What is the difference between skin toner and astringent

To add to the confusion, some beauty brands give their products names like "balancers," "cleansing waters," or "fresheners. Really, it doesn't matter what term is used to describe the product.

When choosing a toner, the ingredients are the key. Your skin will feel best with a product that helps bring moisture to your skin. Look for humectant ingredients in your toner:. An astringent product is what you'll need to remove excess oil and leave your skin feeling fresh and matte.

Alcohol is a common ingredient and leaves a tingling sensation on your skin. However, many skin care professionals now counsel avoiding this ingredient, which can actually increase acne and irritation as the skin reacts by producing more oil to compensate.

Most people are best served with an alcohol-free astringent that instead uses acids to exfoliate and reduce oil production. Remember, all astringents can be too drying if overused or if your skin isn't super oily—incorporate a new product into your routine slowly, perhaps by alternating use every other night, until you understand its effects on your skin.

Astringents alone won't clear acne. Even though astringents remove surface oil, it's not surface oil that causes breakouts. It's the oil that is deeper within the pore that triggers acne. To reduce these oil plugs within the pore, your astringent will need to contain a blemish-fighting ingredient.

Look for the newer acids—such as salicylic, glycolic, or lactic acid—in the ingredients list. But simply because you're dealing with acne doesn't automatically mean you should be reaching for an astringent. If your skin is not extra oily, or if you are already using an acne treatment medication, skip the astringent. Use a gentler toner instead.

Take special care when choosing a product for sensitive skin. Alcohol-free astringents are fine for sensitive-yet-oily skin types. For all others, stick with toner. Some common toner ingredients to avoid if your skin is sensitive:.

If any product burns, stings, or leaves your face red or tight feeling, stop using it. Less is often more for sensitive skin types. You've got lots of options for your not-too-dry-but-not-too-oily AKA "normal" skin type. You most likely don't need the oil-grabbing properties of an astringent, so you'll be happiest with a toner.

Your ideal product will make your skin feel fresh and clean, never tight and dry, and it shouldn't leave a residue behind. For combination skin, consider using an astringent only in your more oily areas, namely the T-zone forehead, nose, and chin.

Just skip over the dry areas. Looking for an inexpensive option? Witch hazel has gentle astringent properties and can be used by most any skin type. Yes, if you'd like, but only if you have oily skin. You may want the benefits of a specific toning product, and also want a product to remove excess oil.

Try using the astringent in the morning and the toner at night. To be clear, there is no pressing reason for you to use both products. But if you really love your skin care products and how they make your skin feel, you can use both an astringent and a toner without harming your skin, provided you have oily skin. If your skin is dry or sensitive, stay away from astringent completely and use a toner instead.

For sensitive skin, the toner should not contain strong fragrances, artificial colours, alcohol, sodium lauryl sulphate [ 9 ] or menthol. If your skin is normal or you have combination skin where your T-zone is oily and the rest of it is normal, choose a toner and a mild astringent.

Use the astringent only on the oily t-zone area. Using both is not recommended for all skin types as they can cause excessive dryness. However, there are some circumstances where you can use both. They are listed below:. Toners and astringents are different products and cannot be used indiscriminately. If you use the wrong product for your skin type, there are chances of skin damage, irritation and inflammation.

Thus, it is important to know what goes into them and which one is right for your skin. Begin By Knowing Your Skin. This offer is only valid till 30th November Image: Shutterstock. Was this Article helpful? Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Byrdie. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Skin Ask a Dermatologist. By Kristin Howard. Kristin Howard. Byrdie's Editorial Guidelines. Medically reviewed by Dr. Dendy Engelman. Dendy Engelman is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon and lecturer both in the U. What Is Astringent? Dermatologist-Approved Application Tips. Meet the Expert Dr. She specializes in general, cosmetic, and procedural dermatology, as well as skin cancer treatment.

Astringents for Acne Prone or Oily Skin For those with blemish-prone or oily skin, choosing an astringent with the right ingredients is also important. Using too much astringent on oily skin can actually make the problem worse, which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to do.

So, be careful with the amount of astringent you use. Like our toners, Thayers Witch Hazel Astringent includes other ingredients for better skin.

For example, our lemon formula includes lemongrass to help brighten your skin and provide a more youthful complexion. This is a big question in the astringent vs. If a little bit is great, a whole lot is better, right?

Well, this might sound good in theory, but you want to be careful when using both facial toners and astringents at the same time. Remember the basics: astringent for oily skin and toner for sensitive, dry, or combination skin. Though you only need to use one at a time, you might want to keep both in your beauty cabinet. Throughout the year, our skin changes. In addition, if you have combination skin, you could benefit from using both regularly.