11 Best Exfoliating Toners for Gorgeous, Glowy Skin

Best Toners for Exfoliation

1. Best Plant-Powered Exfoliating Toner:

ORIGINS Youthtopia™ Liquid Exfoliating Apple Face Peel 

In the fight against acne-prone skin, large pores, and texture, glycolic acid is your BFF. This essential AHA gently exfoliates the top layer of the skin to help deep clean your pores and reveal a more radiant complexion—so we love that this formula features the brand’s apple cider vinegar and glycolic acid complex for a brightening boost. New to peels? There’s nothing to it. After cleansing, just saturate a cotton pad with the product and sweep it over your face, allowing it to almost fully dry before applying your moisturizer right on top. 

2. Best Drugstore Exfoliating Toner:

PIXI BEAUTY Glow Tonic

Featuring 5% glycolic acid and an alcohol-free formula, this toning solution tops our list as one of the best exfoliating toners found at your local drugstore (or Amazon, obvi) that’s also sensitive skin–friendly. This gentle exfoliating toner helps remove excess oils and impurities on the skin’s surface and speed up cell turnover, all while hydrating with soothing aloe vera. Swipe it on after your cleanser each day, and you’ll be well on your way to the smooth skin of your dreams.

3. Best Cult-Fave Exfoliating Toner:

PAULA'S CHOICE SKINCARE 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

You know your one friend who’s basically a cosmetic chemist at this point because she knows so much about skincare? Yeah, she’s definitely heard of this product. This lightweight formula features 2% BHA in the form of salicylic acid, which many fans credit for helping transform their skin. And while this toner does tackle some big skin challenges—like enlarged pores, blackheads, and breakout-prone skin—it’s also gentle on your complexion thanks to green tea, which helps support the skin’s barrier.

4. Best Toner for Clogged Pores:

TOUCH IN SOL No Poreblem AHA BHA PHA Toner Mini

Not sure if you should try AHAs, BHAs, or PHAs in your quest to find the best exfoliating toner? With this expertly crafted formula, you don’t have to choose. This water-based toner is a lifesaver for stubborn pores that are often accompanied by oily skin. It’s formulated with glycolic and salicylic acid to clear out sebum, gunk, and anything else hiding in pores. Plus, since it contains tea tree oil, it’ll help prevent new breakouts with its antibacterial properties.

5. Best Overnight Exfoliating Toner:

YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner

Touting one of the highest concentrations of AHAs (in this case, glycolic acid and lactic acid) on this list at 11%, this powerhouse product works overnight to improve the look of dark spots and dull skin. Plus, it’s boosted with hydrating agents and antioxidant-rich black tea ferment filtrate to help reveal a more even-looking skin tone while it helps improve skin texture.

6. Best Balancing Exfoliating Toner:

 COSMEDIX Purity Balance Toner

There’s nothing worse than using a toner and discovering it has made your skin feel totally stripped and dried out. That’s never the case with one of Davenport’s favorite toners: the COSMEDIX Purity Balance Toner, which features a balance of both pH-balancing and active ingredients in its pore-refining formula. “I prefer ingredients like niacinamide and bisabolol to help balance the barrier of the skin while exfoliation is happening,” he says, which is why he loves this toner.

7. Best Multitasking Toner:

GLOWIEST Peekaboo AHA PHA Skin Perfecting Toner

If you can’t be bothered with a multi-step routine, we hear you! Simplify things with this three-in-one toner that cleanses, exfoliates, and hydrates the skin in just a few swipes. Soak a cotton pad with the product and use daily to help with the appearance of blemishes, hyperpigmentation, and enlarged pores.

8. Best Toner With Probiotic Extracts:

TULA SKINCARE Secret Solution Pro-Glycolic® 10% Resurfacing Treatment Toner

We love that adding probiotic extracts into your skincare routine can be a gentler way to fight acne and breakouts. This toner is packed with them, plus 10% glycolic acid for sloughing off lingering dead skin cells that are keeping you from looking your best and brightest. Worried about irritating your dry skin? Good news: The formula also contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and condition.

9. Best Scented Toner:

GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner

If you’re like us and love a zesty, fruity scent to wake you up in the morning, you need to reach for GLOW RECIPE’s Watermelon Glow Toner. It’s packed with chemical exfoliants, like beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and polyhydroxy acid (PHAs), plus hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to leave skin feeling perfectly dewy. The inclusion of watermelon extract ensures you get a subtly sweet scent every time you use it.

10. Best Calming Toner:  

CLIV Multi Hyaluronic Hydrating Toner

With the inclusion of turmeric, this toner has natural anti-inflammatory properties to help your skin appear calmer and more balanced. Plus, it’s packed with PHAs for gentle exfoliation and hyaluronic acid for a boost of hydration.

11. Best Pollution-Fighting Toner:

AVANT SKINCARE Proactive Mandelic Acid Restoring & Anti-Pollution Toner

We get how stressful living in a big city can be, but your skin shouldn’t pay the price. Make sure you protect it at all costs with this restoring and anti-pollution toner from AVANT SKINCARE. Don’t worry, it still exfoliates thanks to the inclusion of mandelic acid. But it also contains copper to help increase skin firmness and zinc ferment for anti-inflammatory properties. 

Exfoliating Toner FAQs

What is an exfoliating toner?

An exfoliating toner is a liquid based skincare product that has chemical exfoliant properties. “They are normally formulated with alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, and polyhydroxy acids,” says Davenport. “It works to dissolve the adhesion that keeps dull, dead skin cells together. This helps reveal brighter and fresher-looking skin.”

How do you use exfoliating toners?

Applying a toner is usually the second step in a skincare routine, right after cleansing. However, Davenport notes that you should never spray a toner directly onto the face, as eyelids should be avoided due to potential irritation from the chemical ingredients. Instead, he says you should use a cotton round or  your hands to apply to the face. “Work this in one to two days a week to start and increase as your skin can tolerate,” he says. “Be sure to complete your routine with a hydrating serum and sunscreen in the mornings (yes, year-round!) when using exfoliating toners.”

Who should use exfoliating toners?

According to Davenport, exfoliating toners can benefit a range of skin types. “Skin that is dull or uneven, congested or acne-prone, sun-damaged, aging, and dry or dehydrated (formula dependent) can all benefit,” he says.

He adds: “Exfoliating toners should not be used on someone who has a compromised skin barrier or very sensitive or reactive skin. I also try to avoid exfoliating toners for those that are using a retinol as the actives can be too much.”

How are exfoliating toners different from regular toners?

“Exfoliating toners are different from regular toners because they are using chemical exfoliants to exfoliate the skin,” says Davenport. “Traditional toners generally have low to no acid percentage, as their main function is to balance pH and nourish the skin. They also aid in product absorption.”