Facial toner is a beneficial part of any skin care routine, but when you have oily skin, a toner can play an important role in more ways than one. For instance, using a toner in the morning can help balance your skin by reducing excess oil, resulting in a more matte finish throughout the day. Likewise, using a toner as part of your evening routine can swipe away traces of makeup or debris lingering on your face after cleansing, which helps reduce breakouts if your skin tends to be acne-prone.

• What is the best toner for oily skin?
• What is clarifying toner?
• What does exfoliating toner do?
• What is pore-minimizing toner?
• What does balancing toner do?
• What toners can I try at home for oily, acne-prone skin?

Finding the Best Toner for Oily Skin

Are you wondering how to find the best toner for oily, acne-prone skin? When shopping, there are a few key words you can keep an eye out for: clarifying, exfoliating, pore-minimizing and balancing. And just a heads-up: These terms aren’t mutually exclusive, so you might find that several of them apply to the same product.

Clarifying Toner

Clarifying means to clear, so this is a description you’ll often see on skin care labels. Clarifying toners help draw out impurities from your pores and may include active ingredients such as witch hazel, which helps remove excess oil from your skin.

Exfoliating Toner

Exfoliating toners that contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) are also great for oily, acne-prone skin. These active ingredients help dissolve dead cells that dwell on the top layer of your skin, making it look dull and potentially contributing to clogged pores and breakouts.

Pore-minimizing Toner

Pore-minimizing toners could work for you if you have oily skin with visibly large pores. A BHA such as salicylic acid can also help the appearance of large pores by reducing blackheads and clearing clogs. Witch hazel is also a popular active ingredient to help minimize pores. “Witch hazel actually temporarily constricts pores so that they appear smaller, even though we’re actually unable to permanently reduce the size of our pores,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger.

Balancing Toner

Balancing is another description often used on the best toners for oily skin. A toner that has balancing properties may help absorb the excess oil without overdrying your skin. These toners make for a good middle ground if you’re struggling with breakouts and shine but find more potent toners leave your skin feeling stripped of its moisture.

7 Toners to Try for Oily Skin

Looking for the best toner to refresh your oily skin? Here are a few of our favorite picks.

NeoStrata Clarify Oily Skin Solution

If your skin tends to be oily and you’re also seeing early signs of aging, this facial toner could be a good fit for you. Its powerhouse active ingredient is 8% glycolic acid, an AHA that helps exfoliate dead skin cells and zap acne-causing bacteria. It also helps regulate oil production to keep your skin more balanced and can help improve the appearance of uneven skin tone.

Obagi-C C-Balancing Toner Normal to Oily

The best toners for oily skin help balance out excess oil without overdoing it and causing irritation or dryness. This gentle toner contains witch hazel to help curb excess oil and clear pores while soothing aloe leaf juice hydrates skin and prevent irritation. The result? Your skin feels thoroughly balanced and refreshed.

Epionce Purifying Toner

If your oily skin is also acne-prone, get ready to meet your match with this multitasking toner. It’s formulated to reduce shine as well as help eliminate breakout-causing bacteria, so your skin looks clear and healthy. Willow bark extract helps tone down excess oil and improve the appearance of large pores while calming ingredients, such as cucumber and lavender, tame acne-induced redness and irritation.

Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Toner

This botanically based toner is packed with beneficial ingredients to help oily skin. Witch hazel balances oil production, calendula reduces redness and nasturtium extract helps curb breakouts. The spray-top bottle dispenses a superfine mist, so you can even use it over makeup to refresh your skin throughout the day. It also makes a great aftershave too!

PCA SKIN Smoothing Toner

This facial toner is formulated to curb breakouts without over-drying, making it a superb pick for oily, acne-prone skin. A powerful AHA, lactic acid, teams up with citric acid to exfoliate your skin by clearing away dull, dead skin cells that contribute to clogged and enlarged pores. Glycerin, aloe and Calendula officinalis work together to soothe your skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth.

LovelySkin LUXE Toner Mist

Our very own toner mist works well for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone. It contains vitamin C to stimulate collagen production and help improve the appearance of large pores and fine lines. A dermatologist-developed molecule called afaLUXE™ also helps exfoliate your skin while helping maintain an ideal moisture balance. You can spritz it over makeup to help set your look for the day or make it part of your nighttime regimen, so your skin can enjoy all the benefits while you sleep.

Eminence Organics Mangosteen Revitalizing Mist

The antioxidant powers of mangosteen, a vitamin-packed tropical fruit, are front and center in this refreshing toner made with organic ingredients. While antioxidant-rich mangosteen fruit extract helps fight skin damage caused by free radicals, ribose smooths the skin, and red clover flower extract helps refine and minimize pores.

Is your skin in need of hydration? Learn why everyone needs a hyaluronic acid product in their skin care routine.