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Your newly laundered white towel tells no lie: sometimes, even though you’ve just washed your face, there are still trace amounts of dirt and makeup that get left behind. In other instances, maybe your skin just has that dry, too-tight-to-smile feeling that can come from some cleansers. Whatever the case, facial toner is the next step in any skin-care routine to help improve your visage before you even put on moisturizer.
Done right, the best toners can moisturize, cleanse, and soothe, but this essential second step gets a bad rap because you might be choosing the wrong one. The key, then, becomes picking a formula that’s catered specifically to your individual skin type — and there are various, from gentle exfoliants to mild moisturizing waters and beyond. As such, the journey to find you favorite facial toner may feel long.
Considering you skin’s specific needs may help to narrow down your options. For example, people with drier skin might benefit from a hyaluronic acid-spiked toner, whereas oilier sets might see the biggest difference from one with AHAs (think: glycolic, lactic, or citric acids seen in products like the Thayers Facial Toner or Pixi Glow Tonic, which we’ll get into below). No matter your skin type, the face toners ahead can help transform your complexion to its best-looking yet — and save you an extra load of laundry.