5 best K-beauty toners to moisturize sensitive skin

If your skin often flares up or looks red-tinted, you probably know how important it is to choose skincare products that don’t cause that. This is especially crucial with toners - as the first step of your skincare routine, an unsuitable toner may well lead to redness, itchiness, stinging, and other signs of irritation that defeat the benefits of the rest of your routine.

To choose the right toner that doesn’t sensitize or cause irritation after use, we want products with simple, hypoallergenic formula. This also means avoiding volatile ingredients such as certain types of alcohol, fragrance, surfactants, and emulsifiers.

Some of us with sensitive skin may experience a weakened skin barrier and hence transepidermal water loss (TEWL), which means lower hydration levels within our stratum corneum. Dryness can further worsen sensitive skin, so hydrating ingredients in toners are vital to skin protection. Some commonly found mild hydrating agents include ceramides, vitamin E, vitamin B5, squalene, and hyaluronic acid.

▶ ANUA Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner 250ml

Containing 77% heartleaf extract, this toner quickly soothes and relieves sensitivity, while moisturizing at the same time - perfect during changing seasons when your skin health is less stable. Its mild acidic formula helps to readjust your skin’s water-oil balance, but you can also use it as a toner mask to inject hydration into your skin for a healthy glow.

▶ Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner 400ml

A toner that intensively hydrates through 10 types of hyaluronic acids of three different molecular weights (low, medium, and high). Forms a triple hydration layer on your skin and builds a sturdy water barrier to prevent TEWL. Its hypoallergenic, alcohol-free formula is perfect on sensitive, dry, and normal skin alike.

▶ Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water 150ml

This toner’s valuable ginseng herbal extracts can deeply nourish the skin with natural power. Also contains a vitamin B3 derivative (niacinamide) to strengthen our skin’s barrier and maintain water-oil balance. A vegan, fragrance- and essential oil-free formula means it’s good on any skin type.

▶ ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner 500ml

Mainly composed of natural deep seawater from Ulleungdo Island, this TikTok favorite can deeply hydrate and regulate your skin’s water-oil balance for healthier skin. Its hydrating formula works alongside mild soothing ingredients such as panthenol (a form of vitamin B5) and allantoin to calm irritation and strengthen your natural barrier at the same time.

▶ Ginger6 Like White Blossom Essence Toner 150ml

A 100% vegan toner made not with purified water like most skincare out there, but ginger water. Besides ginger, which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, this toner contains 8 types of natural extracts that can effectively soothe irritation and ease sensitive skin. It’s also imbued with 2000ppm hyaluronic acid, betaine, trehalose, and glycerin for quadruple hydrating effect.