Coats Gentle hydrating toning milk: a Guru Score of 74%

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

~Yay

"This is the Coats Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk. This I love. And this has a more traditional milky toner consistency. [...] It is very thick. It's actually thicker than a serum, almost feels like a cream on the skin and that's the usual consistency you would expect from a milky toner. This is stunning. You have all the usual ingredients to expect. You've got the ceramides, you've got the humectants, you've got a beautiful blend of calming and soothing ingredients, but you also have some nice additional actives which maybe many people wouldn't expect from a milky toner. Coats is a great brand because they list everything on the front so you know what you're getting. You're getting mandelic acid which in a low concentration like in here is suitable for daily use. It's going to smooth out the skin, help over time fade hyperpigmentation, and also it's quite hydrating. So it's a clever acid to have in a milky toner where the focus is on hydration. You've got your hyaluronic acid and your ceramides that you would expect. You've got a slow dose of vitamin C here, and you've got a touch of niacinamide. So this is really focusing down on smoothing out the skin, brightening, and boosting the barrier function. You can use this alongside your favorite vitamin C serum if you want because this uses a derivative and a low dose form. So that's fine. But this is just a nice to have."

All 3 takes from Mad About Skin

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"Coats' Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk is a milky toner that has exfoliators in it that feels so good on the skin. So it hydrates, it exfoliates, and this is quite thick, it's almost like a gel. I love this because I'm messy when it comes to toners and they end up running all over the place, and that's the main reason I don't like using them. This, because it's in that slightly viscous gel to toner hybrid, is great for people that want a little bit more control over their toners. [...] It is beautiful on the skin. It hydrates, it nourishes, it exfoliates, but it's gentle. They say you can use this every day. I would probably use it four times a week because it is still quite potent in terms of the actives and the exfoliants. So I would take a little bit of caution and probably use that [...] maximum of four times a week. But when you want hydration, smoother skin, and you just want everything to look just on point, this is a great product and one of the few viral TikTok hits that I would definitely definitely recommend."

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"This is a toning milk with mandelic acid in here and you've also got some other great ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, alongside some great calming and soothing ingredients, ceramide, vitamin C and mandelic acid. This is going to be a hyper gentle exfoliator that's also going to give you some vitamin C glow up and some ceramides. The brand say they created this to not only give you the exfoliation but also with a skin barrier in mind so you don't need to damage the barrier to get a good exfoliation. If you're someone that loves to exfoliate but you're terrified about damaging your skin barrier, this is it. The viscosity is definitely like somewhere between serum and a toner. I find it works best with a cotton round, then you swipe it across the skin. This is so hydrating, it leaves behind a veil of hydration but you're getting that mandelic acid hit."

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"This is the Coats Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk. This I love. And this has a more traditional milky toner consistency. [...] It is very thick. It's actually thicker than a serum, almost feels like a cream on the skin and that's the usual consistency you would expect from a milky toner. This is stunning. You have all the usual ingredients to expect. You've got the ceramides, you've got the humectants, you've got a beautiful blend of calming and soothing ingredients, but you also have some nice additional actives which maybe many people wouldn't expect from a milky toner. Coats is a great brand because they list everything on the front so you know what you're getting. You're getting mandelic acid which in a low concentration like in here is suitable for daily use. It's going to smooth out the skin, help over time fade hyperpigmentation, and also it's quite hydrating. So it's a clever acid to have in a milky toner where the focus is on hydration. You've got your hyaluronic acid and your ceramides that you would expect. You've got a slow dose of vitamin C here, and you've got a touch of niacinamide. So this is really focusing down on smoothing out the skin, brightening, and boosting the barrier function. You can use this alongside your favorite vitamin C serum if you want because this uses a derivative and a low dose form. So that's fine. But this is just a nice to have."

Dr Dray

2.68M subs

~Mixed

"They also have a gentle hydrating toning milk with mandelic acid, hyaluronic acid, ceramide, vitamin C, and niacinamide, no fragrance. The 3% ascorbic acid is a stable form of vitamin C, probably not going to do all of what you're seeking out of vitamin C but it is more stable. Niacinamide is really good if you tolerate it, it does so many things for your skin, it's anti-inflammatory, good for redness, dark spots, hyperpigmentation. This is a mandelic acid toner like this is a gem right here. [...] Mandelic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid, it's very gentle, helps hydrate and gently exfoliate, and can help with fading dark spots. $22.49 doesn't seem too bad."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Alpha hydroxy acids

Alpha hydroxy acids loosen the bonds holding dead cells at the surface. The evidence supports smoother texture and more even tone over time, and they can leave skin more sensitive to sun.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Coats Gentle hydrating toning milk?

A milky toner with mandelic acid, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, and vitamin C, designed to gently exfoliate while hydrating and supporting skin barrier health.

Is Coats Gentle hydrating toning milk worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 74%.

What is Coats Gentle hydrating toning milk's Guru Score?

Coats Gentle hydrating toning milk holds a Guru Score of 74%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.