Toners are an essential part of a good, effective skincare routine. It helps complete the cleansing routine and boosts the effects of the rest. That is why we at UMMA want to share what we know about this important step that can dramatically change the overall skin caring experience.
In this blog, we will not be describing the basics of what a toner is and how to use it – as business owners, you will have already graduated ‘skincare toners 101’.
What we will be covering is:
– The ‘then and now’ of how the formulation of toners evolved
– What benefits conusmers seek most out of their toners now
– The 10 best sellers and the benefits they provide to care for specific skin needs
Toners then and now
There are people who still do not include toners as part of their skincare routine. This is may be because toners back in the day used to contain alcohol in their formulation, so they tended to dry the skin and made issues like acne even worse. Some just didn’t understand the importance of toners.
Evidently, each toner was only suited to deliver one particular benefit not long ago. There were only three types – hydrating toners, exfoliating toners, and treatment toners – such as wrinkle care or brightening care. According to what each individual needed most, they would have to choose one of the three to add to their routine.
Nowadays, toners have amazing ingredients and they are mainly alcohol-free. Skincare brands have gathered the needs of various consumer types and created multi-purpose toners according to every skin type or need.
When it comes to K-beauty, toners are a basic requirement. The 10 step Korean skincare routine always involved using a toner. This is because Korean women understood the benefits of using a toner after cleansing, and before nourishing. The best Korean toner helps soften the skin to remove the remaining dead skin cells and impurities your cleansing routine did not catch. And a good toner helps create the most ideal condition of your skin to help boost the efficacy and absorption of active ingredients in the next skincare steps. So let’s go through the various benefits that are available in today’s Korean toners.
The 7 benefits of toners most sought after by consumers
The basic rules for when to use a toner, and how to choose the right one has not changed. If you need more hydration or need an additional exfoliation benefit in your skincare routine, you can find toners that contain these benefits.
But here is the biggest difference in Korean toners now – brands have created toners that contain multiple benefits to address different skin needs rather than just providing only one per product. Consumers have becoming smarter with more skincare knowledge, and communicating with brands what various benefits they needed in order to resolve their skin concerns.
Here are the benefits of Korean toners most sought after by consumers:
Hydrating & Nourishing
While all skin need hydration and nourishment, dry and sensitive skin types especially crave more and more of this benefit. Various external factors, like pollution, harmful UV rays, and wearing masks all day affect the skin’s healthy moisture balance day to day. Because this benefit is a must for these skin types to retain and maintain a healthy moisture-oil balance, this is one their top choices for what a toner must provide.
Exfoliating
Oily, acne-prone skin types especially need an additional exfoliation step in their skincare routine. They seek a toner that eliminates dead skin cells and any residue that can disturb the oil balance of their skin. It is not to say this benefit is a need exclusive to these skin types. And with more exfoliation, other benefits, such as soothing, will have to follow.
Purifying
While exfoliation focuses on removing impurities, purification focuses on cleaning the environment (or skin) of any residue that can cause bacterial infections, inflammation, or any other irritation. This may go hand in hand with exfoliation and soothing, as most acne-prone skin types seek this benefit to clear any possibility of a breakout.
Soothing
Oily and sensitive skin types seek this benefit most, but it is not exclusive to just these skin types. Each individual may have different reasons for why they need the additional soothing benefit. Some need to alleviate the skin from irritation after exfoliation, while some need it to calm inflammation that may lead to a breakout. Some need it from the extreme dryness of their skin as it stretches and irritates the skin. Whatever the reason, most toners (rather, most Korean skincare) tend to contain some type of natural soothing ingredient to please all skins’ needs.
Smoothing
All skin types desire smoother skin. After all, skin care is about creating a smoother, clearer skin. This can be done by benefits that deliver wrinkle care, blemish care, or pore care. A smoothing toner will soften the skin to help create a skin free of bumps and dips.
Balancing
A healthy skin is maintained by balance. Too little hydration will cause dry skin, a skin too high in pH (alkaline) will cause the natural skin barrier to break down, causing all kinds of skin trouble. An imbalanced skin needs the right formula to bring skin back to a healthy, mildly acidic surface with the perfect balance of oil to moisture ratio. All healthy skin must maintain balance. Some toners contain just the right balancing recipe for your skin to maintain its best condition.
Brightening
This is any toner that can brighten the complexion, even out the skin tone, or contain whitening ingredients. Brightening benefit is especially popular for those that fully grasp K-beauty as their end means. And this is regardless of skin type. Whether you are looking for a healthier glow or a full level up brighter skin tone, this is a benefit you do not want to skip at the toner step.
Here is our selection of the Best 10 Korean toners to stock your business. Your beauty and makeup store is not complete unless you have these incredible products as part of your inventory.
Most of these products are beauty award winners, best sellers, and number 1 on recurrent purchases.
Our best Korean toner selections were created based on skin needs.
Acne Care Toners (Purifying + Soothing + Exfoliating)
These toners purify the skin. They also heal, calm, and refresh, and contain effective exfoliating ingredients.
1/ SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner
This light-textured product is great to quickly help heal any breakout or issues like acne. This toner can be used as a light exfoliating step gentle enough for daily use and sensitive skin types. Many people love the refreshing sensation obtained from using this product in the morning. It contains 84% Centella Asiatica extract, which provides great skincare benefits, such as soothing and hydration.
2/ Some by Mi AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner
The best acne care products are multifunctional, and this toner has many facets, all appropriate for acne-prone oily and sensitive skin types. The AHA, BHA, PHA acids, papaya extract, and witch hazel clean and purify deep within pores, and a high concentration of tea tree water extract helps maintain a healthy skin tone and texture, and soothes irritations. Reviews show the product truly comes through with its promises.
Pore Care Toners (Purifying + Soothing + Balancing)
To maintain clean, healthy pores, you must start with a purifying, balancing toner that soothes any potential breakouts on site.
3/ IsNtree Green Tea Fresh Toner
This hydrating toner contains 80% green tea extract from Jeju island known to soothe and revitalize skin. The toner is absorbed quickly and deeply, providing the needed nutrients to keep excess sebum at bay and pores filled with moisture to help maintain a healthy moisture-oil balance. While most hydrating toners are catered to dry skin only, reviews show this toner to be highly compatible to oily, combination, and sensitive skin as well.
4/ Needly Daily Toner Pad
The Needly Daily Toner Pad is a cult favorite item that has grown in popularity through word of mouth.
This may not be outwardly apparent, but toner pads are gaining more popular in Korea than regular bottled toners. This is because most women use pads to apply their toner, apply soaked pads like sheet masks to get the most out of the active ingredients. Needly daily toner pad, along with other local and global brand toner pads will continue to gain popularity and stay at the top list of best Korean toner selections.
It contains BHA and PHA for gentle exfoliation, Salicylic acid to sooth redness and irritation, and poly hydroxyl acid for tightening pores to reveal smooth, glowing skin. These daily exfoliating pads have no artificial chemicals, making them a perfect choice for very sensitive skins. Because of their ingredients and light formula, many fans use them as a face mask for better results.
Balance Care Toners (Hydration & Nourishing + Balancing)
Sometimes your skin just needs recalibration. Balance toners contain the proper recipe to provide hydration and nourishment to the skin to restore the pH balance.
5/ Etude Soonjung pH 5.5 Relief Toner
This toner is a winner for all skin types. It contains Panthenol and Madecassoside, which promotes healing and barrier protection, and soothes skin of various conditions. It excludes various additives that irritate the skin, and the formula was created mildly acidic to match the skin’s most optimal base condition for pH balance. Some reviews also suggest it provides an instant cooling effect.
6/ Dear, klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
This toner is a cult favorite, especially due to its lack of fragrance, which is a skin irritant for many individuals. Some main ingredients include beta glucan for soothing redness and inflammation, Hyaluronic Acid for hydration, and Panthenol, which provides moisture barrier protection. Many fans praise this toner for its ability to prepare the perfect skin condition for the next skincare steps.
Bright & Soft Care Toners (Brightening + Hydrating + Purifying)
Bright & Soft care toners essentially soften up the skin to eliminated dead skin cells, clear away impurities, plump up tired skin with hydration, and leave skin brighter.
7/ I’m from Rice Toner
We consider this one of the best selling toners of the year 2022. Containing 77.78% rice extract and niacinamide, this toner provides a multitude of benefits, and the claims have been verified by the many fans of this toner. It provides deep hydration and protects moisture barrier. It softens the skin to eliminate dead skin cells and provide the proper nutrients you skin needs to purify and rebalance, leaving skin with a luminous soft glow.
8/ Goodal Green Tangerine Vita C Toner Pad
This cult favorite toner pad is rated highly for its versatile benefits. The 5-in-1 product contains an abundance of vitamin c from Jeju green tangerines, and natural acids from lemon, bilberry, orange, and other fruit extracts to exfoliate, moisturize, even out skin tone, brighten, and detoxify. It contains no other harsh acids, making it gentle enough for daily morning and evening use, as well as being suitable for sensitive skin.
Hydration + Soothing Care Toners
9/ Mamonde Rose Water Toner
First, we want to mention that the scent of this product is addictive. It feels natural, fresh, and not too overwhelming. It is so light that you can use it as a facial hydrating mist. This amazing product contains 90.97% Damask rose water, which is extremely effective in hydrating, soothing, and revitalizing skin to provide a soft, fresh, and dewy complexion. This toner is especially well-received by dry skin individuals who either have consistently dry skin or experience inner skin dryness. This one-of-a-kind rose water toner continues to be a highly repurchased item globally.
Glow Plump Care Toners (Brightening + Hydration & Nourishing + Smoothing)
10/ COSRX Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner
This toner is both refreshing and soothing and provides a nice glowing effect. The best thing about this incredible product is that it provides a boosting effect. Many users worldwide say that when using this toner as preparation for nurturing creams, the results of the entire cleansing routine are far better than before. Your skin will look healthier, smoother, repaired, and glowy. It truly hydrates the skin and you can see the glass-like effect after the first application.
Find your supply of these best Korean toner from UMMA
When searching for the best wholesale supplier of these top Korean toners for your store, UMMA (https://wp.umma.io) is your best option. We have a unique, curated selection of best and trending Korean skincare, cosmetics, and haircare brands. We also consistently provide timely guides and product recommendations so you can keep up with trends and the ever-changing demand of your customers.
You will find low competitive prices for these top selling toners, exclusive membership benefits, and the support you need to help your business grow. Sign up now and get a registration bonus you can use on your first purchase.
