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Bye bye harsh, stripping formulas ✌️ Hello gentle, hydrating toners 👋
It’s great to see that 2025 is all about inviting moisture into our skincare routine instead of removing all trace of it!
It’s fair to say that toners have gained a bad rep of late… whether that’s justified is a different question!
It wasn’t that long ago we were all convinced that swiping the most astringent toners and treatments across our faces was the secret to flawless, blemish-free skin. We now know that banishing excess oil in such an extreme way wreaks havoc with the skin barrier and leads to a bunch of skin issues, like sensitivity, irritation and breakouts.
It’s the hydrating and soothing ingredients and formulas that are the real key to a healthy, glowing complexion! Yes, even for oily and combination skin!
And there’s no better way to protect your skin than with a milky toner.
What are milky toners?
Milky toners get their name from their cloudy, milk-like consistency. They’re slightly thicker than the traditional watery toner formula you might be familiar with, and they tend to be more focused on moisturising the skin (rather than drying it out). You don’t tend to find chemical exfoliants, like AHAs and BHAs, in milky toners, but if you do they’re in a really low concentration!
Though milky toners are one of this year’s biggest skincare trends, they’re far from being a new invention. These milky formulas have been popular in the Asian skincare market for years, hence why you’ll so many Korean brands appear in this post!
Best milky toners for healthy, hydrated skin:
1. The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner
The Ordinary’s contribution to this skincare trend comes in the form of their Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner.
The clue is really in the name here. This toner contains a 30% concentration of Saccharomyces Ferment (which comes from the fermentation of yeast) for maximal soothing power and hydration.
In true The Ordinary style, this toner comes at a super affordable price point (it’s around £12 in most stores) but still feels pretty fancy. This is mostly down to the frosted glass bottle!
I like this milky toner because it’s incredibly lightweight and absorbs without leaving any stickiness on the skin. It’s the perfect product for layering.
2. Rhode Glazing Milk
Probably Rhode’s most sought after skincare product, the Glazing Milk is pure nourishment in a bottle.
The texture’s a little hard to explain. It’s more thick and viscous than most toners I’ve tried, but it still feels weightless on the skin. And the finish is beautiful too. I don’t think any other toner has given me such immediate glass skin.
The thing that really pushed me to buy this was seeing people mix a few drops of it with their foundation to achieve the perfect your-skin-but-better, glowy base. It’s such a clever way to add an extra hint of dewiness to your makeup look.
This toner contains multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, as well as three different ceramides AND beta glucan. Given all these hydrating ingredients, it’s not hard to see why everyone’s fallen in love with it!
3. Anua Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner
Anua’s Rice Collection was made for dry, sensitive skin, and what’s the standout product from this line, you ask? The Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner.
This is a light, watery toner that does a bit of everything. It reduces excess oil. It helps strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. And it evens out the complexion and improves texture.
This toner is formulated with 71% Rice Bran Water (this is their rice collection after all!) and – like the Rhode toner – contains a healthy mixture of ceramides and hyaluronic acid types. We also have Niacinamide, Panthenol and Allantoin in here which all have anti-inflammatory properties.
This is a great choice for fussy skin that needs a soothing, hydrating boost.
4. ILIA The Base Face Milk
At £58, ILIA’s The Base Face Milk isn’t cheap… but it is totally worth the splurge. There’s a reason this won five beauty awards in 2024!
ILIA actually describes this as a ‘lightweight moisturiser’ and I can see why, it’s basically a moisturiser in liquid form. You can wear it alone or layer another cream on the top, depending on how much moisture your skin needs.
This milky toner is powered by ILIA’s Barrier Renewal Complex, a concoction of lipids, fatty acids and sterols. It also contains three forms of Hyaluronic Acid, and Prickly Pear Extract to soothe and brighten the skin.
5. Byoma Hydrating Milky Toner
Another affordable option, Byoma’s Hydrating Milky Toner makes achieving healthy, glowy skin a possibility for all budgets.
One look at the ingredients list and it’s clear why this toner is so popular. There’s a whole bunch of barrier-bolstering ingredients in here, like Panthenol, Ceramide NP and Beta-Glucan. It also contains everybody’s fave skin soother, Cica (Centella Asiatica).
Surprisingly, we do actually have an exfoliant in here too. Gluconolactone is a PHA (Polyhydroxy Acid) which is meant to be just as effective as an AHA, but a little less irritating.
All things considered, this toner is a really nice addition to any sensitive skin skincare routine. It gets to work quickly to reduce redness and leaves the skin feeling super soft and refreshed.
6. Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Toner
Who would have thought that yams could be a powerhouse for your skin? Isntree, obviously!
This milky toner is enriched with 80% Yam Root Extract, which calms the skin and protects the moisture barrier. It also contains various fatty acid rich plant oils, and Isntree’s Vegan Milk Complex which includes rice, oat, soybean and other plant extracts.
Texture-wise, this is just a tad thicker than water so it sinks into the skin fairly quickly. It doesn’t leave a greasy residue on the skin either.
It might not be the most exciting milky toner on the market, but it’s effective and reliable. If you’re looking for something that’s no frills and gets the job done, give this toner a go.
7. Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk
With its bi-phase formula, the Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk looks just like water until you shake it up. So it’s no surprise that this is perhaps the most runny milky toner on this list.
The two layers actually have different functions. The moisture layer (the watery bit at the top) is designed to hydrate the skin, while the powder layer (the beige bit at the bottom) absorbs sebum and prevents excess shine.
Rice is obviously the star ingredient here, but we’ve also got lots of skin soothers like Cica, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (derived from liquorice), and Panthenol. It’s Kaolin, a type of clay, which does the heavy lifting when it comes to oil control.
Oily skin types may feel like milky toners aren’t suited to them, because of the amount of hydration they deliver, but I actually think this would be a perfect pick. It’s got all the barrier-reinforcing ingredients you need, plus an added clay powder element to control sebum production.
8. I’M FROM Rice Toner
Having launched in 2018, the I’M FROM Rice Toner is one of the OGs, and has quite a dedicated following for this reason. Well, that and the fact that this is a skin-transforming product!
I’M FROM really spearheaded the rice toner trend, so it makes sense that this milky toner of theirs is still one of the best.
It contains 77.78% Rice Extract to moisture and condition, as well as Purslane Extract which soothes and heals the skin. We’ve also got Niacinamide in here, which is known for its brightening, anti-inflammatory benefits.
9. VIOLETTE_FR Boum Boum Milk
French brand VIOLETTE_FR has bottled up glass skin in this 3-in-1 toner, serum, and moisturiser.
It’s a multi-tasking cream spray which can actually be used to freshen up your scalp and body, as well as your face. A few spritzes rebalances the skin, quenching dryness and reducing inflammation.
This milky toner is infused with Fermented Birch Sap which calms and hydrates, Squalane which protects the moisture barrier, and Olive Leaf Extract which supports skin repair.
Like the ILIA toner, this is quite pricey (it’s £65 for 100ml), but it does stand out in the milky toner space. This isn’t just a step in your morning or evening skincare routine, you’re meant to be able to take this on-the-go with you to rejuvenate your skin whenever it’s needed.
10. Fenty Fat Water Hydrating Milky Toner Essence
A very welcome sister to the original Fenty Fat Water, this milky toner (Fat Water 2.0, if you will) is thicker and more unctuous. It’s smooth, silky and feels intensely moisturising when applied to the skin.
Unlike all the other milky toners in this list, this Fenty one doesn’t look much like milk at all. It has a beige hue to it which is due to the inclusion of Tamarind. But that’s not the only plant-based ingredient in here. We’ve also got Coconut Oil (for moisture), Apple Fruit Extract (which gently exfoliates) and Green Tea (to reduce inflammation).
The only thing you might want to look out for with this toner is the fragrance. This is one of the few milky toners in this post that contains it!
11. Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturiser
Like ILIA’s The Base Face Milk, Laneige’s Cream Skin is a toner and moisturiser wrapped into one. So if your skin leans oily, or if you’re just looking to simplify your skincare routine, you may be able to skip out on a cream after using this!
It features a blend of soothing, moisture-boosting plant extracts, like Snow Mushroom and Green Tea, as well as Laneige’s propietary Cerapeptide™ which (you guessed it) is a mix of ceramides and peptides. These are chemical compounds which are produced naturally by the body, and are essential for locking in moisture.
This is a cult favourite and it’s not hard to see why. Laneige claims this has a 120hr moisturising effect (that’s a whole 5 days!) so you’re not just seeing difference as soon as you apply it, but for a long time afterwards too.
12. Roundlab Soybean Nourishing Toner
Roundlab’s take on milky toners is powered by a blend of Black Soybean Extract, Adenosine and Red Algae which improves skin elasticity and reduces the appearance of fine lines. Other superstars in this formulation include Sugarcane Extract which boosts hydration, and Cocoa Seed Extract which has anti-ageing properties.
There’s also an applause-worthy line-up of skin-calming ingredients in here, like Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Madecassoside.
Enough about ingredients, though. The texture deserves some hype too. This is incredibly lightweight and sinks into the skin so easily. It might not be enough to wear by itself, but it’s ideal for layering under a moisture-locking day or night cream.
Have you tried any of these milky toners? If not, which one would you most like to try? Let me know in the comments!
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