-aging benefits,” she says.
What is the purpose of a hydrating toner or essence?
It depends on your exact concerns. “The specific ingredients in the products are more important than whether it is a ‘toner’ or ‘essence’,” Chang explains. “Matching your skin type and specific skin concerns with active ingredients will determine which product is more suitable.” Generally, all skin types can benefit from hydrating toners with hyaluronic acid, she says; those with oily or acne-prone skin should consider toners with exfoliating ingredients, such as salicylic acid, as well as anti-inflammatory ingredients like tea tree oil.
As for essences, formulations with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and snail mucin are especially helpful for people with dryness, according to Chang. They can also be helpful for mature skin, since these products “often contain anti-aging ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, and vitamins,” she says.
How should you incorporate a toner or essence into your routine?
While there might be some overlap depending on the formulation, “toners and essences often have synergistic benefits and can work together to enhance skin moisture levels and nourish the skin,” says Chang. If you choose to use both, follow your cleanser with toner and then essence before moving onto your serum.
Are hydrating toners worth it?
A good hydrating toner can serve as the foundation for your skin-care routine and make the rest of your products more effective, according to Czech. Will it make or break your regimen in the same way that a retinoid would? That’s unlikely—but these formulas can still be a good idea if you struggle with dryness (especially after cleansing) or want to get a radiance boost. In which case, hydrating toners can be the ticket to unlock the skin of your dreams.
- Claire Chang, M.D. is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic and laser treatments.
- Gloria Lin, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic, medical, and surgical dermatology treatments.
- Mona Gohara, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist who focuses on medical dermatology and caring for skin of color.
- Ginger King is a cosmetic chemist specializing in creative product formulation and advanced technology applications.
- Joanna Czech is a celebrity esthetician whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian.
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