Hihi everyone, I hope all is well with you where ever you are! Last week I shared a few of my fav hydrating toners and promised to do a follow up post on acid based toners!

Acid based toners are simply toners with either a single acid e.g. glycolic acid only or a combo of acids e.g. BHA and PHA. They all aim to offer mild exfoliation depending on the acid concentration in them.

There was a point at the beginning of my skincare journey where I was obsessed with acid toners and I tried a LOT of them! I’m still a massive fan of them but these days I tend to get my exfoliation elsewhere

• An easy way to intro chemical exfoliation in your routine. If you are used to physical exfoliation e.g. from scrubs, then you will know this is an extra step you do at the sink and it can be a bit long and messy. Using a acid based toner is much quicker

• Choose the acid based on your skintypes/concern. Although all acids can be used for most skintypes, I found that using an acid targeted to your skin type gives much better results. For instance, I started my journey loving glycolic acid however as I learnt more of my skin type and realized I had more of a combo oily skin type, I switched to BHA which works much better for oily skins than glycolic acid. PHA is better for sensitive skin and will be less irritating for it than glycolic acid

• IMPORTANT- if you are going to add acid to your routine, you MUST use sunscreen during the day and use it properly. Acids make your skin more sensitive to the sun because you are ‘removing’ the layer of dead cells.

Always start acid toner use slow, especially for new users. Start with once a week in the first week, twice in the next week and so on. You can always layer hydrating mists/toners on top of this

IMPORTANT- there is no reason to also use another acid based product in the same routine as an acid based toner. Overexfoilation will damage your skin barrier and will not lead to smoother skin!

Ok, now lets talk about my fav acid toners!

• Pixi Glow Tonic– cant talk about AHA toners without the OG glow tonic. at 5% its well tolerated with most skintypes without irritation. There is a travel size version for trying before getting the full sized product.

• Ren AHA Tonic– this is a combo acid toner with lactic acid(AHA) and BHA. this toner is suitable for everyday use but I don’t recommend that , a few times a week is all that’s needed.

• Paula’s Choice 2% BHA toner– the OG of BHA toners. I LOVEEE this toner with a passion lol. if you have oily skin you simply must try this toner. I’ve used other BHA toners but this one is a winner!

• Glow Recipe Watermelon BHA PHA toner– one of the best acid based hydrating toners in my opinion. this is a combo toner with PHA for gentle exfoilation and BHA for pore reduction. highly recommended

• Murad Multi acid peel– this is a strong combo acid toner. I love this but be careful with using it with other actives. I had a case of barrier impair as I have detailed here. My full review is here

• The Ordinary 7% Glycolic acid toner– this list will be incomplete without TO glycolic acid toner. 7% is strong so be very sensible with this toner. It leaves the skin feeling smoother and brighter and at that price point you really cant go wrong

There’s so many acid based products on the market but I think acid toners are one of the easiest ways to introduce acids in your skincare routine. I’ve used my fair share and I absolutely love them! I hope you enjoy these recommendations!

catch you later