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Forbes

What Does Toner Do For Your Skin, And Do You Need It As Part Of Your Skincare Routine? 7 Experts Weigh In

Experts' opinions on toner vary, from it being necessary to it being irrelevant. Toner—one of the most misunderstood skincare products—is confusing even to those who call themselves skincare obsessives (present company included). What does a toner do? Should you use it morning and night? Do you even need a toner? This is as much service journalism as it is a question I was asking myself. Here's my final word, based off of the opinions of seven skincare experts I spoke to: it's an individual decision, one each of us must make for ourselves. Will you leave this roundup with a firm answer as to your personal relationship with toner? Maybe, and maybe not. But what you will leave with is information—and a good springboard to decide whether this product deserves a place in your routine or not. Here's what the experts had to say when I spoke to them in seven separate interviews. Sarah Chapman, celebrity esthetician and founder and product formulator of Skinesis, with a clinic of the same name in London Joanna Czech, celebrity esthetician and founder of Joanna Czech Skin Care and CzechList with studios in Dallas, New York City and Los Angeles Amy Groth, product marketing manager at Rael Heather Hickman, Dermalogica's vice president of education Caroline Hirons, celebrity facialist and skincare expert and founder of Skin Rocks Dr. Ranella Hirsch, board certified dermatologist and co-founder of the skincare line Atolla Megan Picurro, marketing director for Mario Badescu Skincare Toner is a staple of some skincare routines, and is skipped entirely in others. When formulating a skincare routine, you should start with your thinnest product and build up to thicker products. Toner should follow a cleanser and come before serums, moisturizers and SPF, and one of the key benefits of a toner is that it enhances the efficacy of the products that come behind it, Czech says. Using a balancing toner will 'speed up the penetration of a product,' she adds, telling me over Zoom that if I want my skincare products to work to their best capabilities and maximize results, I should use a toner. 'I wouldn't brush my teeth in the morning without toothpaste,' Czech says—so, in the same vein, she wouldn't use serums and moisturizers without using toner first. Groth says that using toner 'creates a blank canvas for the rest of my skincare routine,' and Hickman agrees. 'An analogy I like to use is a kitchen sponge,' she tells me. 'If you put dish soap on a dry sponge, it will just sit on the top and not penetrate the sponge. If the sponge is damp, the dish soap will be absorbed into the sponge. This is what happens with your skin. Applying active serums to dry skin will have less impact than applying them to a hydrated skin.' Toner can be applied via a cotton pad, although there are other delivery methods, as well. Toner is a necessary step after washing your face, Czech says, because we want to keep the skin's pH between 5.5 to 5.9—and a main function of a toner is to balance the skin's pH. Washing our faces 'can dilute acidity of the skin,' she explains, which could bring us close to alkaline level. 'When it gets too close to alkaline level, then it's a lot of inflammatory situations happening,' Czech says. 'So we need to bring back acidity.' There are a myriad of different types of toners, but Czech leans towards a balancing toner that aims to bring skin's pH back to that magic ideal level of 5.5 to 5.9. Picurro drives home toner's purpose of allowing the products that follow it to absorb more efficiently, rebalance the skin's pH and 'eliminate any remaining debris left on the skin,' she says. 'If you're wearing a lot of makeup, you could be double cleansing and it's still not getting everything off of your skin.' 'A good toner is formulated with purpose—whether it's humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid for hydration, acids like lactic or glycolic for gentle exfoliation or niacinamide for barrier support,' Hirons tells me. 'No fluff, no fillers and absolutely no unnecessary alcohols.' 'To hydrate and reduce fine lines, look for ingredients like pea extract, which have a firming effect,' Hickman says. 'For hydration and sensitivity, look for toners containing oat and aloe. For acne skin, you still would want to avoid astringent formulas. Instead, look for ingredients that can reduce shine without stripping the skin, such as wild rose hip extract.' 'Use a cotton pad if you're using an acid,' Hirons says. 'A hydrating toner can also be applied with a pad, but also with your hands or with a mist.' Picurro says it's important to use 'something soft that's not going to tear your skin' when applying toner. If you're using a cotton pad or cotton ball, Picurro says to 'gently wipe when toners are milkier' to get rid of debris on the skin, and 'then you're also going to want to press the toner into your skin, as well.' Groth adds that it's important to apply gently and 'evenly distribute. Let the toner dry before applying serums or moisturizers.' Deciding whether to use toner or not is a highly personal decision. It depends on the type of toner, Hirons says. If it's a hydrating or calming toner, morning and night is fine; if it's an exfoliating toner, night only, 'and not every night, as you don't want to overexfoliate,' she adds. Czech remembers that people used to remove makeup with their toner—but the product has evolved mightily since. Hirons adds that now 'we've moved away from astringent equals effective to multifunctional formulas that actually benefit your skin. Now we see toners that act like serums packed with actives, antioxidants and targeted treatments. Hydrating essences, acid toners, barrier support mists—the category's grown up.' The key ingredients and functions of toner have changed drastically over time, Hickman says. 'In the 1980s, many skin cleansers on the market contained lanolin, which would leave a film on the skin after rinsing, so you needed an alcohol-based product to remove it—and that's where the astringent toner came into play,' she says. 'With the advancement in skin histology knowledge and the understanding of the importance of the skin barrier, toners have transitioned away from astringent formulas towards advanced hydration and skin-specific actives.' Ingredients—like 'peptides and extremely hydrating ingredients,' Picurro says—as well as delivery systems have pushed toner forward into 2025 and beyond. Toner is often in liquid form and is close to the consistency of water. Liquid toners are usually clear and have the consistency of water—'no thickness of a lotion or a serum,' Hirsch says—but a recent innovation in the product is the toner spray, which Chapman says 'are quite good for using as that added step to just lock more moisture into the skin.' Hickman says that she has found spray formulas 'the most impactful and cost-effective to use' when it comes to toner. (When applying toner with a cotton pad, she says, the cotton pad absorbs the product as toners are fluid in consistency, and 'you will end up having to use more than is required.') Hickman holds toner sprays six to eight inches away from her face and, with eyes closed, 'gently spritz to drench the skin,' she says. She also adds that toner spray can be used throughout the day 'to keep the skin hydrated and help to prevent your makeup from becoming dry or cracked.' For this application, she recommends holding the toner about 12 inches away from the face 'for a light spritz rather than a full-on skin drench.' Another toner innovation is toner pads, Groth says (there are toner pads in Rael's product lineup). These are pre-soaked squares 'that can be used quickly as an everyday toner or left on as a mask treatment,' she says, highlighting this Korean skincare innovation for its 'versatility and functionality.' Rael's toner pads. 'Toner is one of these things that's terribly misunderstood,' Hirsch tells me on Zoom. She thinks of toner like a boost in her Jamba Juice—a buttress, she says. 'I'm not really looking for it to drive, but it's like the navigation assistant,' she explains. She sees toner as a good way to fill gaps in a skincare routine: 'A good way to think about 'How do I approach a toner?' is, 'What is my issue? What am I trying to accomplish here? Am I dry? Am I someone who's getting a lot of brown spots? Am I acne laden? Am I someone who's just super greasy? Am I someone who [is] patchy and I want to exfoliate?' That's the best way to think of it. Think of it as 'What is lacking?' And then toner kind of comes in as that ability to fill in the gap.' Czech says toner is 'very often misunderstood, but proper toner will create a healthy base for your skin [and] will make your skin healthier and stronger.' The results of a toner are typically subtle, Picurro says, so people may miss the product's benefits, which may not be as out front as some other steps in a skincare routine. 'I would always think about a toner as a supporting cast member,' Picurro says. 'You can't get that Academy Award for Best Actor without the rest of the cast. So I feel like, to really give your skincare routine that extra that you may be missing, a toner could really do that—especially toners today.' Mario Badescu's Hydrating Glow Toner Hirons adds that, while toner isn't mandatory like a cleanser or SPF, 'a well-formulated toner can seriously elevate your routine.' The sensory experience of a toner also can't be overlooked, Hirsch says. 'Look, if you're a busy parent who has two small, screaming children and you get seven minutes a day to yourself in the bathroom and skincare is where you get to have [peace]—go with God. Go for it. Nothing bad there at all. It's all good. But this idea like, 'Oh my God, you have seven minutes and you want to get efficacy,' toner is one of those steps that is just not critical.' Dermalogica's Multi-Active Toner As Chapman tells me via Zoom, cleansers of yesteryear 'weren't as sophisticated as they are now. So you'd end up using a cream cleanser, there'd be residue and maybe still some oil and dirt and bacteria on the skin. And so the finishing step would be your toner to get rid of the rest of it on there.' Now, though, 'as formulations and cleansers have become much more sophisticated, the need for toners has just gone,' she explains. As to recent evolutions in the product, 'I think there's been a massive shift from what a classic toner was to toners disappearing completely to what I see now, which is much more of a skin prepping water-based liquid,' Chapman says. That type of product could be useful if your skin has an issue and you want to put another layer on—particularly if there are breakouts, oiliness or congested pores happening, she says—and many people like a spray toner because 'it smells pretty [and] it's refreshing, so it's a nice experience,' Chapman explains. 'So if people want [toner] for that perspective, great—but your skin doesn't need it.' Sarah Chapman The jury's out on this question for our panel of experts across the board, but if toner had a fan club, Czech would be the undisputed president of it. 'This is my favorite subject,' she tells me, mentioning that she's been trying to educate the masses about toner for the better part of 40 years. 'I don't believe in trends in skincare,' she says, adding that when it comes to toner, 'I never within 40 years changed my philosophy' about toner, calling it 'the most important step in skincare.' Joanna Czech Groth believes in toner, too, and tells me 'Those that believe toners are irrelevant most likely have not found the toner that is the right fit for them.' 'Once you find a toner that works for your skin type and skin concerns, you will find it is a game changer in your skincare routine,' she adds. There is no real 'one-size-fits-all' approach to toner, Hickman says. 'Everyone can and should use a toner, you just need to find the right one for your skin concerns and needs,' she explains, calling the product 'the unsung heroes of healthy skin.' Toner is 'not an afterthought,' Hirons tells me. 'It's not a relic from your teenage acne days. A well-chosen toner can soothe your skin, boost hydration, support your skin barrier and enhance the effectiveness of other products in your routine.' Caroline Hirons Toner can hydrate, balance, soothe, exfoliate 'or all of the above, depending on what it's formulated for,' she says, adding that we should 'think of it as the bridge between cleansing and your serums [and] moisturizer, helping to either calm or treat, depending on your skin's needs.' 'Respect the toner!' Hirons adds—her emphasis included. Simply put? 'No one needs toner,' Hirsch tells me, adding that no one's skincare routine is going to collapse if toner isn't involved. 'Toner isn't a must,' she adds. 'I would be hard pressed to have you do a skincare routine and not have a cleanser or not have a sunscreen. So there's kind of the necessaries, the goods and the nices. I'd probably put toner somewhere under that. There's necessary, there's nice and then there's toner.' Ranella Hirsch When it comes to the necessity of toner, Picurro tells me over Zoom that 'really, it just has to do with whether you want that extra step or not. I do think it does help, but it helps more in a quiet, unsung way.' Picurro gets that many may eschew yet another step in their skincare routine. 'In our society, we're all super busy,' she tells me. 'It's like, 'I've already cleansed my skin. Why do I need this? What's the point?' I think people don't really understand what the point is.' For her part, Picurro tells me she sometimes doesn't do a morning cleanse and uses her toner to prep her skin for her morning moisturizing. 'And that's been really helpful, actually, for my skin because I feel like I'm not getting rid of all the natural oils or even just the benefits that my night cream gave me,' she says. When you find the toner that's right for you, Picurro says, 'it will make a difference, and you will be like, 'Oh, I see.' It just kind of pushes you maybe to that next level that you're looking for in your skincare routine.'