Paula’s Choice Toners Guide: Which One Is Best For Your Skin?

What it is: An antiaging and soothing toner loaded with antioxidants and fatty acids.

What it does: The fatty acids moisturise skin and strengthen the skin’s protective barrier, making it more resistant to irritations and environmental aggressors (like harsh winds). Antioxidants (including ferulic acid and quercetin) destroy free radicals before they can give you wrinkles.

Texture: Milky and noticeably richer than a standard toner. Still light, but definitely not the one I’d choose if your idea of a good toner is “basically water.”

Best for: Normal to dry skin, especially if dehydration, dullness and early signs of ageing are all starting to gang up on you.

Skip it if: Your skin is oily or you hate richer textures. In that case, the RESIST Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner or Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner makes a lot more sense.

Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Aging + Dry Skin

What it is: An antiaging toner for oily skin.

What it does: It’s loaded with antioxidants to fight the free-radical damage that leads to premature wrinkles, while niacinamide helps even out skin tone, soften fine lines and make enlarged pores look smaller. Hyaluronic acid hydrates skin without adding heaviness, so you get the moisture without the greasy aftermath. 

Texture: Super lightweight and watery. Basically everything oily skin wants from a toner: hydration without feeling like you’ve added yet another layer to your face.

Best for: Oily and combination skin, especially if enlarged pores, uneven tone and early signs of ageing are starting to gang up on you.

Skip it if: Your skin is dry and begging for something richer. RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner will give it a lot more of what it needs.

Related: What The Heck Is Niacinamide And Why Should You Use It?

What it is: A lightweight toner to keep oily skin under control and make enlarged pores look smaller.

What it does: Niacinamide helps refine skin’s texture and make enlarged pores look smaller, while hyaluronic acid hydrates skin without adding more oil. The formula also contains ceramides and cholesterol to help strengthen the skin barrier, so you’re not stripping oily skin in a desperate attempt to make it behave. 

Texture: Lightweight and watery. It disappears into skin fast, with none of the richness of the RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner.

Best for: Oily and combination skin, especially if large pores and excess oil are higher on your hit list than dryness or signs of ageing.

Skip it if: Your skin is dry or flaky. It simply doesn’t have the richness you’ll get from Skin Recovery or RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner.

Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Oily Skin

What it is: A soothing, hydrating toner loaded with nourishing plant oils and antioxidants.

What it does: Evening primrose and borage oils moisturise dry skin and help soften those annoying rough, flaky patches, while panthenol and hyaluronic acid boost hydration. It also contains antioxidants, including vitamin E and superoxide dismutase, to neutralise free radicals before they can contribute to premature wrinkles. Paula’s Choice specifically recommends it for very dry, redness-prone and rosacea-prone skin.

Texture: Rich, milky and the heaviest toner in the Paula’s Choice range. If your skin drinks up anything remotely creamy, you’ll probably love it. If it runs from rich textures screaming, not so much.

Best for: Dry to very dry skin, especially if flaking, tightness and redness tend to show up together.

Skip it if: Your skin is oily or combination. This is deliberately rich, and Skin Balancing or RESIST Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner will feel much more at home on your face.

Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin

What it is: A soothing, milky toner for sensitive and redness-prone skin, loaded with humectants and calming ingredients.

What it does: Glycerin, sodium PCA and hyaluronic acid pull water into the skin, while panthenol helps improve hydration and support a damaged skin barrier. Allantoin adds another dose of soothing, making this a much better fit when your skin is irritated and throwing a tantrum than when you’re trying to tackle pores or excess oil. 

Texture: Lightweight and milky rather than rich and creamy. It has more body than a watery toner, but it doesn’t feel as heavy as Skin Recovery.

Best for: Sensitive, redness-prone skin, and skin irritation, especially if dehydration tends to make everything look and feel worse. 

Skip it if: Your main concerns are oiliness, clogged pores or enlarged pores. Skin Balancing makes far more sense for those.

Related: 9 Ingredients That Soothe Sensitive, Irritated Skin

What it is: A 2% salicylic acid leave-on exfoliant for blackheads, clogged pores and breakouts. Paula’s Choice now calls it an “exfoliating toner,” but don’t confuse it with the hydrating toners above. This is an exfoliant with a toner-like texture.

What it does: Salicylic acid removes the dead skin cells clogging the surface of your skin and gets inside the pores to help clear the gunk that leads to blackheads and breakouts. Green tea adds antioxidant and soothing properties, which is a nice bonus when you’re using an exfoliating acid. 

Texture: Watery but slightly slippery, with that almost oily finish this exfoliant is famous for. Don’t worry, there’s no oil in it. It’s just the solvent system doing its thing.

Best for: Oily and combination skin struggling with blackheads, clogged pores, acne, breakouts or enlarged pores.

Skip it if: You’re looking for a simple hydrating toner. This is an exfoliant, so it can irritate skin if you overdo it. If dryness, sensitivity or barrier support are your main concerns, one of the actual toners above makes far more sense.

Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Oily Skin