Toners and mists are the lightest step in a routine: mostly water or a floral water (hydrosol), with humectants or plant extracts added. They are applied after cleansing, either with a pad or sprayed straight onto the face.
The category is broad. Some toners are simple floral waters with one or two ingredients; others carry exfoliating acids or a longer list of actives. The ingredient count on each product is a quick way to tell which you are looking at.
Reading the label
- Floral waters
- A hydrosol such as rose or neroli water is what remains after steam-distilling a plant. On a label it usually appears as the flower name followed by "flower water".
- Alcohol on the label
- Not every alcohol is the drying kind. Fatty alcohols such as cetyl alcohol are emollients; what people usually mean is ethanol, often listed as "alcohol" or "alcohol denat."
