Korean beauty has once again brought us some of the best hydrating toners, much like it did with elegant sunscreens and lightweight moisturizers. These toners balance your skin’s pH and boost hydration, sitting somewhere between a traditional toner and an essence. Their popularity continues to grow, with more formulas arriving from both Korea and the U.S.
Vogue’s Top Hydrating Toners
Best Overall: Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer
$36 at Amazon
Best Under Makeup: Rhode Glazing Milk
$32 at Rhode
Best for Dry Skin: PCA Skin Hydrating Face Toner
$48 at Amazon
While toners aren’t new—the American History Museum even has one from 1930—Korean beauty’s focus on hydration led to the rise of milky, barrier-friendly toners a few years ago. This was a welcome change from older toners, which often contained alcohol and could dry out the skin.
You might wonder why not just use an essence. While essences are designed to restore moisture after cleansing and prep skin for other products, toners specifically balance the skin’s pH, which is naturally acidic and essential for a healthy barrier. Hydrating toners offer the benefits of both, helping you achieve healthier, glowing skin. Read on for our favorites.
What is a toner?
What’s the difference between a toner and an essence?
What ingredients should you look for in a hydrating toner or essence?
What is the purpose of a hydrating toner or essence?
How do you use a toner or essence in your routine?
Are hydrating toners worth it?
Meet the Experts
Best Overall: Laneige Cream Skin Refillable Toner & Moisturizer
$36 at Amazon
Why We Love It: This product combines the nourishing benefits of a moisturizer with the light, fast-absorbing feel of a toner. Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, praises its milky texture and notes that it contains ceramides and peptides to strengthen the skin barrier and improve firmness over time. It’s especially good for dry or dehydrated skin.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, peptides, white leaf tea
Best For: Normal to dry skin, mature skin
How to Use: Apply to clean skin by patting it in with your hands. Layer as needed for extra hydration.
Best for Dull Skin: I’m From Rice Toner
$25 at Amazon
Why We Love It: Dr. Chang recommends this bi-phase formula, which contains rice extract to soften and brighten the skin. It’s especially helpful for dull or uneven skin tones. Shake well to mix, and it becomes a milky fluid that leaves a silky finish without feeling heavy.
Key Ingredients: Rice extract, rice bran extract, purslane extract, adenosine
Best For: Brightening, discoloration
How to Use: Shake to emulsify, then apply with a cotton pad or your hands, patting into the skin.
Best for Dry Skin: PCA Skin Hydrating Face Toner
$48 at Amazon
Why We Love It: This medical-grade toner gently removes any leftover oil or dirt after cleansing. It’s packed with humectants like glycerin and sodium PCA, which draw moisture to the skin, keeping it plump and balanced. Dr. Gohara recommends it for dry or combination skin types looking for hydration without heaviness. She suggests storing it in the refrigerator for a refreshing feel.Keep your fridge stocked for an extra-refreshing skincare experience.
Key Ingredients: Evening primrose oil, glycerin, watermelon, apple, and lentil fruit extracts
Best For: Dry or combination skin
How to Use: Apply morning and night by moistening a cotton pad and smoothing it over your face and neck.
Best Under Makeup: Rhode Skin Glazing Milk
Rhode Glazing Milk
$32 | RHODE
Why We Love It: This hydrating essence soothes skin after cleansing and sets the stage for the rest of your routine. “Lightweight yet nourishing, it delivers barrier-friendly ceramides and beta-glucan in a silky base that preps skin perfectly for serum or moisturizer,” says Gohara, who recommends applying it to damp skin to lock in moisture. It also provides long-lasting hydration and calms irritation, reducing redness over time with beta-glucan, a molecule known for its soothing and moisturizing properties. It’s gentle enough to have earned the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, beta-glucan, magnesium
Best For: Dry, sensitive, and irritated skin
How to Use: After cleansing, apply generously with your hands and pat onto your face, neck, and décolleté.
Best for Plumping: Tatcha The Essence
Tatcha The Essence
$65 | TATCHA
Why We Love It: A staple in Tatcha’s lineup, this essence features the brand’s exclusive Hadasei-3 complex, a blend of rice, algae, and green tea. The rice is fermented with a special yeast that reduces alcohol content and boosts key nutrients like amino acids. Algae helps replenish the skin barrier, while green tea provides antioxidants. “This lightweight formula doesn’t leave a greasy residue and feels more like a serum than a toner,” says Dr. Gloria Lin, a board-certified dermatologist in New York. Together, these ingredients enhance the effectiveness of other products in your routine, leaving skin soft, supple, and radiant.
Key Ingredients: Algae, rice ferment, green tea
Best For: All skin types, especially mature skin
How to Use: After cleansing, dispense a few drops into your palms and pat into your face and neck.
Best for Very Dry Skin: CosRX Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner
CosRx Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner
$30 | AMAZON
Why We Love It: CosRx was one of the first Korean beauty brands to gain popularity in the U.S., and it’s no surprise they offer a hydrating toner that really delivers. Nearly 75% of the formula is propolis extract—a resin-like substance made by bees, packed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits—along with honey extract. “Propolis boosts hydration, while honey extract soothes, protects, and promotes skin healing,” says Lin. “It may feel thicker than other toners, but it absorbs quickly without any sticky or greasy residue.” In fact, it feels lightweight and sinks in fast to deeply moisturize, prepping skin for the next steps.
Key Ingredients: Propolis extract, honey extract, panthenol
Best For: All skin types
How to Use: After cleansing, pat onto your face until absorbed, or soak cotton pads and use as a makeshift sheet mask.
Best for Mature Skin: SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
$99 | AMAZON
Why We Love It: Legend has it that this essence was inspired by scientists who noticed the youthful hands of Japanese sake makers, who regularly dipped their hands in fermented rice wine. That discovery led to the brand’s Pitera complex, rich in peptides, vitamins, and minerals that hydrate and brighten skin. “It feels as light as water but leaves skin deeply hydrated,” says Chang, who recommends it for refining texture and boosting radiance. While you can apply it with a cotton round, board-certified dermatologists in New Haven, CT, also suggest…Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara, M.D., who considers this formula essential for achieving glass skin radiance, recommends pressing it into the skin with your hands to maximize absorption and avoid wasting product.
Key Ingredients: Pitera
Best For: Normal-to-combination skin, mature skin, sun-damaged skin
How to Use: After cleansing, shake a few drops into your palms, then press it over your face and neck until absorbed.
Best Mist: Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence
Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence
$116 at TATA HARPER
Why We Love It: This hydrating essence draws its power from nature, combining hyaluronic acid with floral hydrosols (made by steeping flowers in water), botanical extracts, and fermented plants. Many ingredients come from Tata Harper’s own farm in Vermont, and the naturally uplifting scent makes for a luxurious sensory experience.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, lavender water, barley extract
Best For: All skin types
How to Use: Spritz onto skin after cleansing, or as needed to set makeup or boost hydration.
Best for Oily Skin: Thayers Rose Petal Facial Toner
Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Facial Toner
$11 ($8, 27% off) at AMAZON
Why We Love It: Traditional toners used high alcohol concentrations to control oil, but often stripped the skin of moisture. This alcohol-free toner from Thayers uses witch hazel (a natural astringent) to regulate oil, along with rosewater and aloe vera to restore hydration. It clarifies skin without over-drying. However, Lin notes that witch hazel may be too strong for very sensitive skin, so patch test first.
Key Ingredients: Witch hazel extract, aloe vera, rosewater
Best For: Oily skin
How to Use: After cleansing, apply to a cotton pad and sweep over your face.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
$29 at AMAZON
Why We Love It: Though soothing, this toner is packed with powerful ingredients often found in serums, like vitamins C and E and hyaluronic acid. Lin adds that evening primrose and borage seed oil hydrate the skin, while niacinamide improves skin tone, making it especially good for dryness. These ingredients protect against environmental damage and calm the skin, leaving it comfortable.
Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, vitamin E, evening primrose oil
Best For: Dry, compromised, and sensitive skin
How to Use: After cleansing, apply to a cotton pad and pat onto your face and neck.
Best for Enlarged Pores: Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner
Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner
$48 at NORDSTROM
Why We Love It: This toner looks luxurious with rose petals suspended in the amber liquid, and it feels just as indulgent. It absorbs quickly without stickiness, leaving skin smooth and comfortable, thanks to hyaluronic acid, Damask rose extract, and rose fruit extract. The latter tones the skin and minimizes the appearance of pores for a visibly smoother complexion.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, rosewater, rose fruit extract
Best For: Large, visible pores or uneven texture
How to Use: After cleansing, apply a few drops to a cotton pad and sweep over your face and neck.
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
$18 ($16, 11% off) at AMAZON
Why We Love It: While great for dry skin, this toner is also designed for acne-prone skin. It has a base of nourishing ginseng water, along with 2% niacinamide to control oil and fade dark spots, and 0.5% beta hydroxy acid to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells. Ginseng root water and niacinamide work together to repair, revitalize, and brighten the skin.Chang says, “The essence absorbs easily into the skin and is ideal for layering with other skincare products.” This formula works well for most skin types, though Chang notes it’s especially helpful for combination skin or those targeting signs of aging.
Key Ingredients: Ginseng root water, niacinamide, beta hydroxy acid
Best For: Combination and breakout-prone skin
How to Use: After cleansing, warm a few drops between your palms and pat onto the face.
Best for Dark Spots: Shiseido Eudermine Activating Essence Lotion
Shiseido Eudermine Activating Essence Lotion
$90 at Nordstrom
Why We Love It: While many toners for dry skin absorb quickly, their effects can be short-lived. This watery formula provides 24 hours of hydration with two types of hyaluronic acid. It also contains vitamin C to even out skin tone over time, leaving skin more radiant and better protected against environmental stressors.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, yuzu extract
Best For: Dark spots and discoloration
How to Use: After cleansing, apply with cotton pads to the face and neck.
Best for Inflammation: Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner
Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner
$23 at Amazon
Why We Love It: This toner balances pH gently, thanks to heartleaf extract. “Houttuynia cordata (heartleaf) extract helps calm inflammation and has been shown to lower skin temperature after use,” says Lin. It’s alcohol- and fragrance-free, making it suitable for sensitive skin. Glycerin, chamomile, and burdock root also support the skin barrier and reduce inflammation.
Key Ingredients: Heartleaf extract, glycerin, chamomile, burdock root
Best For: Redness-prone, reactive, or very sensitive skin
How to Use: Twice daily, apply generously to hands and pat onto the face after cleansing.
Best for Skin Barrier Repair: Joanna Czech The Toner
Joanna Czech The Toner
$55 at Joanna Czech
Why We Love It: Repairing the skin barrier is key to smooth, glowing skin—not harsh treatments. This gentle toner mist provides essential nutrients like prebiotics, vitamin C, sea chamomile, and minerals to reduce inflammation and restore barrier function. Its Triple-Hydration Complex, including hyaluronic acid and fruit extracts, keeps skin nourished for hours.
Key Ingredients: Triple-Hydration Complex (hyaluronic acid, plant sugars, fruit extracts), prebiotic, vitamin C, sea chamomile, minerals
Best For: Skin barrier repair and irritated skin
How to Use: Spray into palms or directly onto the face, then press and release for optimal absorption.
Everything You Need to Know
What is a toner?
In the past, toners were used to remove any remaining makeup after cleansing and to balance the skin’s pH. “Most face washes used to be soap-based and alkaline,” says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. Since skin’s natural pH is acidic, balanced pH levels help maintain the protective barrier, which is vital for skin health, notes celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech. Toners restore the skin’s acidic pH and prep it for serums and moisturizers.
What is the difference between a toner and an essence?
An essence is thicker than a toner and closer in texture to a serum. “Essences contain a high concentration of active ingredients to hydrate the skin and may…””Be formulated to provide other benefits like brightening,” says Chang. In simple terms, these active ingredients allow essences to address specific skin concerns. Meanwhile, “a toner may or may not contain active ingredients to help with skin issues,” says King.
What should you look for in a hydrating toner or essence?
For toners, it’s helpful to choose exfoliating ingredients like alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, “which help keep the skin slightly acidic,” says King. She also mentions witch hazel as a popular option for refining pores and making them less visible.
In both essences and toners, hydrating ingredients are especially beneficial. Czech highlights hyaluronic acid and glycerin as two good choices. Both are humectants, meaning they draw moisture into the skin, hydrating it and preparing it for other products.
For essences, Chang recommends combining these hydrators with more targeted actives. “Niacinamide, vitamin C, green tea, and licorice root extract are antioxidants that help brighten the skin and offer anti-aging benefits,” she says.
What is the purpose of a hydrating toner or essence?
It depends on your specific concerns. “The ingredients in the products matter more than whether it’s called a ‘toner’ or ‘essence’,” Chang explains. “Matching your skin type and concerns with active ingredients will determine which product is best.” Generally, all skin types can benefit from hydrating toners with hyaluronic acid. Those with oily or acne-prone skin should consider toners with exfoliating ingredients like salicylic acid, as well as anti-inflammatory ingredients such as tea tree oil.
For essences, formulations with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and snail mucin are especially helpful for dry skin, according to Chang. They can also benefit mature skin, as these products “often contain anti-aging ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, and vitamins,” she says.
How should you use a toner or essence in your routine?
While there may be some overlap depending on the product, “toners and essences often work together to boost skin moisture and nourishment,” says Chang. If you use both, apply toner after cleansing, followed by essence, before moving on to serum.
Are hydrating toners worth it?
A good hydrating toner can serve as the foundation of your skincare routine and make other products more effective, according to Czech. Will it be as transformative as a retinoid? Probably not—but these formulas are still beneficial if you struggle with dryness (especially after cleansing) or want to enhance radiance. In that case, hydrating toners can help you achieve the skin of your dreams.
Meet The Experts
– Claire Chang, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic and laser treatments.
– Gloria Lin, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cosmetic, medical, and surgical dermatology.
– Mona Gohara, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist focusing on medical dermatology and skin of color.
– Ginger King is a cosmetic chemist specializing in product formulation and advanced technology.
– Joanna Czech is a celebrity esthetician whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful and clear FAQs about the Top 15 Hydrating Toners of 2025
General Questions About Hydrating Toners
Q What exactly is a hydrating toner
A Its a waterbased liquid product you apply after cleansing Its main job is to add a layer of moisture back into your skin and prepare it to better absorb the serums and moisturizers you apply next
Q How is a hydrating toner different from an astringent or clarifying toner
A Hydrating toners focus on adding moisture and soothing ingredients Astringent or clarifying toners often contain alcohol and are designed to remove excess oil and tighten pores which can sometimes be drying
Q What are the main benefits of using a hydrating toner
A The key benefits are instant hydration calming redness or irritation plumping the skin to minimize fine lines and creating a smooth base for the rest of your skincare routine
Q Who should use a hydrating toner
A Almost everyone They are especially great for people with dry dehydrated sensitive or combination skin Even oily skin types benefit from balanced hydration
Q When in my skincare routine should I apply toner
A Right after you cleanse and dry your face but before you apply any serums treatments or moisturizers
Questions About Usage Application
Q How do I apply a hydrating toner correctly
A You can pour a few drops into your palms and gently press it into your skin or apply it with a soft cotton pad sweeping gently across your face and neck
Q How often should I use a hydrating toner
A Most hydrating toners are gentle enough for daily use both in the morning and at night
Q Can I use a hydrating toner if I have sensitive skin
A Absolutely In fact they are excellent for sensitive skin Just look for toners specifically labeled for sensitive skin that are free from alcohol fragrance and essential oils
Q Can I layer multiple toners
A Yes this is called the 7skin method or simply layering You apply multiple thin layers of the same toner to deeply hydrate your skin Its a popular technique with lightweight watery toners