Dr Dray has looked at more than 30 toners, and her approval rate sits at 61%. That means she rates more than she skips, but she is not easy to please. She has strong views on what a toner should actually do for your skin, and she is direct when one falls short.
What does Dr Dray recommend in toners?
Dr Dray responds well to toners that deliver ingredients your skin genuinely needs. She praised the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner for visibly evening out skin tone and giving a radiant, healthy glow, recommending it especially for anyone looking to improve texture through hydration. The Celimax Dual Barrier Creamy Toner is a product she loves and repurchases herself, calling it a formula that hugs the skin and then sinks in and quenches. She rated the Isntree Ultra Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Toner as great for dry, rough, and bumpy skin. The Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner AHA + BHA caught her eye for its glycolic and salicylic acid combination, which she said works well for blackheads, whiteheads, dry rough skin, and keratosis pilaris. The Skin1004 Hyaluronic Acid Toner Plus Sleeping Pack also won her over. It contains polyglutamic acid, which she said helps with both hydration and skin elasticity. It also has melatonin, which she described as an antioxidant that may help combat oxidative stress and hyperpigmentation.
In her words
"I am not kidding when I say this product really did make a visible difference in the appearance of my skin as far as evening out skin tone and just giving the skin a very radiant, healthy glow. The way to use it is after you cleanse the skin while it's still damp, pat just a little bit of this onto the surface of the skin and then apply a moisturizer on over it. I [...] highly recommend it, especially for those [...] looking to improve overall skin tone and texture through hydration."
"I've personally fallen in love with this year. The first comes from Celimax. This is a repurchase for me, the Dual Barrier Creamy Toner. [...] It has a peptide in it called Aquatide, which allegedly is going to do stuff with our autophagy recycling pathways. [...] I love because it hugs the skin and then sinks in and quenches. Really nice formula. Very close to the Aesop milky toner, which I love, but I rarely ever buy because it's so expensive."
"This particular Essence is great for dry rough and bumpy skin in particular"
"I love this line from skin 10004 the Hy ALU seea line I've used their sunscreen I've used their serum great"
"This looks really promising. I have yet to use a Beauty of Joseon product that I did not enjoy to some extent, some more than others, and I often enjoy their toners. This has glycolic acid and salicylic acid, which is a good ingredient combination for blackheads, whiteheads, and cutting down on build up of dry rough skin, [...] as well as keratosis pilaris."
"I've used their sunscreen, I've used their serum, great. But when I saw this sleeping pack, which is a gel-like moisturizer essentially to apply at night, what drew me to it is that it has two of my favorite and hard-to-find ingredients: polyglutamic acid. Polyglutamic acid is hydrating but it also helps improve skin elasticity. And this also has melatonin. Melatonin is an antioxidant applied to the skin, may help combat oxidative stress, and may help ward off hyperpigmentation."
How many toners has Dr Dray reviewed?
Dr Dray has reviewed 33 toners, for an approval rate of 61%. 20 approved, 6 mixed, and 7 skipped.
What has Dr Dray skipped in toners?
When Dr Dray skips a toner, it is usually for one of two reasons. The formula contains something she considers irritating, or it does not do anything a good moisturizer would not already cover. She skipped the Saturday Skin 4% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Toner because it contains tea tree and a bunch of essential oils, which she said can be irritating. She skipped the Tear Tier Milk Skin Toner because peppermint leaf extract is a common potential trigger for rosacea. And she skipped the Geek & Gorgeous Liquid Hydration 5% Panthenol and Natural Moisturizing Factors Toner, saying the ingredients it contains are ones you can simply get from a moisturizer.
"It has tea tree in it, which you know from my videos can be irritating, and a bunch of essential oils. Yeah, let's skip this."
"I did not care for the Milk Skin Toner. The peppermint leaf extract can be irritating if you have rosacea. Peppermint's like a common potential trigger for rosacea."
"This is just another thing to put on your skin, everybody's doing it so you feel like you have to, but trust me you don't need rice water toner."
"This hydrating toner has panthenol and urea, but seriously, you don't need this. [...] You can get these ingredients in a moisturizer, and the benefits that this would yield you're going to get just by using a moisturizer. This is not worth your time or effort. It's [...] very watery and this needs improvement."
What should you take from Dr Dray's picks?
Dr Dray's record on toners comes down to one question: does this formula earn its place? She gets behind products that deliver real hydration or well-chosen actives. She does not get behind watery formulas that duplicate what a moisturizer already does. She also skips anything loaded with essential oils or peppermint that could cause irritation. If you are building a routine, her takes point toward toners with a clear job to do.
Watch Dr Dray say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Saturday Skin 4% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating TonerSkipped itWatch at 7:42
- Tear Tier Milk Skin TonerSkipped itWatch at 0:03
- Cocokind Rose Water TonerSkipped itWatch at 9:19
- Geek & Gorgeous Liquid Hydration 5% Panthenol and Natural Moisturizing Factors TonerSkipped itWatch at 11:24
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning SolutionSkipped itWatch at 7:10
- e.l.f. Pure Skin TonerSkipped itWatch at 2:05
- The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky TonerSkipped itWatch at 7:19
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating TonerRated itWatch at 2:49
- Celimax Dual Barrier Creamy TonerRated itWatch at 12:09
- Isntree Ultra Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid TonerRated itWatch at 14:54
- Skin1004 Centella Asiatica Toner PlusRated itWatch at 3:29
- Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner AHA + BHARated itWatch at 6:13
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Sleeping PackRated itWatch at 3:35
- Hero Cosmetics Salicylic Acid Toner 2%Rated itWatch at 6:13
- Purito Deep Sea Pure Watery TonerRated itWatch at 15:20
- Haruharu Wonder Milky TonerRated itWatch at 5:38
- Neutrogena Skin Perfecting 7% AHA and PHA Exfoliating TonerRated itWatch at 12:59
- Unknown Rice Milk Moisturizing TonerRated itWatch at 0:30
- Aestura Hyaluronic Acid Watery TonerRated itWatch at 7:36
- I'm From Rice TonerRated itWatch at 8:00
- Isntree Green Tea Fresh TonerRated itWatch at 4:52
- ITK Tri-Acid TonerRated itWatch at 6:08
- Peach Slices Acne Exfoliating Toner with Salicylic Acid Acne TreatmentRated itWatch at 8:33
- Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting TonerRated itWatch at 12:34
About this expert
See everything Dr Dray has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr Dray said across her videos about 33 products in toners, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.