If you’re tired of old-school exfoliants that account for an extra step on your skincare regimen, then a toner exfoliant is just what you need. With irresistible weightless formulas, packed with the best that the skincare world has to offer, exfoliant toners are committed to reviving your skin, refining the skin texture while boosting your natural radiance. If your head is now bursting with questions, just keep reading to find the answers.
On this post:
- What is an exfoliating toner?
- Can I use exfoliating toner daily?
- How do I know if my toner is exfoliating?
- Should I exfoliate at night or morning?
- Should you moisturize after exfoliating toner?
- How long does exfoliating toner take to work?
- Do you wash off exfoliator toner?
- Top best exfoliating toners
What is an exfoliating toner?
An exfoliant toner is a skincare step to use after skin cleansing, that helps to eliminate dead skin cells. As a result, you can usually expect that exfoliant toners improve skin texture, leaving the skin feeling softer, and boosting your natural radiance, minimizing signs of fatigue and dullness. Exfoliant toners are easy to use—and easier than a classic physical exfoliant—as you should only need a cotton pad to lay it on your skin before serum and moisturizing.
Can I use exfoliating toner daily?
An exfoliant toner gently eliminates dead skin cells on the skin surface, and daily application may not be necessary. As usual, our recommendation is to stick to the directions of the brand, and then evaluate how your skin is adjusting. The frequency of application will depend on two main factors: the concentration of the exfoliating actives and the tolerance of your skin to it. If you have a toner highly concentrated in exfoliating actives, you may not need a daily application. Likewise, if your skin is sensitive (or prone to sensitivity) you may want to spare it.
How do I know if my toner is exfoliating?
It’s all about the ingredients—and you may look for clues on the product name. Acronyms like “AHA” and “BHA”, or words like “peeling”, “retexturizing”, and “exfoliating” should give it away. In order to confirm that your toner is, indeed, an exfoliant, you may check the ingredient list. Scan the list of ingredients looking for the word acid. When you find it, check if you read, next to it, the words: glycolic, mandelic, lactic, malic, or salicylic. This list is not exhaustive but it is pretty comprehensive.
Should I exfoliate at night or morning?
Again, we direct you to search for the brand’s “how to use” section. But let’s go ahead with the general directions. Depending on the formula, the actives included and how concentrated they are, you’ll find exfoliating toners that can be applied twice a day, while others are only supposed to be applied once a day—that may or may not be in the evening. To decide when and how often to apply it, you should start by checking your skin sensitivity, whether the actives on the formula are sun-sensitive or sun-sensitizing.
If you want to stick to the safe mode, just keep the exfoliant toner application in the evening routine, and don’t forget to apply sunscreen the following morning.
Should you moisturize after exfoliating toner?
Yes! An exfoliating toner does not substitute your moisturizer, and you should definitely apply it after your toner. Just make sure that your moisturizer does not contain exfoliant ingredients, as it could be too much for your skin. You may opt by applying the moisturizer right away, or wait a few moments for the toner to be absorbed. Try both ways and find what feels right for you. If you don’t have the time, just go ahead and apply moisturizer right after the toner.
How long does exfoliating toner take to work?
If you want to see the full potential of your exfoliant toner, you’ll have to wait a full skin cycle: 28 days. However, it’s not uncommon to start noticing the reviving results of your toner a few days in! This writer swears by the quickly visible results of the Pestle & Mortar NMF Lactic Acid Toner. Five days in is all it takes for the results to start to show.
Long story short, it should depend on how your skin is ajusting to exfoliating actives, how well the toner fit in your routine and how you hydrate and protect the skin while using it. If results won’t show sooner, your can’t expect that at least by day 28 your skin feels more radiant and the texture more even.
Do you wash off exfoliator toner?
No! The magic of exfoliant toners asks for a long stay rather than a swing by. It makes the application even easier: you just need to apply your exfoliant toner, follow with your regular skincare application and that’s it.
Top best exfoliating toners
You may now understand how transforming an exfoliant toner can be for your skin, but you may not know yet where to find it. We’ve selected our favorite exfoliant toners so you can start with the best!
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Toner Lotion Micro-Exfoliant
Anti-black heads for sensitive oily & acne-prone skin
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Toner Lotion Micro-Exfoliant
Featuring Lipohydroxy acid, an LHA that derives from salicylic acid, this formula is ideal for those with oily and acne-prone skin. This active penetrates skin slowly and steadily, dissolving sebum and dead skin, showing the way out to blackheads. Day after day, this formula minimizes the appearance of enlarged pores, refines the texture of the skin, and controls excess sebum and shine.
Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner
Toner with exfoliant acids & niacinamide
Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner
This formula gathers an army of exfoliating actives to improve the appearance of your skin visibly: you can count on it to boost radiance, moisturize, and leave your pores free of oil accumulation. The secret is the combination of AHA, BHA, and PHA, ingredients that work together in this formula to achieve ambitious results. In addition to these exfoliating actives, 2% niacinamide helps to reduce excess sebum while strengthening the skin barrier.
Filorga Oxygen-Peel Re-Oxygenating Micro-Peeling Lotion
Anti-aging exfoliating toner
Filorga Oxygen-Peel Re-Oxygenating Micro-Peeling Lotion
Combining gluconolactone and glycolic, phytic, citric, salicylic, and mandelic acid, this luxurious micro-peeling formula says goodbye to uneven skin texture and dullness. Ideal to incorporate into your anti-aging routine, Filorge developed a product that smoothes the skin and boosts radiance while addressing signs of aging with pure hyaluronic acid and NCTF.
Pestle & Mortar NMF Lactic Acid Toner
Hydrating exfoliant toner for sensitive skin
Pestle & Mortar NMF Lactic Acid Toner
Counting on a magic blend of the gentle gluconolactate and lactic acid together with natural moisturizing factors (NMF), this hero toner brings a peeling toner for those with skin sensitivity and redness. Artfully, this formula removes the outer layer of dead skin cells while preserving and strengthening the hydrolipidic mantle that protects the skin. Without any fragrance or alcohol, this vegan toner is the formula you’ve been looking for.
Evolve Liquid Radiance Glycolic Toner
Natural exfoliant toner
Evolve Liquid Radiance Glycolic Toner
Working with 100% of ingredients of natural origin—64% of them of organic origin—this vegan natural exfoliant toner counts on salicylic, glycolic, and malic acids to revolutionize your skincare routine as well as the appearance of your skin. Each application of these natural AHAs and BHAs boosts cellular turnover and leads to glowing, brighter skin with an even texture.
COSRX AHA/BHA Vitamin C Daily Toner
Exfoliant toner with vitamin C
COSRX AHA/BHA Vitamin C Daily Toner
If you’ve been dreaming about radiant glowy skin, wait until you find the toner that combines AHA, BHA, and vitamin C. This truly skin-revitalizing formula improves texture, tone, and radiance at the same time, making dullness and tired skin a problem of the past. Ideal to incorporate daily in your evening routine, this formula leaves your skin feeling softer and more luminous.
For more ways of exfoliating the skin, check our post about enzyme exfoliators.
