Cruelty free toner for combination skin

By Liis Hainla. Updated: September 2022.
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Toners are there to reset your skin’s pH level to help your entire skincare regime work better. Toners can also remove the traces of makeup and dirt left after cleansing.

Do you absolutely need to use toner? Not really. But you can and we have grown to like them. Especially balancing and hydrating toners that are packed with plant extracts.

In 2022, you can find a wide variety of vegan toners to choose from. And we have listed our favorite cruelty-free vegan face toners for every skin type.

Here are our favorite vegan face toners for every skin type:

• Best Overall: Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
• Best Runner-Up: Pyunkang Yul Facial Essence Toner
• Best Organic: Dr. Alkaitis Organic Herbal Toner
• Best Exfoliating: Pixi Beauty Glow Tonic
• Best Affordable: Humphreys Witch Hazel Organic Toner
• Best Anti-Aging: Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist Toner
• Best For Dry Skin: Goodal Vegan Rice Milk Moisturizing Toner
• Best For Oily Skin: Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Oil Control Toner
• Best For Combination Skin: Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner
• Best For Sensitive Skin: The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner
• Best For Acne-Prone Skin: Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner
• Best For Men: Brickell Men’s Balancing Toner

Best Vegan Toner Overall

Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner

Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner is our favorite vegan toner. It balances the skin’s pH level and gives the skin light hydration – as any good toner should. The gentle water-based vegan toner makes the skin super soft, it also reduces redness and improves complexion.

The vegan toner has some of the best Korean skincare ingredients like Centella Asiatica, hyaluronic acid, licorice root, panthenol, aloe vera, and other botanical extracts. Free of alcohol, oil, fragrance, and essential oils, the toner is good for all skin types. Read our full review here.

• What we like: it’s fragrance-free, feels very natural on the skin, moisturizes even dry skin
• What we don’t like: a little bit of sticky feeling while applying
• What reviews say: makes the skin very soft, gives a real boost during the night or under makeup

Key ingredients: Centella Asiatica extract, hyaluronic acid, beta-glucan | Main benefits: moisturizing, refreshing, softening | Features: vegan, alcohol-free, fragrance-free, essential oils-free, artificial colors-free, silicone-free

Shop on: Amazon, Ulta

Best Vegan Toner Runner-Up

Pyunkang Yul Facial Essence Toner

Our runner-up, the Pyunkang Yul Facial Essence Toner is so soothing and hydrating. Made from only 7 ingredients, the star of the vegan toner is Astragalus root. The extract has been long used in Eastern medicine for its rejuvenating and collagen-boosting properties.

A mix between a toner, essence, and serum, the formula of this toner is a bit thicker. It helps lock in moisture and gives your skin such a radiant and dewy glow. The alcohol-free and fragrance-free formula is also safe for sensitive skin.

• What we like: hydrates even very dry skin, absorbs quickly
• What we don’t like: do not calm problematic and acne-prone skin
• What reviews say: great value for the price, works great for different skin types, has a nice thick texture

Key ingredients: astragalus membranaceous root extract, arginine | Main benefits: hydrating, brightening, soothing | Features: vegan, artificial fragrance-free, color-free, alcohol-free

Shop on: Amazon, YesStyle

Best Organic Vegan Toner

Dr. Alkaitis Organic Herbal Toner

Dr. Alkaitis has made our all-time favorite organic vegan toner using beautiful herbs like nettle, myrrh, chamomile as well as seaweed. The natural toner is anti-inflammatory, balancing, and hydrating making it ideal for all skin types. You can also use it to heal sunburn.

• What we like: calms and soothes the skin, natural herbal smell
• What we don’t like: it’s expensive
• What reviews say: absorbs quickly and balances problematic skin, great to use after tanning

Key ingredients: aloe vera, chamomile, vitamin C, witch hazel | Main benefits: hydrating, cooling, brightening | Features: vegan, artificial fragrance-free, palm oil free, made in the USA

Shop on: Amazon, Walmart

Best Exfoliating Vegan Toner

Pixi Beauty Glow Tonic

If you are looking for a good vegan exfoliating toner that doesn’t dry out the skin, we recommend Glow Tonic. This vegan toner gently exfoliates the skin with glycolic acid and gives a beautiful glow.

I use it a few times of the week to invigorate the skin. It doesn’t do much for blackheads but improves the overall skin tone and texture. The toner also has red ginseng to brighten and energize the skin.

• What we like: makes the skin look bright and healthier, exfoliates but not very hard
• What we don’t like: contains fragrances
• What reviews say: smoothes the skin and leaves a nice soft feeling, fits for different age groups

Key ingredients: glycolic acid, ginseng, aloe vera, fructose, and sucrose | Main benefits: brightening, exfoliating, smoothening | Features: vegan, alcohol-free

Shop on: Amazon, Ulta

Best Affordable Vegan Toner

Humphreys Witch Hazel Organic Toner

Humphreys has the best affordable vegan toners. Made from wild-harvested organic witch hazel, the natural toner clarifies and balances the skin. The toner is also fragrance-free. If you prefer an alcohol-free vegan toner, we also like the Soothing Rose option.

• What we like: leaves a fresh feeling, is gentle on the skin, a nice product to use before sleep
• What we don’t like: plastic packaging
• What reviews say: helps balance oily and acne-prone skin, soothing and calming after a long day

Key ingredients: distilled certified organic extract of witch hazel | Main benefits: soothing, improving skin texture, freshening | Features: vegan, fragrance-free, gluten-free, soap-free, dermatologist tested, made in the USA

Shop on: Amazon, Walmart

Best Anti-Aging Vegan Toner

Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist Toner

This anti-aging vegan toner from Dermalogica is the best. The vegan mist hydrates the skin and protects it from free radical damage with antioxidants. The toner uses firming pea extract that tightens the skin and reduces fine lines. Clove extract lightens the skin and adds radiance.

• What we like: gives a tight feeling, fine lines are less visible, a nice refresh during the day
• What we don’t like: the spray does not come out evenly
• What reviews say: helps with wrinkles around the eye and mouth area, hydrates, and leaves a nourished feeling on the skin

Key ingredients: arginine/lysine polypeptide, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, bamboo extract, pea extract | Main benefits: smoothing, hydrating, refreshing | Features: vegan, alcohol-free, artificial fragrance-free, artificial colors-free, gluten-free, made in the USA

Shop on: Amazon, Ulta

Best Vegan Toner For Dry Skin

Goodal Vegan Rice Milk Moisturizing Toner

For dry skin, we love this gentle vegan toner from Goodal. Made from vegan rice milk and ceramides, it beautifully moisturizes dry skin and helps repair the protective skin barrier to prevent moisture loss. The lightweight toner absorbs well, is pH-balanced and irritation-free.

• What we like: hydrates and leaves a soft finish, a little goes a long way
• What we don’t like: contains fragrances
• What reviews say: it soothes and calms even sensitive skin types, leaves a refreshing feeling

Key ingredients: tocopherol, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, ceramide NP, panthenol, saccharide gum-1 | Main benefits: soothing, calming, refreshing | Features: vegan, sustainable packaging, oil-free, silicone-free

Shop on: Amazon, YesStyle

Best Vegan Toner For Oily Skin

Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Oil Control Toner

Herbivore has made a wonderful noncomedogenic vegan toner for oily skin. It balances sebum production and clarifies the skin with jasmine flower water, green tea, white willow bark, and witch hazel. It smells great and also includes aloe and ginger to soothe oily skin.

• What we like: gives a refreshed feeling, helps with oily skin and makeup lasts longer after using this
• What we don’t like: can be too harsh for sensitive skin
• What reviews say: works well for oily skin types, pore cleansing

Key ingredients: jasmine water, green tea extract, white willow bark, aloe vera, ginger root | Main benefits: smoothing, brightening, balancing | Features: vegan, artificial fragrance-free, artificial colors-free, made in the USA

Shop on: Amazon, Sephora

Best Vegan Toner For Combination Skin

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner

Mario Badescu’s vegan glycolic acid toner comes highly recommended for combination skin. It gently exfoliates and smoothens the skin, evens skin tone, gives light hydration, and unclogs pores for the oily T-zone. The added grapefruit extract makes this toner super fresh.

• What we like: makes the skin glow, helps with small pimples
• What we don’t like: leaves a sticky feeling, contains fragrances
• What reviews say: helps with fine lines, skin feels very fresh and hydrated

Key ingredients: glycolic acid, grapefruit extract, aloe vera | Main benefits: brightening, hydrating, rejuvenating | Features: vegan, alcohol-free, gluten-free, recyclable packaging

Shop on: Amazon, Ulta

Best Vegan Toner For Sensitive Skin

The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner

Aloe Calming Toner is the safest vegan toner for sensitive skin. Made with fair trade aloe vera, the toner soothes the skin and reduces redness and inflammation. This gentle vegan toner is free of alcohol, fragrance, preservatives, and colorants that could irritate the skin.

• What we like: improves skin texture, leaves a soft feeling
• What we don’t like: uncomfortable lid on the bottle
• What reviews say: works wonders for gentle skin, removes excess grime, hydrates, and leaves a fresh feeling

Key ingredients: aloe vera | Main benefits: calming, soothing, refreshing | Features: vegan, fragrance-free, gluten-free, silicone-free, alcohol-free, color-free

Shop on: Amazon, Official site

Best Vegan Toner For Acne-Prone Skin

Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum

Featuring salicylic acid, witch hazel, and niacinamide, this vegan toner is best for clarifying and balancing acne-prone skin. It unclogs pores, clears blemishes and blackheads, and keeps skin toned and lightly hydrated. Love the fresh jelly texture.

• What we like: clears breakouts, absorbs quickly, and makes the skin more smooth
• What we don’t like: not a usual toner texture
• What reviews say: can be used as a day and night toner, leaves a dry but hydrated feeling helps with blemishes

Key ingredients: BHA (salicylic acid), witch hazel water, niacinamide, zinc PCA, cica | Main benefits: soothing, texture improving, balancing | Features: vegan, artificial fragrance-free, alcohol-free, non-comedogenic

Shop on: Amazon, Ulta

Best Vegan Toner For Men

Brickell Men’s Balancing Toner

For men, we recommend this alcohol-free vegan toner. Made with mint, cucumber, and witch hazel, this organic vegan toner refreshes and hydrates the skin. It also reduces oil and keeps pores clean. Featuring soothing aloe vera, it also makes for a good post-shave toner.

• What we like: hydrates even very dry skin, leaves a nice fresh and clean feeling
• What we don’t like: does not help oily skin
• What reviews say: a great start for the morning skincare routine, helps with redness, skin feels tighter

Key ingredients: cucumber, witch hazel, peppermint, aloe vera | Main benefits: refreshing, balancing, soothing, hydrating | Features: vegan, artificial fragrance-free, gluten-free, alcohol-free, oil-free, made in the USA

Shop on: Amazon, Walmart

Best Vegan Toners By Concern

Vegan face toners can help you target a specific skin issue with carefully selected active ingredients. Here are our favorite vegan toners for eczema, rosacea, dark spots, and more.

• Best For Eczema: Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner
• Best For Rosacea: Cosrx Centella Water Alcohol-Free Toner
• Best For Acne: Pacifica Acne Warrior Clearing Astringent
• Best For Dark Spots: Olehenriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner
• Best For Pores: The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
• Best For Wrinkles: Derma E Anti-Wrinkle Toner

Best Vegan Toners By Ingredient

Looking for a vegan astringent toner with witch hazel or hydrating vegan rosewater toner? We’ve selected the best cruelty-free vegan toners that star a specific active ingredient.

• With Witch Hazel: Humphreys Witch Hazel Organic Toner
• With Rose Water: Heritage Store Rosewater Facial Toner
• With Tea Tree Oil: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner
• With Apple Cider Vinegar: Boscia Resurfacing Treatment Toner
• With Hyaluronic Acid: Elizabeth Mott Hydrating Hyaluronic Toner
• With Glycolic Acid: Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner
• With Salicylic Acid: Pacifica Acne Warrior Clearing Astringent
• With Niacinamide: I’m From Rice Toner
• With Retinol: Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic
• With Vitamin C: Eve Hansen Vitamin C Toner

What Makes A Toner Vegan

While mostly made from water, toners are not always vegan. Toners can include a variety of animal-derived extracts. Toners can be also tested on animals.

The most common ingredients that make a toner not vegan are usually animal-derived glycerine, cholesterol from sheep’s wool, and acetyl glucosamine from shellfish.

Other animal-derived toner ingredients include silk extract, sea whip extract, collagen, honey, and snail extract. Snail extract is especially common in Korean toners.

If you are on the market for a vegan-friendly toner, we suggest you choose one with a certified vegan label. You can also pick a vegan toner from our verified list.

What To Look For In Vegan Toners

Toner is an excellent product to tailor to your skin needs. When buying a vegan face toner, make sure it is made for your skin type or the specific concern you are trying to address.

Dry and sensitive skin should opt for an alcohol-free vegan toner to hydrate and soothe the skin. We love vegan toners made with rosewater, aloe, and chamomile.

Oily, combination, and acne-prone skin should choose an exfoliating vegan toner that tightens pores and clarifies the skin. Glycolic acid and witch hazel toners are great at that.

If you have mature or dull skin, we recommend vegan toners that have lots of antioxidants, brightening licorice, or vitamin C. To reduce redness, go for Centella Asiatica toners.

With a normal skin type with no specific issues, you cannot go wrong with a gentle balancing vegan toner. It restores your skin’s pH level and helps your moisturizer work better.

How We Review Vegan Toners

With a wide selection of vegan toners available, choosing the best one can be tricky. We rate vegan face toners using the following standards:

• Results: Above all, we judge vegan toners by real results. There is no point in adding a toner into your skincare routine if it does not do much for your skin. Refreshing is not enough. A good vegan toner should hydrate, soften, balance, soothe, clarify, or brighten the skin.
• Ingredients: We prefer vegan toners that mainly use natural ingredients and are free of harsh chemicals. For dry and sensitive skin, a vegan toner should be also alcohol-free and fragrance-free.
• Brand: Some brands are better at making vegan toners than others. From our experience, Kbeauty brands are best at vegan toners. Many of them combine the principles of traditional Eastern medicine with gentle yet effective natural formulas.

Why Trust Us

At Vegan Avenue, we believe that toning the skin is an important step in your vegan skincare routine. This is why we have taken it upon ourselves to try out as many vegan face toners as possible. We are glad to say that we have personally all the vegan toners on our main list.

When choosing a vegan toner, matching it with your skin type is everything. Our team has compiled hundreds of online reviews to pick out the best vegan toners for a specific skin type or skin concern. Our list has matched our personal experience with the ratings of others.

FAQ About Vegan Toners

What makes a toner vegan?

A toner is vegan if it is free of animal ingredients and is not tested on animals.

Which ingredients in toners are not vegan?

The most common non-vegan ingredients in toners are animal-derived glycerin, cholesterol, acetyl glucosamine, collagen, honey, silk, and snail extract.

What is the best vegan toner?

The best vegan toner is Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner. It is a gentle alcohol-free toner that is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

Where to buy vegan toners?

You can find the largest selection of vegan toners on Amazon, Sephora, and Ulta.

Is Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Facial Toner vegan?

We cannot currently consider any of Thayers toners vegan. The company has been unclear about its animal testing practices ever since they were acquired by L’Oreal.

Is Paula’s Choice Pore Reducing Toner vegan?

No. The Pore Reducing toner is not vegan and includes cholesterol from sheep’s wool.

Is Fresh Deep Hydration Rose Toner vegan?

No. Fresh is a company that tests on animals, so none of its products can be considered vegan.

Summary

We hope you found your new favorite vegan toner for your skin type. While toners are not a mandatory part of your skincare routine, we love to incorporate them.

From vegan exfoliating toners to vegan replenishing toners, you can find a wide selection of animal-free toners tailored to your skin type or skin concern.

Our favorite toner is the Supple Preparation Unscented Toner from Klairs. The toner is gentle to all skin types and makes your skin feel soft, hydrated, and balanced.

As we find new vegan face toners, we will add the best ones to this list.

See also: Vegan Face Essences

Article updated on July 26 (2022): We restructured the article by adding separate sections for vegan toners for different skin concerns and ingredients. We also added new products for vegan toners for sensitive, acne-prone, and combination skin. In addition, we specified the cruelty-free policy of Thayers toners in the FAQ section.

My name is Liis. I have been a vegan for a long time and I advocate for the vegan lifestyle. Through Vegan Avenue, I aim to provide quality information about vegan products and bring attention to amazing vegan companies.