Best Toners For Your Budget

This article is part of a series by Paula Begoun, the best selling author of “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me 7th Edition”, which covers research based reviews of thousands of skin care products as well as how to achieve beautiful skin with products from every price category.

Recession-Proof Beauty Advice: Toner

I wish I had better news about toners but this is the one area where the skin care industry fails miserably. The good news is that it really doesn’t matter the price category, with very few exceptions they are either boring, ordinary, dated formulas or they are an irritating concoction with ingredients that are damaging on skin. For some unknown reason this category of product has not progressed to a level of excellence as many other areas of the cosmetics industry.

The expectation is that toners should be loaded with the great ingredients skin needs to function at its best, make healthier cells, and feel and look beautifully smooth. Even a small amount of antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin-identical ingredients would have been enough to get a good rating but that wasn’t the case overall. The one toner from Clinique listed below is the best in the bunch for the price, and given the number of products available in this category that is just pathetic. I also included my toners because, for reasons unknown (and surprising) to me, I am the only cosmetics company offering affordable toners with state-of-the-art formulas.

Best Inexpensive Toners for All Skin Types

· Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion ($11 for 6.7 ounces) (This is the only inexpensive toner from Clinique I recommend; their other Clarifying Lotions are alcohol laden and absolutely not recommended while their Moisture Surge spray-on toner is good but pricey)

· Paula’s Choice Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner for Normal to Oily/Combination Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)

· Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Toner for Normal to Dry Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)

· Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Toner for Normal to Very Dry Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)

Read the rest of Paula Begoun’s skin care recommendations on Beautypedia.

Image: Beautypedia