For decades, skin toner remained an essential part of skin-care routine.
The best skin toner can help to remove excess dirt off the skin, shrink pores, rejuvenate skin and balances the pH of skin.
Some facial toner brands even promises to brighten the skin.
No doubt, skin toner has some health benefits when it comes to the skin-care but its efficacy can be subjective matter and largely depends upon the type of skin you have.
Dermatologist and skin-care expert advice to use different toner for different type of skin. For example, alcohol based skin toner can be effective in the acne-prone skin as alcohol kills the acne-causing bacteria.
In the past, dermatologists & estheticians used skin-toner to remove the residue and dirt after cleansing the face and neck.
Using toner is an intermediate step between washing the face and applying moisturizer or other creams.
In this article, we will see why toner are good for your skin, what are the different types of toner, how to choose the skin toner in India and the best choices available in the market to buy.
1. Best overall : Biotique Bio Cucumber Pore Tightening Toner
“Suits almost all kind of skin, but need moisturizer after its use”
2. Best Alcohol Free Toner for Acne-prone Skin : Plum Green Tea Toner
“Good for acne-prone, oily skin without drying effects of alcohol.”
3. Best Toner for Dry Skin : Rose Water Skin Toner
“Complete skin rejuvenating toner for instant hydration and cleansing of skin.”
What is toner?
Skin toner is primarily a water-based skin-care product mostly used to balance the pH of skin after the cleansing.
Toners are thin and water-based liquids which usually get absorbed quickly and penetrates deeply. This makes them a perfect delivering active agent for other cosmetic products.
Apart from this, toners have several other benefits like skin hydration, pH balancing, and nurturing the skin.
8 Best Toner for Dry, Sensitive Skin in India
Here is the list of best facial toner’s in India:
1. Biotique Bio Cucumber Pore Tightening Toner
Suits almost all kind of skin. May needs moisturizer to be applied after its use.
This best-selling toner India brings you the freshness of cucumber and other natural ingredients like Pudina, Kheera, Daruhaldi and Dhania.
Cucumber can be a healthy, delicious snack. But you don’t have to eat it all the time to reap its health benefits for skin. Boutique bio cucumber toner can do that for you.
Daruhaldi is known to improve the texture of skin while cucumber reach in anti-oxidants can reduces puffiness of skin and reduce the aging rate, making you skin look younger.
This toner with added benefits of natural ingredients, work to re-hydrate, cleanse and moisturizes the skin. Think of it as an Indian substitute to Korean beauty regime.
Form: Liquid
Ideal for: Women
Areas of application: Face & Neck
Skin type: Suitable to all types of skin
2. Plum Green Tea Alcohol Free Toner
Good for acne-prone, oily skin without drying effects of alcohol.
Plum is one of the top selling toner & is not only alcohol-free, but it also is combined with additional benefits of green tea extract, glycolic acid and glycerin.
Green tea extract work as an astringent and along with glycolic acid it helps your skin to fight against the acne. Comedogenic emollient glycerin keeps the skin moisturized and soft.
As it worked great for oily skin, it is not suitable for those who has extreme dry skin.
Form: Liquid
Ideal for: Women
Areas of application: Face & Neck
Skin type: Suitable acne-prone, oily and combination type of skin
3. UrbanBotanics Rose Water Skin Toner
Complete skin rejuvenating toner for instant hydration and cleansing of skin.
Though it is not a toner in true sense, it can be used as one, thanks to its chemical-free formula whic made using organic ingredients like rose water.
Steamed and carefully distilled rose water is great for hydrating, cleansing, and re-balancing skin.
It can make a good skin cleanser that you can use for preparation skin before applying other skin care products like serum, moisturizers etc.
Keep it in the fridge and spray over the face to experience the cooling and refreshing sensation.
4. WOW Lavender & Rose Skin Mist Toner
Complete cleansing-Toning-Moisturizing partner with all natural ingredients & added fragrance.
With no added chemicals like paraben and sulphate, this toner brings the soothing fragrance of lavender to your skin care regime.
It uses loads of herbal extracts like green tea, witch hazel, and cucumber to help your skin stay hydrated and fight the puffiness. Its alcohol free formula go easy on dry skin and elevate the mood with fragrance of levander.
Apart from tightening the skin pore, removing dirt from skin it also know to help reduce blemishes. Overall, it is a good toner for those who looking for alcohol free toner made with pure natural ingredients.
5. Lakmé Absolute Pore Fix Toner
With lavender & witch hazel leaf extracts, this toner is good for unclogging and tightening the pores.
When it comes to buying beauty products, Lakmé doesn’t required any introduction. This water and glycerin based formula is known to tighten the skin pores and moisturizes the skin.
When you cleanse the facial skin using the Lakme absolute pore fix toner, it helps to remove dirt, unclog the pores and provides smooth skin with hydrated feeling.
To achieve the maximum results, apply before going to bed after washing your face thoroughly.
6. Lotus Herbals Basiltone Cucumber & Basil Toner
With neem, basil & cucumber extract, this toner reduce oil secretion & hydrate skin.
Named as basiltone, this formula brings you the benefits of basil and cucumber while cleansing your skin. It helps to keep your skin hydrated and fresh throughout the day.
The good thing about this toner is, it does not dry your skin and hydrate it well living your face fresh and glowing. The cucumber extract reduce the oil production and work as an astringent.
Not only that, the added neem extract reduce the skin pigmentation.
7. Good Vibes Rose Glow Toner
This rose water toner refreshes and hydrates the skin.
The Good vibes rose water is lightweight and super hydrating. It refreshes your skin instantly, giving you a moisturizing glow on your face.
Regular use of this toner helps improve the skin texture and also improve the complexion.
The antioxidant properties of the rose, protects the skin from damage. Also, its anti-inflammatory properties prevent skin irritation and also reduce redness.
It also helps in removing excess oil from clogged pores. This rose water does not contain alcohol, parabens or sulphates and the product is not tested on animals.
Apart from rose, it even contains honey that nourishes the skin, liquorice that brightens the skin and pomegranate that fights signs of aging.
8. Mamaearth Vitamin C Toner For Face
This alcohol free toner nourishes the skin and also brightens it.
If you are looking for a toner that hydrates your skin and also helps in pore tightening, then this one from Mamaearth is a great choice.
This Vitamin C toner helps in reducing enlarged pores. It also brightens and nourishes the skin. Along with this, it also firms the skin and reduces fine lines.
Cucumber in the toner is super hydrating and improves skin elasticity. Aloe vera extract is power packed with vitamin A and C, and enzymes that soothes dry skin and nourishes it.
This toner restores skins pH since it is alcohol free. It also cleanses pores and purifies the skin. The best part about this toner is that it is dermatologically tested and free from silicones as well as parabens.
9. Irem Deep Cleansing Facial Toner
Deep cleansing facial toner for all type of skin.
One of those few toners that uses proven chemical ingredients for better skin cleansing along with the natural ingredients.
ALmost all facial toners on our list uses only natural ingredients but this one uses the Panthenol, Allantoin, Glycolic acid and vitamin C.
All these chemicals are proven and well-know for their better effect on skin. Panthenol, also known as vitamin B-5, work as skin moisturizer, anti-irritant and skin softening agent.
While the glycolic acid is termed as a holy-grail of exfoliation. It exfoliate the skin and enhance the moisturizing effect while boosting collagen production.
With all these ingredients, this toner is suitable for all type of skin, primarily for oily and acne-prone skin. It works by moisturizing, soothing, hydrating skin and reduces the blackheads.
10. RE’ EQUIL Pore Refining Face Toner
Alcohol free face toner, suitable for acne-prone and oily skin.
This is a liquid toner designed to use over the face and neck and mostly suitable for those who has acne-prone skin.
It brings the goodness of 9 plant based ingredients that consist Witch Hazel, Aloe Vera, Seaweed, Great Burdock, Ivy, Lemon, Watercress, Sage and Common Soapwort.
All these sources are extracted and used to form the RE’ EQUIL face toner. These 9 botanical extracts has their own action on skin but when combined together they can reduce skin inflammation, act as anti-microbial agents and help reduce acne breakout.
Form: Liquid
Ideal For: Men and Women
Area of Application: Face and Neck
Skin Type: Oily & Acne-prone skin
Types of Face Toner
Face toners has three major types –
- Water based face toners
- Water & Glycerin based face toners
- Alcohol based face toners
Water based face toners
These toners are made using the water and easy to absorb when applied over the skin.
Apart from cleansing, they are primarily good for dry skin can make best agent to deliver the other cosmetic skin care products.
Water & Glycerin based face toners
As name suggests, these toners contains glycerin along the water-based formula.
It is good for the moderately dry skin and can help to keep it moisturized for longer period than that of water based toners.
However, it contains the glycerine and few other chemicals like scent extracts which can go harsh on sensitive skin, especially when you are allergic to them.
Alcohol based face toners
These are the best toners for oily skin.
Though, they are good for oily skin, alcohol-based toners are the last choice to go with. Because alcohol can make your skin dry really quick.
They are good for removing dirt, cleansing and reducing the oil from face.
Why toner is a good option for skin-care?
Though, it is not a magic stick to improve your skin health, skin toner can surely adds some benefits.
1. Help remove residue and cleanse the skin
Removing the residue after cleaning the face is the primary reason why most woman uses the toner.
Usually, toner is used after cleaning the face to remove remaining residue on skin which remains even after cleaning the face.
Dabbing a small amount of toner on cotton ball and applying it over the face can help to achieve this. Usually, alcohol-based toner are good at this.
2. Can be beneficial in acne prone skin
Alcohol-based toner may help in acne prone skin.
Usually, acne caused by blockage of skin pores where sebum get saturated and bacteria thrives and as a result acne develops. [01] [02]
Once you wash the face, applying toner on face can help to remove residue which will help to open up the clogged pores.
Its a common belief that the alcohol content of toner kills these acne-causing bacteria and help to reduce the acne outbreak.
In short Alcohol-based facial toners can be useful to prevent the acne to a certain extend but should not be used as the sole treatment for acne.Also, alcohol-based toner should be used cautiously on dry skin as alcohol may increase the dryness.
3. Nurture & Purify the skin
Alcohol-free skin toners are known to have skin hydrating ingredients that help to moisturize the skin and keep the dryness away.
Also, you can choose the toner as per ingredients and your skin requirement. Nowadays toner are available with ingredients like mineral water, carrot oil, hyaluronic acid and kelp extract etc.
These ingredients can be helpful for skin health and add an extra an extra benefit for toner use.
4. Help absorb other skin products
Absorption of skin ointment or other products like serum, moisturizer and face masks can be difficult when skin is dry.
Toner help skin to hydrate and balances pH. Well hydrated skin can absorb the skin products more effectively than that of when it is dry.
So, the face toner work as an facilitator to penetrate the active ingredients or other skin care products. It work that way by removing the dead tissues from skin.
Naturally the pH of skin is around 5.5 but several factors like exposure to pollution, stress, repeated application of makeup, alcohol etc take a troll on skin and its pH. [03]
In such situation, application of skin toner can aid the restoration of natural pH level of skin.
5. Work as moisturizer & refreshes skin
First of toner help to remove the dirt and dead tissues from skin. Then it hydrate it and balances pH and work as humectants.
It help to bind the moisture to skin and revitalize the skin. Think of it as an extra skin cleaner that has added benefits of refreshing your skin.
List of Best Toner Brands in India
| Best Face Toner In India | Type + Ideal For |
|---|---|
| 1. Biotique Bio Face Toner | Overall Best Toner |
| 2.Plum Alcohol Free Toner | Best Alcohol Free Toner for Acne-prone Skin |
| 3. UrbanBotanics Rose Water Skin Toner | Best Toner for Dry Skin |
| 4. WOW Skin Mist Toner | Alcohol free toner with natural ingredients |
| 5. Lakmé Absolute Pore Fix Toner | Unclogg & tighten the pores |
| 6. Lotus Herbals Skin Toner | Reduce oil secretion & hydrate skin |
| 7. Irem Deep Cleansing Facial Toner | Toner for all type of skin |
| 8.RE’ EQUIL Pore Refining Face Toner | Good for oily, sensitive skin |
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Photo: Tonic for the face with a cotton disc in the female hand by Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0