What's the Best Toner for Oily Skin?
I've been in the beauty industry for 4+ years now, although my background is originally in fine arts. In between researching and publishing our guides, I’m usually snacking and making spontaneous (and somewhat chaotic) choices about what to do with my hair.
The traditional advice for oily skin was to use drying astringent toners. However, this strategy isn't effective or healthy in the long term. Instead, use one of these toners to normalise your complexion.
Oily skin can be extremely frustrating to manage, especially if you've been lured into the trap of using overly drying skincare products. Drying products can actually damage your skin whilst creating only a short-term beneficial effect.
Studies have shown that merely hours after using harsh cleansers, toners, and other treatments, sebum levels return to a baseline. This is why we recommend you avoid traditional astringent-based toners, which are primarily formulated to create a tightening sensation and TEMPORARILY 'dry' sebum secretions.
The Best Toners for Oily Skin
All toners are formulated differently, but almost all fall into one of three distinct groups:
• Hydrating toners
• Toners that balance pH
• Exfoliating toners
An oily complexion can also ironically be dry or dehydrated. If you've used drying skincare products in the past to treat your oil imbalance, your skin may be dry at a deeper level.
For this reason, we recommend using a toner that's full of hydrating ingredients. Hydrating toners are perfect for oily skin, as they:
- Attract and lock water into you skin
- Soothe areas of irritation
- Treat the underlying dehydration typical of an oily complexion
Some of our favourite hydrating mist toners for oily skin types include:
The Best Toners for Oily AND Acne-Prone Skin
Acne-prone skin still benefits from hydration. However, another type of toner is best suited to tackling breakouts.
The increased sebum production characteristic of oily skin makes it harder for cells to shed naturally. This means dead skin becomes trapped within pores, encouraging bacterial growth. Your skin reacts by creating inflammation and pus in an attempt to eject these foreign invaders from your body.
A toner with exfoliating benefits is perfect for an oily skin type that's also prone to breakouts. That's because these toners include gently effective skincare acids that loosen dead cells and increase the cell turnover rate. Therefore, dead skin is much less likely to become trapped within your pores.
To incorporate an exfoliating toner into your routine, choose from one of the below:
