5 Best Japanese and Korean Hydrating Toners
It’s the hydration for me. Hydrating toners are one of my favorite categories of skincare products because it can fit into anyone’s skincare routine. Hydration is a KEY step to achieving any type of skincare goal, whether it be fighting dark spots or acne, because a happy and hydrated skin barrier will make your products with actives work better and harder for you.
Another reason why I love hydrating toners are because they’re so versatile to use.
Usually, I like to use them either right after I cleanse or after I exfoliate to prep my skin for the rest of my routine. Your skincare will penetrate better on damp skin, rather than completely dry. For times where I am truly just focused on hydrating and have a little extra time, I like put on a few layers of a (or a few!) hydrating toner(s) on my skin, which is known as the “seven skins” method. If there are certain spots of dryness on my face where I want to target hydration, I like soaking a bit of toner on a cotton pad to use as a mini little sheet mask on dry parts of my face. You can also use a tiny sheet mask round to soak them to turn your favorite hydrating toner into a sheet mask!
So here are my 5 favorite hydrating toners, in order from thinnest to thickest in terms of texture.
Keep Cool & Soothe Toner
Skin types: All skin types, great for combination, oily, sensitive, and acne-prone skin.
Skin benefits: Hydrating and soothing.
Ingredient callouts: Free of fragrance, alcohols, parabens, and sulfates. Cruelty free.
Even though this toner is probably the thinnest in texture out of the bunch, it packs a powerful punch of hydration. This toner, like all the other toners on this list, can be layered many times and leaves a natural finish on the skin. Formulated with 85% Bamboo Water, which has natural antioxidants and skin soothing properties, I love how this toner is both SO hydrating and soothing.
This toner has a combination of humectants, which are ingredients that preserve moisture, which I love, such as Glycerin, Urea, sodium hyaluronate, and panthenol.
Centella Asiatica is also in the formulation, which is one of my faovrite soothing ingredients- this toner helps alleviate redness, which I have especially on my cheeks.
One of my favorite ways to use this toner is to use soak a cotton pad and leave it on an area of my skin that’s feeling inflamed.
Available at Amazon or Glowie Co.
INGREDIENTS: Bambusa Vulgaris Water (85%), Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglutamic Acid, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Forsythia Suspensa Fruit Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Thuja Orientalis Extract, Pinus Densiflora Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA.
Naturie Skin Conditioner
Skin types: All skin types.
Skin benefits: Hydration and brightening.
Ingredient callouts: Fragrance free.
Very popular drugstore skin toner in Japan. Great starting toner for skincare beginners who are starting to expand their routines and dip a toe into the toner step Amazing value as you get a HUGE bottle that’s 500mL for less than $20!
The texture is light and watery but looks milky. Sinks into skin after a few seconds of patting with a refreshing and non-tacky finish. Provides a weightless layer of light hydration and this is a toner perfect for layering. Great to use on the body too, since it comes in such a large size.
Its star ingredient is hato mugi (Japanese for “pearl barley”), which is a popular ingredient used in Asian skincare brightening products. Gently brightens and evens out skin tone over time in addition to being a light layer of hydration.
Available at Amazon or Glowie Co.
INGREDIENTS: Water, DPG, BG, Glycerin, Coix seed extract, Glycyrrhizic acid 2K, (Styrene / Acrylate) copolymer, Ethanol, Citric acid, Na citrate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
Skin types: All skin types, great for sensitive skin.
Skin benefits: Hydration and soothing. Helps reduce redness, irritation, and rosacea.
Ingredient callouts: Vegan, cruelty free. Free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
One of my favorite toners, is also thiccer than your average toner but not as thicc as the Hada Labo. Sinks into skin beautifully and leaves a natural finish, non-sticky finish.
This toner would be great for all skin types, especially sensitive skin or skin dealing with redness, irritation, and rosacea. There’s only 7 ingredients and there are no fragrances or alcohols in the formulation. Whenever I overdo it on exfoliation and my barrier is damaged, this is a toner I reach for to help get my skin back into a better state of balance. It’s a great choice for the seven skins method and layers wonderfully.
This Toner Essence is 91.3% Astralagus Root Extract, AKA Milk vetch extract, known as “黄芪” in Chinese.
Astralagus Root Extract is popular in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Korean Medicine (Hanbang). It’s full of nutrients, has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties to soothe irritation.
Personally have used it to make Chinese Chicken Herbal soup (delicious and healing)
Ingredients also include Butylene Glycol, a humectant, and Arginine, an amino acid with antioxidant properties.
Available at Amazon or Glowie Co.
INGREDIENTS: Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract (Milk Vetch Root Extract), 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Arginine.
Haruharu WONDER Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner
Skin types: All skin types.
Skin benefits: Hydration, brightening, and firming.
Ingredient callouts: Vegan, cruelty free. Free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
Haruharu WONDER Black Rice Toner is another favorite of mine – it’s a hydrating and nourishing toner that helps even out skin tone and firm skin. The texture is a touch thicker than water, similar to the Pyunkang yul, but not as thicc as the Hada Labo. Another great toner to layer and has a smooth finish.
Its star ingredients include fermented black rice extract, which is an antioxidant powerhouse packed with polyphenols and flavonoids to promote skin cell regeneration and skin firming.
Because this black rice is fermented, it has a stronger concentration of both polyphenols and flavonoids than just regular black rice. Which makes sense because when you eat fermented foods, the flavors are stronger and more concentrated. I’m a huge fan of black rice (I try to eat only brown and black rice), so that’s why I was initially drawn to this product.
Its formulation also includes bamboo shoot extract, which helps to hydrate and further brighten skin. And hyaluronic acid locks in moisture.
95% natural ingredients. This toner does contain lavender oil and smells like a very refined and sophisticated lavender.
Available at Amazon or Glowie Co.
INGREDIENTS: Water, Betaine, Glycerin, Propanediol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract, Aspergillus Ferment, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cyclodextrin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Beta-glucan, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Sodium Phytate, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Glucose, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alcohol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil.
Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Lotion (2020 Reformulation)
Skin types: All skin types, especially dry and/or sensitive skin.
Skin benefits: Hydration.
Ingredient callouts: Vegan, cruelty free. Free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
My most used & reached for toner–I love this toner, it’s like a big hug of hydration for your face
The Premium Lotion is my HG toners. It’s hydrating, thicc, gentle, and great for those of with sensitive skin because it’s free of fragrance and alcohol. I love the texture as this is the thiccest toner I’ve tried, moreso than even some serums I’ve tried.
What’s special about this toner is that the formulation has 7 types of hyaluronic acid of different sizes to deeply hydrate your skin. Does the size of HA matter? Yes, it does because small and larger molecular weight HA penetrate and stay within the skin differently. Smaller sizes of HA penetrate deeper into the skin and help plump skin to reduce the look of wrinkles, whilelarger sizes are unable to penetrate the skin as well so they sit closer to the surface of the skin to maintain hydration,
Hyaluronic acid is best used on damp skin, so I like using the Hada Labo in combination with a face damped with water or a lighter toner that has humectants. That way my skin is damp and the Hada Labo really helps seal in hydration.
Available at Amazon.com.
INGREDIENTS: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ppg-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate (Super Hyaluronic Acid), Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid (Nano Hyaluronic Acid), Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate (Skin Absorbent Type Hyaluronic Acid), Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer (3D Hyaluronic Acid), Aphanothece Sacrum Polysaccharide (Sacrum), Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Diglycerin, Sorbitol, Pentylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Carbomer, Polyquaternium-51, Peg-32, Peg-75, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Disodium Edta, Potassium Hydroxide, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Disodium Succinate, Succinic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben.
What’s your favorite hydrating toner?
