Welcome, my fellow sensitive skin sufferers! From dry and rough texture to irritation and hyperpigmentation, sensitive skin can be difficult to figure out how to treat. Fragrances are not your friend, and alcohol-based astringents wreak havoc on your skin’s pH levels, not to mention disrupt the delicate balance of your microbiome. Even gentle chemical acids can cause a reaction that takes weeks, sometimes months, to heal if they aren’t specifically formulated for sensitive skin.
I’ve found that creating a routine that hydrates, calms, and heals my acne-prone skin does the trick. Though cleansing is one of the most critical steps, finding the right toner for delicate skin can prepare your skin to absorb the goodness from your other products and refresh your skin. If you’re looking for the best toner for sensitive skin, this list could help whether you are working with combination, acne-prone, dry, or oily skin.
Best Sensitive Skin Toners:
- CeraVe – Alcohol-Free Hydrating Toner for Sensitive Dry Skin
- Klairs – Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
- Beekman 1802 – Milk Shake Hyaluronic Acid & Squalane Facial Toner Mist
- Lancôme – Tonique Confort Re-Hydrating Comforting Toner with Acacia Honey
- First Aid Beauty – Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner
- Exuviance – Hydrasoothe Refresh Hyaluronic Acid Toner
- Hanskin – Hyaluron Skin Essence
- ETUDE HOUSE – SoonJung pH5.5 Relief Toner
- SimplyO – Natural Glow Facial Toner
- Yon-Ka Paris – Lotion Yon-Ka Dry Skin Toner
- Haruharu – Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner for Sensitive Skin
We can’t talk about sensitive skin without talking about CeraVe. Board-certified dermatologists developed CeraVe’s pH-balanced formulas to cater to sensitive skin issues. This alcohol-free toner helps clean impurities that may be left behind from your first cleansing step, so you’ll get a clean slate for your next skincare step. In this non-comedogenic formula, hyaluronic acid boosts moisture levels while niacinamide gently smooths skin texture. Essential ceramides (1, 3, and 6-II) make up 50% of the lipids in your skin, which means this ceramide-rich toner can help fortify the barrier that keeps out dirt, bacteria, and other pollution. It’s allergy tested, fragrance-free, and oil-free, so you won’t have to stress about clogged pores or irritation.
Centella Asiatica extract is the star ingredient in this unscented and non-irritating toner. The medicinal herb is known for its naturally soothing bioactive flavonoids and amino acids. This powerful anti-inflammatory ingredient is paired with hyaluronic acid to hydrate your skin, calm irritation, and strengthen your skin. Licorice root brightens the skin if you struggle with hyperpigmentation, and beta-glucan helps speed up the healing of acne, redness, and even fine lines and wrinkles. It’s pH-balanced, fragrance-free, and vegan-friendly.
Ever tried a toner mist? What about a facial milkshake? This bi-phase formula may soon have you saying “yes” to all the above. The first phase includes a blend of goat milk and mugwort, giving you a dose of vitamin A and E and essential fatty acids to gently tone and moisturize at the same time. The second phase has squalene and hyaluronic acid, keeping sensitive skin hydrated and preventing trans epidermal water loss for 8 hours. This 2-in-1 milkshake toner activates with a quick shake and increases hydration up to 45% after just one use.
Yes, even luxury brands make sensitive skin products. The Lancome Tonique Confort Rehydrating Toner is alcohol-free, dermatologist-tested for safety, and loaded with ingredients that your skin will love. With its soothing milky texture, this toner hugs your skin as it absorbs the antioxidant-rich Acacia Honey and ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid. Sweet almond oil is a strong emollient and a rich source of vitamin E for a healthy glow. Reviews say it works well as a gentle makeup remover and leaves skin softer, smoother, and visibly more hydrated within 15 minutes.
Oatmeal can be a godsend for healing sensitive skin, so First Aid Beauty made a toner to do that. They use colloidal and wild oatmeal to calm distressed skin and honey to naturally soften and smooth the skin. If you suffer from dry skin that reacts to other toners, this hyaluronic acid formula could help repair some of those irritating cracks. Another beauty boost comes from the beta-glucan that plumps as it heals, licorice root that brightens as it smooths, and propolis extract to stop those harmful free radicals. Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract is clinically beneficial in calming acne-prone skin, too.
Sometimes your skin needs a little help shedding dead skin to make way for new skin. This refreshing toner is designed for dry and sensitive skin but includes the gentlest of all the chemical acids: PHA or polyhydroxy acid. It is one of the newest beauty ingredients that can boost skin cell regeneration, which helps turnover those dry patches into supple, hydrated skin. It can even smooth fine lines and wrinkles alongside the botanical blend of aloe vera, chamomile, and cucumber fruit extract to reduce puffiness, redness, and dryness.
By now, you know hyaluronic acid can do wonders for your skin’s hydration levels – up to 1000 times its weight in water. Sometimes sensitive skin can be caused by dehydration in the epidermis layers of your skin, so having a toner specifically created to treat that issue could be what you need to get your skin back on track. It’s a 5.5 skin-friendly pH balance and can also be used as an essence. Hydrolyzed collagen supports skin elasticity and the sea grass extract, Zostera Marina, builds up your skin’s antimicrobial activity to boost radiance.
The popular South Korean skincare brand, Etude House, has done it again! The Soon Jung Relief line is specifically made for sensitive and reactive skin types with a low 5.5 pH level to work with the skin, not against it. Ingredients like Madecassoside soothe inflamed skin while panthenol protects your skin barrier. There are no animal materials, mineral oil, perfumes, silicones, or surfactants to irritate your skin, and dermatologists have tested the hypoallergenic formula so that it won’t clog your pores either.
Known as the Vitamin Tree, Sea Buckthorn is rich in nutrients that can brighten your skin without irritation, like from other fruit extracts. With 83% of this vegan toner enriched with the super fruit extract, you’ll get brighter, smoother, and glowing skin with regular use. Five types of white flowers are known to gradually enhance the skin’s condition and strength, including peony, silver bell, magnolia, madonna lily, and round leaf trumpet. You can use this as a toner and essence combo for an even more significant effect on your sensitive skin and get that glowy look with naturally beneficial ingredients.
With its 99% natural origin ingredients, I’m not surprised the reviews are raving about this sensitive skin toner. As an aromatherapeutic healing treatment, it cleanses as it tones with gentle, sensitive skin-friendly essential oils like lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress, and thyme. Though you always want to ensure your skin isn’t reactive to these particular essential oils, they are known to be skin-friendly. This alcohol-free formula is made specifically to support sensitive and dry skin.
Rice water has made its mark on the hair care world, but did you know it can do wonders for your sensitive skin too? This vegan formula is the second version of this Haruharu Wonder toner, and this one excludes all essential oils and skin irritants. It’s fragrance-free and cruelty-free, along with EWG Green for every ingredient in its beautifully black gradient bottle. The star ingredient is 100% fermented black rice from South Korea that nourishes and strengthens the skin. The watery formula uses hyaluronic acid to hydrate the new skin cells regenerated by the skin-plumping (and skin-loving) beta-glucan.
