Amplifying your skincare routine with new products makes us as giddy as kids on Christmas day, and we know we’re not alone. There’s just something so satisfying about trying out a new product for the first time, but what’s even better is when that product makes a permanent home in your beauty routine.
As we all know, sometimes maturing skin needs more than just a basic cleanser and moisturizer to look its best, but with all the different add-ons on the market these days, it may seem easier to just stick to what you know.
Toners, for instance, have become a new skincare essential. You’ll be hard pressed to find a serious skincare addict who doesn’t have one in their routine. There are a multitude of toners on the shelves today, all of them bringing different benefits to your beauty regime, and among the most popular types is the vitamin C toner.
If this sounds like a product you may be interested in, you’ll want to keep a couple of things in mind while making your decision. You may be asking:
What makes a vitamin C toner the best? You’ll want to keep in mind whether or not you want a spray, if you want a toner that has multiple benefits aside from the inclusion of vitamin C, and which product will be most helpful for your skin type.
Even when you keep these things in mind, however, your options don’t narrow down by that much. Luckily, we’ve complied together a list of our top vitamin C toners, so all you need to do is read on!
Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing A Toner
Toner Form
You’re probably familiar with the most common form toners come in, and that’s liquid. It could come in a bottle with a dropper, which is considered the more sanitary option by the skincare community since your fingers (or a cotton pad) don’t need to come in contact with the product itself.
This keeps the toner from becoming contaminated by outside bacteria, making the product more effective.
There are also toner bottles that dispense the product through a little hole, so you have the option of transferring the toner to a cotton pad before swiping it on your face, or you can even pour it onto your hands before massaging it into your skin.
Then there are spray options, which are less common, but make application fairly simple. All you need to do is spritz the product onto your skin after you cleanse your face, just like you would a setting spray.
This distributes the toner throughout your face in a single, even, layer- and it’s virtually impossible for the toner itself to become contaminated.
Then there are toning pads. These are round beauty pads (that can either be exfoliating or smooth), that are soaked in the vitamin c toner. They typically come in a jar, and you can peel off a wipe from the bunch to tone your face. Afterwards, you dispose of the used round.
Additional Benefits
The skincare community loves products that have multiple benefits, that way you can cut down the amount of products you need in your routine by half. It’s important to note your individual skin sensitivity.
Does using multiple products tend to break you out, or can you layer 4-5 products at a time without your skin reacting. If you’re amongst the latter, you may love having a vitamin C toner that also includes rosehip oil (for moisture), or AHAs and BHAs (for exfoliation).
But, if your skin is sensitive, and you’re looking for a toner that is strictly vitamin C, it’s important to read through the product description carefully.
Your Personal Skin Type
It’s important to be aware of what your skin type is whenever you’re choosing new products to introduce your skin to. Some people don’t realize that just because your skin isn’t necessarily reacting poorly to a new product, it doesn’t mean that it’s compatible with your skin.
If you’ve been using a product for a while, and notice that your skin isn’t improving or worsening, the odds are there’s a better choice out there for you. If you have a dermatologist, ask their opinion about what your skin needs and find a toner that can satisfy that.
However, if you don’t have a doctor to go to, you can simply assess your skin at home. Is it acne-prone? Mature? Sensitive to certain ingredients? These are all important things to keep in mind when selecting your toner, because we don’t want to unknowingly aggravate any existing conditions.
9 Best Toners With Vitamin C
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Murad Environmental Shield Toner | Universal, vitamins C & E, gentle |
| 2. | Rodial Vit C Pads | Brightening, cleansing, salicylic acid, vegan |
| 3. | Advanced Clinicals C-Glow Toner | Fades dark spots, age spots, rosacea |
| 4. | Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner | Antioxidants, dewy finish, hydrating |
| 5. | Goodal Green Tangerine Toning Pads | Detoxifies, brightens, hydrates, exfoliates |
| 6. | Sweet Chef Bright Spot Tonic | 40 antioxidants, ginger, ascorbic acid, turmeric |
| 7. | Meera’s Beauty Vitamin C Serum | Reduces sun spots and age spots |
| 8. | InstaNatural Vitamin C Toner | Gentle, balances oil levels, cruelty-free |
| 9. | LevenRose Vitamin C Rose Toner | Anti-aging, reduces fine lines |
1. Murad Environmental Shield Toner
Those with acne prone skin may be familiar with the brand Murad, and it’s no surprise why. This brand is all about improving the overall health of your skin, instead of nitpicking on individual conditions.
Because of this philosophy, we recommend this brand to any and every skin type, but those with more sensitive skin may see some benefits they may not find with other products.
What we love about this toner? It focuses first and foremost on balancing the pH levels of your skin, making it so your skin is more receptive to any other treatments you have in your routine.
The three active properties in this spray toner are orange fruit extract, coneflower extract, and vitamins C & E. This makes it ultra-gentle, and incredibly effective.
If you think your skin to be a bit dull, and you’re looking for a way to make yourself look healthy and awake, we would definitely suggest trying this toner out. It brightens and tightens the skin, leaving you looking like a ray of sunshine, while the active ingredients assist in repairing your skins hydration levels- so you’ll be looking plump for hours after use.
2. Rodial Vit C Pads
Since 1999, Rodial has been making waves in the luxury skincare community.
The founder of the brand, Maria Hatzistefanis, was a former beauty editor, and found a gap in the beauty market for a skincare brand that targeted specific skincare concerns while providing long-lasting results.
Since then, she’s assisted in the formulation of a multitude of well-loved skincare products, including their Vitamin C Cleansing Pads.
Got acne? You won’t for long, because these pads contain .5% salicylic acid, the perfect amount of acid to clear your skin without drying it out. But even if you don’t have acne, your skin will only benefit from the light exfoliation provided by the acid, as well as the pore clearing properties other toners can’t provide.
The vitamin C in these pads brighten and even out your skin tone, making it a great pick for those with hyperpigmentation and acne scarring. If you have acne scars that divot into the skin, you may find relief in the collagen boosting properties, which will repair the skin in a way little skincare products can.
Another plus? These toning pads are vegan, so you can get clear skin without compromising the health of any animal in the process.
3. Advanced Clinicals C-Glow Toner
For those with mature skin looking for a toner that promises a youthful, more elastic feel should be top priority. Advanced Clinicals is a beloved skincare brand, but we especially love it for those looking to look ageless.
This toner comes in a mist form, making it easy to apply and difficult to contaminate. Its two active ingredients are vitamin C and ferulic acid, helping aid in the appearance of dark spots, age spots, texture, rosacea, and overall uneven skin tone.
From the first spray, you will fall in love with how plump and soft your skin will feel- and it will only improve with continued use.
This toner acts as an effective shield against outside aggressors such as harsh weather, or even bacteria from your phone. This formula is also deeply penetrating, infusing itself deep into your skin to increase hydration retention up to 88%.
That, and the addition of aloe vera in the formula, makes it a great choice for those suffering from dry skin as well.
4. Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner
There is something so gorgeous, so timeless, about the look of dewy, healthy skin. It’s a skincare look that people yearn for, and you can get pretty darn close to accomplishing it with just a single misting of Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner.
There is a whole line of products from this brand that can assist with achieving radiant skin, and among them is this product.
What makes Andalou Naturals stand out amongst the rest is their use of Fruit Stem Cell Science, which is an innovation that they hold in high importance when it comes to formulating their products.
Basically, each product in this line will act like an antioxidant defense system for your skin, and we think that’s pretty incredible.
This toner contains aloe vera, to plump up and heal your moisture barrier, sunflower oil to nourish your skin, and, of course, vitamin C from clementines, which repairs your skins vitality and natural glow. These ingredients individually are fantastic, but when working in tandem, your complexion has truly no choice but to look the best it’s ever been.
5. Goodal Green Tangerine Toning Pads
If you haven’t yet tried out a Korean skincare brand, we urge you to start.
If you find that your skin conditions (such as acne or uneven texture), seem to be stubborn and steadfast against the American approach of skincare, you may want to look for an international alternative.
These green tangerine toning pads from Goodal may replace a handful of products in your skincare routine!
Claiming to be a 5-in-1 product, one swipe of this pad is said to moisturize, brighten, detoxify, exfoliate, and tone your skin. And how is that possible?
The answer is the special ingredient: green tangerines, derived directly from Jeju Island in Korea. This fruit holds up to 10x more vitamin C than other citrus fruits, and Goodal has used that to their products advantage.
While claiming to basically be a “cure all” for all skin concerns, this formula is incredibly gentle. There aren’t any AHAs or BHAs, so the chances of it reacting poorly to other products in your routine is minimum, and all of its benefits are provided by naturally derived products such as sugarcane, bergamot, and bilberry.
This product is dermatologically tested, and mild enough to use twice daily (though we recommend just sticking to the daytime). If your skin is sensitive, or if you hold convenience in importance, we think you’ll love this toner.
6. Sweet Chef Bright Spot Tonic
Why look to chemicals to get your fill of nutrients, when instead you can grab the Bright Spot Tonic from Sweet Chef?
We know that the call for environmentally friendly, naturally derived products is only on the rise, so why not introduce this toner into your routine?
This toner is formulated without alcohols, fragrances, silicones, parabens, and mineral oils AKA all the stuff that will make your skin freak out. In place of those things, you’ll instead reap the benefits of ginger, ascorbic acid, and turmeric!
Ginger boosts the addition of vitamin C in this toner and contains more than 40 antioxidant properties in and of itself. That means that dull, lifeless skin is a thing of the past.
If texture is your problem, you’ll love the skin soothing agents in ascorbic acid (a form of vitamin C). It’s also an effective anti-aging ingredient, which makes this toner a great, natural option for mature skin.
Turmeric may not be a popular ingredient in skincare, but we think the skincare world will freak once they realize how incredible of an ingredient it is.
The addition of this spice actually prevents the oxidation of your skin cells, so the longevity of your newfound complexion will increase tenfold. Not only does it do that, but it also defends your skin against radical damage.
This toner comes in a liquid form, so you simply need to dispense this formula into your hands (as directed by the brand), and press your palms into your skin to better absorb the product.
7. Meera’s Beauty Vitamin C Serum
Not in the market for anything fancy? We respect it, and because of that, we think you’ll love the simplicity of Meera’s Beauty Vitamin C Serum.
For those with active skin concerns, keeping your skin care routine simple is the best thing you can do for your face. This toner contains 20% vitamin C, making it the most active ingredient in the list.
That potent of an amount of vitamin C improves the collagen production of the skin by quite a noticeable amount. With skin cell renewal comes the elimination of sun spots and age spots, as well as the hydration of your skin overall.
Simply put, you can kiss your dry patches goodbye with the vitamin C alone, but this toner takes it to another level by the addition of skincare essentials like vitamin E and hyaluronic acid.
Both of these products aid in holding moisture in the skin. and a strong moisture barrier can protect your face from free radicals and environmental aggressors (preserving the youth and health of your skin).
8. InstaNatural Vitamin C Toner
Very rarely do we come across products that work well for everybody, but if you’re not quite sure where to start on your toner journey, we think that this product is a good place to start.
Meaning, this formula is gentle. We mean ultra-gentle. InstaNatural prides itself on the fact that their toner is a great pick for those with even the most sensitive skin, and that’s in thanks to the all-natural ingredients they cultivated to make this toning spray.
A single spray of this toner will prep your skin for the rest of your skincare routine, as this toner balances your skins pH levels while delivering antioxidants, balancing your oil levels, and calming the appearance of redness or dry spots.
Cruelty free, chemical free, and naturally derived, it’s no wonder why this toner has a near perfect rating with nearly 10k reviews.
9. LevenRose Vitamin C Rose Toner
Feel the need to heal? Trying to pick products that sooth angry skin is difficult, especially when your comfort and confidence are at stake.
Luckily, there are brands like LevenRose that empathize with the struggle and make products like their Vitamin C Rose Toner to take the stress of your shoulders.
Calm redness from rosacea or a skin picking session (no judgment, we’ve been there) with the soothing properties of vitamin c and naturally derived rose water.
We think this formula is a great pick for those looking for anti-aging benefits, as the addition of rose petals helps improve elasticity and collagen production, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
We also love how the brand dictates that you can choose between misting the toner on your face, or dispensing the product onto a cotton ball, leaving you in complete control of how much product you want to use.
Related Questions
When should I use Vitamin C?
Depending on your skin type, you can use vitamin c toner in both the morning and the night, but most dermatologists recommend focusing use in the AM.
In all honesty, you won’t see horrific consequences if you decide to use vitamin c at night, but vitamin c is more beneficial in the AM, where it can act as a protective barrier against the harmful effects of the sun.
What products don’t work well with Vitamin C?
If you’re a skincare junkie, you know that some products shouldn’t be mixed together, and vitamin c is one of those products you need to keep an eye out for.
More and more SPF products in the beauty world are starting to add niacinamide to their list of ingredients, and while it’s vital to use a sunscreen when using vitamin c, try finding one that doesn’t have niacinamide instead. These products cancel each other out, so your skin won’t reap the benefits of either when used in tandem.
Chemical exfoliants, more commonly known as AHAs and BHAs, are also a no-go. While both products are gentle when used separately, using them together is recipe for irritated, damaged skin.
The same goes for those who use benzoyl peroxide! Leave the use of harsher or more strong chemicals for your PM routine, leaving vitamin C the only active in your morning skincare regimen.
Up Next: Niacinamide Vs Vitamin C