What Are The Best Natural Toners For The Face With Safer, Cleaner Ingredients?
Toners are liquids, generally water-based, which are designed to penetrate the skin into our pores and balance its pH. This preps it with hydration so that subsequent skincare we apply is more efficacious and sinks in deeper.
Therefore, toners are generally best applied after cleansing and exfoliating. Traditionally, toners were also often formulated as exfoliants, which may not have been obvious to consumers - and therefore they were associated with being rather harsh and damaging to the skin for some people who weren’t prepared for this effect. Nowadays, spurred on by sophisticated formulations from Korea, toners have become gentle yet effective skin prep steps in most people’s routines, and you would usually need a dedicated exfoliant in addition to this if you need to get rid of dead skin cells.
For dry skin or climates, try the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Mist (Style Korean)(Jolse) or Hada Labo Premium Lotion (Olive Young)(dokodemo)(Jolse) (which is actually a toner). We find that the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Mist (Style Korean)(Jolse) is a particularly intricate formulation that strikes a great balance between being wonderfully hydrating but not too thick, in a mist form.
There are also a range of more affordable toner options though they may have a lower concentration of active ingredients. Two such brands to check out are Isntree and Secret Key. In particular, try the Secret Key Milk Brightening Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) and the Secret Key Aloe Soothing Moist Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), as well as the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner (Style Korean)(Jolse) and Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Jolse). Another one in this category that comes to mind is the Etude House SoonJung pH 5.5 Relief Toner. These products contain relatively safe brightening and/or antioxidant ingredients such as green tea. However, if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid or aloe, you should take care. Always do a patch test first to be sure.
What Is An Essence?
Essences work similar to serums, in that they are thin but hydrating formulations packed with active ingredients that help subsequent layers of skincare to absorb better in the skin.
They act adjuncts for the rest of the steps in your routine, and also help to achieve a dewy Korean glass skin look.
What Are The Best Organic Essences To Use With Safer, More Natural Ingredients?
We really like using the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which contains 2% niacinamide. This helps us to even skin tone and helps with skin brightening. Read more about the effects of different niacinamide percentages on your skin.
There are also a lot of skincare ingredients you shouldn’t combine with niacinamide! Read our post on skincare ingredients not to mix for more information.
To help fade dark spots and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and for anti-aging effects, we use the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, but we only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over your face, to minimise the risk of irritation.
If you are looking for an alternative to the SKII cult favorite, the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (dokodemo), give the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning (Althea)(Jolse) or the Neogen Real Ferment Microessence a go. While we don’t find these to be as hydrating, they help give our skin a youthful glow. They also contain saccharomyces ferment filtrate, like the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (dokodemo).
If you are looking for a really hydrating essence, try the Primera Miracle Seed Essence (Althea). This is packed with a few key ingredients, including saccharomyces ferment (for anti-aging), nelumbo nucifera germ extract (for skin conditioning), and niacinamide.
If you are suffering from acne, this could be good time to try the Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Essence. Skinfood does a good job at working with propolis in this formulation. Propolis is an ingredient which studies suggest has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. While it can’t get rid of acne, it can help with soothing your skin during this period of inflammation.
Centella asiatica is another great ingredient to look out for possible anti-inflammation effects. The AHC Minimal 10 Watery Essence (Olive Young) contains one of highest concentrations of centella asiatica among the essences, at 98%, and we use this on pimples for a calming effect.
If you are looking for an essence with minimal ingredients and something a little different, another product to look out for is the Make P:rem Chaga Concentrate Essence. This contains only three ingredients, the active ingredient being mushroom extract (chaga). Chaga is emerging as an ingredient in Korean skincare, and studies suggest it can help to strengthen the skin.
Toners and essence are generally less concentrated than serums, and are therefore more watery in consistency. This is partly because serums tend to have more active ingredients such as vitamin C and other antioxidants, and are therefore suited to treating particular skin concerns, such as anti-aging, pigmentation and breakouts. You can find our favorite serums to use here.
By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
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P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!
