TONE UP :
Why You Need to Use a Toner
By Danielle Hadley
I
’m a big fan of toners. Even though I love
a good antioxidant serum and have far too
many face masks for one person, my routine
never feels complete without a toner. If we think
back to a more primitive time in skin care’s
past, a toner formed a key part of the classic
cleanse, tone, moisturise three-step routine as
a way to balance the skin between cleansing and
hydrating. While (thankfully!) this basic system
has evolved to include a few more essential steps,
I believe there is still a place for the humble
toner in any routine, whatever your skin type.
Back in the day, toners were heavily based
around alcohol as a key ingredient. Included for
its astringent properties, toners were meant to
strip away any lingering surface oils and bacte-
ria in the hope of maintaining a clear and clean
complexion. This is probably why toners gained
notoriety as a pointless step in your daily skin
care routine, proving to be more detrimental
than beneficial to the skin as our 'skintelligence'
increased. Toners nowadays have evolved to be
free of alcohol and can provide multiple benefits
for the skin, from a quick moisture boost to a
much-needed pore clear-out.
Essentially, a toner's main job is to signal the
end of the cleansing phase of your routine. A
good toner will remove any remaining residue,
make-up and impurities from the surface of the
skin that your cleanser might have missed while
balancing the skin's pH level and preparing it
for the application of a serum or targeted treat-
ment. By prepping the skin, a toner is creating
the perfect environment for the rest of your
products to be applied to which makes it easier
for their active ingredients to be absorbed.
If you want to join #TeamToner then here are
some products to get you started…
For oily, blemish-prone skin…
If your skin is more pimply than perfect, a toner
that balances and slightly mattifies is ideal
following your daily cleanser. The Epionce
Purifying Toner combines Willow Bark and
Lavender Extract to decongest problem skin
ISSUE #12 | 2019 | SkinHealthMagazine.com 10