Toners in your skincare routine have had a troubled history in terms of importance. They were required in the 80s-00s because cleansers during that time had very high pH’s that disrupted the skin’s barrier. Toners with their lower pH restored the skin’s pH to the safe 4.5-5.5 so we wouldn’t have the stinging, tightness, and irritation from poorly formulated cleansers. When formulations for cleansers improved, a lot of skincare companies pitched their products as cleansers and toners in one simply because they didn’t disrupt the skin’s barrier any longer. They still had toners on the market and needed to pivot them to a new direction.
Toners then became astringents with witch hazel and alcohol being the star ingredients marketed to acneic and oily skin. This was at a time when treating acne was about suffocating the skin of its natural oils to, in theory, dry up acne lesions. With toners being marketed so strictly to acne prone skin, mists and essences became the dry skin type alternative. This addition quickly snowballed to multi step skincare routines, sometimes going to ten steps or more.
I’ll admit to having fallen down that rabbit hole myself. At one point, I had two cleansers, 2 toners, a mist, an essence, 4 serums, a morning moisturizer, a nighttime moisturizer, exfoliating mask, clay mask, hydrating mask, eye serum, eye cream (goodness, why?), and sunscreen. Skincare routines became maximalist and this made skincare very inaccessible for most people, regardless of demographic. Toners, mists, and essences have now fallen out of favor again and are seen as an unnecessary step in a skincare routine.
So why does The Skin Alcove recommend them?
Hydrating Toners
Treating acne prone skin requires actives that can be sensitizing and drying even though that’s not the end goal. Part of the Get Clear Acne Program is finding the right level of exfoliation to get acne under control. This can increase the risk of dehydration and compromising the skin. Using an acne safe, hydrating toner with anti-inflammatory properties has made it possible for my acne clients to continue to use their actives without breaks that could delay their results. The Skin Alcove’s toner of choice is Hale and Hush's Mist Me.
Mist Me is a hydrating mist that’s best used sprayed onto an esthetic wipe or gauze to swipe across the skin. Mist Me has anti-inflammatory properties from cocoa, rose, and hydrolyzed pearl extracts. It’s also got antioxidants from resveratrol and passionfruit. While the ingredients list has witch hazel and alcohol to make this a thin consistency for the misting component, the drying qualities are not felt on the skin thanks to the high amount of glycerin and honey in the formulation. Mist Me is a safe toner for all skin types including compromised skin from oncology treatments. A hydrating toner like Mist Me is a great way to add some hydration and calming to your routine while also making your treatment serums more effect since hydrated skin absorbs topicals better.
Treatment Toners
Treatment toners are also commonly referred to as acid toners. They’ll have active ingredients like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (Lactic, Mandelic, Glycolic) and/or Beta Hydroxy Acids (Salicylic Acid). They’re commonly used as a mild way to add exfoliation to a skincare routine.
At the Skin Alcove, we like utilizing them for clients that don’t want to commit to a full routine but need help with improving their acne, even if it’s minimal changes. Teenagers commonly fit this description. Hale and Hush’s Clear Future Toner is the choice for us at The Skin Alcove.
Clear Future Toner is a treatment toner with Salicylic Acid as the exfoliating agent to breakthrough lipids (skin oils) to help clear and prevent blackheads and whiteheads and provide some relief for inflamed acne. Clear Future Toner also has yogurt powder for additional anti-microbial benefits and lilac stem cells for anti-inflammatory properties.
Regardless of your preference and lifestyle, we’ve found that a toner is greatly beneficial for acneic skin. Hydrating toners to protect the skin from any potential down sides from your treatment products. Treatment toners for when you know even washing your face twice daily is a task in and of itself. Think of toners as the support role of your skincare routine.
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