Do You Really Need Toner?
Friday February 23, 2007
I recently received a letter from an irate reader who couldn't believe I was telling readers toner was unnecessary. She worked in the beauty industry and had been taught that toner is an important part of a daily skincare regimen. I felt for her because she probably had been selling toner to dozens of clients over the years and here I was not only questioning her practice, but throwing it out the window.
Yep, it's true. Let it be known far and wide that I, and many, many beauty experts, firmly believe you don't need toner. Where do I get my facts? From the beauty experts out there who seem to be in firm agreement toner is unnecessary. Of the dozens of beauty books I have, very few give toner a thumbs up and many experts actually suggest toner is useless, with one expert announcing, 'the only things that need toner are copy machines.'
Now we all have our firm beliefs, many of which aren't based on anything except how good or 'eh' something makes us feel. So if you swear by your toner and you can't imagine your beauty routine without it, if you insist cleanser alone could never remove your makeup in full, then by all means, don't throw out your toner. It's likely not going to hurt your skin and what matters most is not what the experts resoundingly say. It's not how a product is rated by the masses. What's most important is how it makes you feel.
Have a firm opinion about toner? Weigh in below.
Yep, it's true. Let it be known far and wide that I, and many, many beauty experts, firmly believe you don't need toner. Where do I get my facts? From the beauty experts out there who seem to be in firm agreement toner is unnecessary. Of the dozens of beauty books I have, very few give toner a thumbs up and many experts actually suggest toner is useless, with one expert announcing, 'the only things that need toner are copy machines.'
Now we all have our firm beliefs, many of which aren't based on anything except how good or 'eh' something makes us feel. So if you swear by your toner and you can't imagine your beauty routine without it, if you insist cleanser alone could never remove your makeup in full, then by all means, don't throw out your toner. It's likely not going to hurt your skin and what matters most is not what the experts resoundingly say. It's not how a product is rated by the masses. What's most important is how it makes you feel.
Have a firm opinion about toner? Weigh in below.
Comments
I use my toner about 3 times a week, only when I have a pimple. I’ve always had a problem with acne, and after using Kiehl’s Oil-Free Calendula Toner, my acne has been clearing up a lot.
Oops. I said oil-free, I meant alchohol-free.
First, I do work for a cosmetics counter in a department store and I recommend using toner. There are 2 great reasons for toner. Reason one it gets any little traces of your make up you may have left after you wash your face at night. The second reason is you will use less moisturizer. How is that you ask, if you apply your moisturizer after using your toner and your face is still damp your moisturizer will go on much easier and spread farther. If you do not believe me, try it. I could not believe it until I tried it myself. You will get your moisturizer to last much longer and save money in the long run.
What about cleansers with toners? I recently vought one and it is really quite refreshing and tingly as I use it.
I would like to use a toner because I hate any residue that is left after cleansing. Unfortunately I’ve yet to find one that isn’t too drying for my particular skin.
But Kimberly, you can get the same action if you just leave a tiny bit of water on your face after washing. The moisturizer spreads better over a damp face, whether damp with toner or plain water.
I keep a tiny spray bottle filled with distilled water in my medicine cabinet, and after I wash, I spritz it over my face, dab off any drippy excess, then use my day or night cream.
In summertime, I keep a little bottle of plain witch hazel in the ‘fridge, and use that on my face during the day if I get too hot and icky, then again at night, before the plain water, to help remove any lingering oil or sludge. It’s about $5.00 for a quart of witch hazel, and it’s very easy on the skin.
I am a lisenced skin care professional and have been in the business for 20 years. I have never heard anyone say toners are useless. Their main function is to return the skin to it’s natural ph level. Cleansers are lower in ph than the skin. You can get some moistureizers and cleansers with toner in them. Water will remove excess debris from the skin BUT what is in the polluted water?! Use a toner and you will be removing the garbage from your skin that is in the water before applying a moisturizer. If you are using a moisturizer that is penetrating active ingredients into the skin then you are pushing the pollutants in the water into your face also. I highly recomend a toner for that reason alone.
I’ve had oily skin ever since my teen years and have found that using toner only made my skin overly dry. I use all natural soaps like the Tomato facial soap by Burt’s Bees and if I use a toner, it’s witch hazel. Anything else just makes a bad situation worse (for me, anyway). While I respect the opinions/comments that are pro-toner, I have to strongly disagree. Also, Odette, you can use purified water to cleanse your face so that you’re not washing with pollutant-filled tap water.
I think toner may help my scarring from pimples. Does anyone know anything about toner helping remove/fade pimple scars?
As Odette says, toner is used to restore the natural acidic PH of the skin (acid mantel) that an alkaline soap or cleanser destroys, leaving toner out of your routine means the skin is left unprotected from the elements and pollution and moisturiser can not cope alone.
I recently stop by Shisheido counter and the sale girl told me that using toner will close your pores and your moisturizer will just sit on top of your skin, which is a waist. She said their line carry softener instead of toner and the softener will help your moisturizer penetrate your skin. Is this true? Shisheido softener is not cheap.
Ann, if you’re looking for a cheaper toner that claims to “soften”, try Boots. You can find it at Target. It’s the #1 beauty seller in the U.K. Visit their web site at boots.com. I tested their products at a target store and I was impressed!
I believe I read in Allure magazine that none of the editors use toner, they say it’s just a waste of money. I just believed them ever since.
I’ve actually never used toners and really see no reason to. I agree they are useless and they actually dry out my skin so maybe it’s just me.
Hmmm, in this article, you claim no one needs facial toner, yet no one actually NEEDS any of these face medicating treatments. Additionally, you claim toner is useless then provide no reasonable source for your claim, just “experts.” As a critic, this article is nothing more than an editorial and you are nothing more than one out of billions of individuals with an opinion. You even state that you “believe” toner is useless, and you cannot firmly say that toner “is” useless because you seem to lack data to support such a claim. For every “expert” who claims it is useless, there is one who can claim it is “useful.” Your voice has been lost in the crowd of billions who make claims without sufficient evidence to support them.