In the gamut of skincare products, the one most debated has to be the toner. We have all wondered about its purpose as we dabbed it on to our faces with cotton pads. Truth is, if you have oily skin and have mastered your exfoliation routine, you probably don’t need one. But as someone with dry, eczema-prone skin, I’ve found sandwiching a toner between my serums and moisturisers to be a game-changer, especially now, as the cold, dry winter air tends to rob my skin of moisture.
In the past, toners earned a bad rap thanks to older formulas that contained astringents and felt harsh on the skin. But today’s formulations are more nuanced, and nothing like the stinging liquids we might’ve diligently rubbed our faces with as teenagers. The category has undergone a facelift—with milky toners and essences leading the charge. These iterations are filled with gentle exfoliants that help get rid of pesky bumps, soothing ingredients that calm down irritation, and/or hydrators like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalene that help lock in moisture to give you bouncy, soft skin. Some of them even boast antibacterial properties and help maintain a healthy skin barrier.
Despite what the name might suggest, milky toners and essences don’t actually contain any dairy. They’re named so because of the look and feel, given their consistency is somewhere between a typical watery toner and a light moisturiser. According to consumer trends platform Spate, “milky toner” is the top skincare search term for predicted growth in 2025 and estimates searches will rise by 58.9 per cent.
This winter alone, we’ve seen multiple new launches from both homegrown and international brands hit the shelves. The one thing these debuts have in common? Their watery, milk-like texture. Homegrown brand D’you launched its first toner—a formula that offers hydration as well as antibacterial benefits in a mist format. This was followed by Hyphen releasing its ceramide-packed toner essence in December. Wish your milky toner doubled up as an exfoliator? Earlier this month, The Ordinary finally brought its Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner to India, which uses N-Acetyl Glucosamine (a naturally occurring amino sugar) to promote exfoliation instead of an acid.
A number of international brands too have added milky toners to their list of offerings recently. Ilia launched the Base Face Milk last year, a lightweight essence that has since become the brand’s top-selling skincare product. Byoma’s new Hydrating Milky Toner is consistently selling out. Then there’s Rhode’s viral Glazing Milk, which has been part of the brand’s line-up since 2023 and currently has a waitlist, and K-Beauty favourite Laneige’s Cream Skin, which has been around much longer and is still a favourite in many a skincare routine (according to the brand, it’s the most repurchased across their product range).
If your skin needs a refresh or some extra TLC this winter, consider one of the milky toners in our edit below.
