Prep

Shop Korean toners in Australia, genuine stock dispatched from our Sydney warehouse. Toner is the most misunderstood step in a Korean routine, and skipping it is why a lot of expensive serums underperform.

About Korean toners

A Korean toner is not the astringent your teenage bathroom cabinet had. Western toners were built to strip residual oil after harsh cleansing, and usually contained alcohol. Korean toners do close to the opposite: they add a light layer of water-based hydration to skin that has just been cleansed, so the serum going on next has something to spread into and absorb through. Damp skin absorbs better than dry skin, and toner is how you keep it damp on purpose rather than racing the clock after rinsing.

Toner pads are the same idea in a different format, usually with mild exfoliating or pore-refining actives soaked into the pad, so you get hydration and a light treatment in one wipe.

It matters most if your serums seem to sit on top of the skin, if your skin feels tight in the gap between cleansing and moisturising, or if you have congestion that a cleanser alone does not shift.

What we stock

Our toner range covers hydrating toners, treatment toners and pads:

Shop by skin concern

Redness and sensitivity. The Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner is the calming choice and one of the best known toners in Korean skincare. The SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Toning Toner does similar work with centella.

Congestion and visible pores. The Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 is the treatment pad in the range, from the same Zero line as the Zero Foam Cleanser. Use it in place of a liquid toner rather than as well.

Dullness and rough texture. The I'm From Rice Toner is the brightening and softening option, built around rice extract.

Dryness with a serum step built in. The d'Alba White Truffle Vita Toning Serum Toner is thicker than a standard toner and does some of the work of an essence, which suits drier skin or a shorter routine.

How to use a toner

Apply straight after cleansing, while your face is still damp. Hands work better than a cotton pad for liquid toners: press it in with your palms rather than wiping, so you are not throwing product onto cotton or dragging at the skin. Move to your serum before the toner has fully dried.

Toner pads are the exception. Wipe gently across the face, avoiding the eye area, then follow with serum. If a pad contains actives, two or three times a week is enough to start, not twice daily.

Frequently asked questions

Do I actually need a toner? You can have good skin without one. What it does is make the steps after it work better, so if your serum feels like it is not sinking in, toner is the cheapest fix.

Will a toner dry my skin out? Not these ones. That reputation comes from alcohol-based Western toners. Korean toners are hydrating by design.

Toner or toner pad? A liquid toner if you want pure hydration and to use it twice daily. A pad if you want a mild treatment for texture or pores a few times a week. Using both on the same day is usually too much.

Where does it go with actives? Toner first, then your active serum, then moisturiser. Applying an active to damp, toned skin makes it absorb faster, so if you are sensitive, let the toner dry slightly first.

Do you stock the full range? We are always adding to the range. If there is a toner you want that we do not list, email contact@dlux-essentials.com and we will look into bringing it in.

Are your toners genuine? Yes. Everything is genuine stock in sealed original packaging with the manufacturer batch code intact, held in our Sydney warehouse.

How fast is delivery? Tracked Australia Post from Sydney, A$3.95 flat and free on orders over A$50, with 30 day returns.

Shop the rest of the routine

A Korean routine works as a sequence, and each step makes the next one work better. Here is the rest of it:

Our toners are genuine stock in sealed original packaging with the manufacturer batch code intact, held in our Sydney warehouse and shipped Australia-wide. Orders over A$50 ship free. We are expanding the range, so email contact@dlux-essentials.com if there is something you would like us to carry.

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