Acne toner is often used to help keep skin clear. It works in a variety of ways by treating the existing acne and helping to prevent breakouts. Acne toner is also a good way to thoroughly clean and unclog pores. Users of toner for acne find that it's refreshing to the skin and can soothe irritated patches. Acne toner can be bought in almost any drugstore and comes in a variety of formulas. There is no right list of ingredients; you may have to try a few to see which combination works best for you.
Standard Ingredients
Because acne toner is a liquid, all products of this kind contain water. You'll also find butylene glycol in almost all acne toners. Butylene glycol is a clear liquid that is often used in cosmetics. It's safe enough that the Food and Drug Administration allows a small amount to be used in food. Butylene glycol appears to work well as a stabilizer for acne toner without adding an irritant to the skin.
Common Ingredients
A number of ingredients are used often in toners--including salicylic acid, which is commonly used in acne treatments. Also used are plant extracts such as cucumber, camellia sinensis leaf, rosa canina fruit, grape seed, citrus and willow bark (a natural source of the chemical salicyclic acid). Witch Hazel (hamamelis virginiana) is in many toners for acne. Another ingredient used as a soothing agent is menthol, made from the leaves of mint.
Unusual Additions
Some companies add unusual ingredients to their acne toner to make their product distinct. Some examples are aloe barbadensis leaf juice in ProActiv Revitalize Toner; cymbopogon schoenanthus oil in Murad's Acne Toner; and green tea and tea tree extract (which have both antiseptic and antibacterial properties) in Skin Medica's Acne Treatment Toner. Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner contains sodium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, not found in many acne toners.
Fragrance and Color
Acne toner doesn't have a specific fragrance. Manufacturers may add a hint of a fragrance to tone down the smell of any chemicals that are used, but adding unnecessary perfume could irritate the skin. Most toner is blue. Yellow, green or violet are sometimes added to change the shade a bit.
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