Can I use a toner if I have sensitive skin?

Quite often people who have sensitive skin are not sure regarding which products are ok to be used during their skincare routine and which are not. Toner is one of those.

So can you use a face Toner if you have sensitive skin? It depends… see here below why.

Types: There are various types of Toners, hydrosols, hydrolats, skin tonic, astringents, acid toners. They can refresh the skin, tone, exfoliate. What action are you looking for on your skin?

Ingredients: Always look at the list of ingredients! Toners can contain water + hydrosols + alcohol + acids (glycolic, lactic, alpha/beta hydroxyl, mandelic), glycerin.

If you have sensitive skin make sure that they do not contain at least the following:

-        Synthetic preservatives

-        Alcohol

-        Benzyl alcohol

-        Benzoic acid

-        Fragrances

Tip: look for a very short list of ingredients, literally maximum 4-5 ingredients, and ensure you are familiar with all the ingredients on INCI list. The above mentioned ingredients to avoid are very harsh on skin and can irritate even further your sensitive skin!

Consider a hydrosol that contain only 1 ingredient, which means it is pure flower/herb distillate, for example rose water, orange blossom water, with nothing else added.

Fragrance: better to ensure that the Toner has NO added fragrance and added essential oils. Also remember that you shouldn’t buy something because it smells nice, you need to focus on what the benefits are for the skin! Behind the word “fragrance” on INCI list can be a hidden preservative, while the essential oils need a “solvent” before they can be added to water, water and oil do not mix, they need a solvent or solubiliser to make this happen. This adds up to the list of unnecessary ingredients, which can be harsh on skin and make more damage than benefit.

Ingredients to look for in a Toner: Look for the main ingredient, which will be the first on the list, if it says Aqua / Water, it means that you are buying tap water with added extracts plus preservatives… so maybe not much value and actually the preservative can be aggressive.

Ensure that the first ingredient is always a hydrolat and / or aloe juice, this means the product you are purchasing is of good quality and good value.

Other great ingredients! Look for soothing ingredients like honey or aloe juice, fermented peptides, probiotics, antioxidants from green tea or herb extracts like willow. These are natural and bring to the skin additional benefits.

Organic logo! Look for the organic certified logo by COSMOS, ECOCERT or ICEA, these all equivalent professional certifications and have the strictest organic standard in the world. The logo means good value for you and more awesome ingredients for your skin.

Tip: Be wary of other logos that can show as Bio, with green color, ensure that they are really organic and check at the % of organic ingredients. The brands that do not show the % of organic ingredients on the total are not being transparent, and want you make believe that the % of organic is high, but it will be not.

Buy from small brands: Very commercial brands unfortunately will try to save on ingredients, to make more money to pay for overheads, so very likely they will not offer you top quality nourishing ingredients, so not much value for money and they most likely they will contain ingredients that can irritate your skin. Small skincare companies offer better value because they care more about their customers, they want to make them happy, and they put more efforts and research behind the products!

So, should you use a Toner if you have sensitive skin? YES but only if ingredients are minimal and not on the list of “avoids” I mentioned above!

For example, our Honey & Orange Toner is made with organic orange blossom water, organic honey, ferments and lactic acids. In here we balance the mildly exfoliating and astringent effects of the alpha hydroxyl acid (orange blossom), with the humectant, anti-inflammatory and nourishing benefits (honey), and the soothing hydrating properties of the fermented peptides, so we have it all!

Do you have any questions or comments on this subject??

Please let us know!