Polyhydroxy Acid Toner.

"The toner I'm going to recommend is a liquid exfoliant, again from The INKEY List, their Polyhydroxy Acid Toner. It's lovely, very affordable, again $14 on Amazon. This contains 3% polyhydroxy acid that's going to act as a hydrating ingredient, at the same time over time helps to improve dullness, along with 3% niacinamide, that is also an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory ingredient that really works well with polyhydroxy acid to tackle dullness, uneven skin tone, and skin texture, and also contains aloe that's going to be hydrating at the same time. This is something I recommend actually pouring onto your palm and then patting onto your skin, instead of swiping with a cotton pad, that may just be a little bit too abrasive physically. But you can use this a couple times a week, almost like a hydrating toner slash chemical exfoliant in one."

"The Inkey List PHA is different from AHAs and BHAs and they're a lot milder. It contains a product called gluconolactone, which is a mild exfoliant that's a little bit more gentle in terms of its exfoliation, so it doesn't damage the skin and it can be used by all skin types. What's really nice within the ingredients is they've included niacinamide, which is a skincare favorite, and also it's got glycerin in there as well. So if you look at this formulation, it's a far cry from the old astringent toners which had alcohol in there. It's a clean formulation that can be used as a nice toner. If you want to include a toner, this is something that I really do recommend."

"The INKEY List does toners phenomenally, and I don't know why they don't get a lot of attention for that. This is the PHA, polyhydroxy acid, toner. If the Ordinary's toning solution is too much for you, this is a godsend, it's your guardian angel. It is non-irritating compared to the Ordinary's, and yet it's a little bit hydrating and nourishing to the skin. It has a really low molecular weight, I think it's 73 or 74 grams per mole, but it's absolutely wonderful. If your skin needs a little bit of a glow, maybe you have a little bit of acne or post acne marks, this stuff is so good. Polyhydroxy acid is a big, thick, chunky molecule. These PHAs are super good at holding onto water and they kind of hang out on top of the skin because of how big and chunky they are. They don't penetrate, but they exfoliate gently on top, and they're really good at holding moisture into the skin. It's like a leveled up, even more sensitive version of the glycolic toner, so if you're super sensitive and even glycolic is too much for you, or if you're much drier and you just need the moisture, that's when the PHA comes in."