What is the Difference Between a Toner and Exfoliator

With so many different facial cleansers around it is easy to wonder what product should be used and when, and if there is any difference other than their name. It is true that there are masses of cleansing products, and many are cross over ones that have multi functions and work as a double product. At Nakin we try to take the confusion out of skincare with our simple capsule range. Our natural anti-ageing skincare is simple in terms of the amount of products that we use and their benefits, but each product has a highly complex formula that has been carefully developed to offer a multitude of skin benefits. In our range we have both a toner and exfoliator as we see them as very separate products that do different jobs, and should not ever be combined as one product.

At Nakin we have a gorgeous natural toner which is our Purifying Face Toner, as well as a powerful liquid exfoliator which is our Exfoliating Radiance Tonic. They are both used after cleansing with either our cleansing milk or face wash, which can be found in our natural cleanser collection. They are both applied in the same way onto a clean cotton pad and swept all over the face and neck, taking care not to get too close to the actual eye. When wiping all over the face and neck take extra care on congested and troublesome areas that have lines, or skin tone variations, plus ensure that no area is missed, such as the sides of the nose and by the ears.

The toner is lovely for a double cleanse, deep cleansing, plus reviving the skin. The exfoliator is more of a treatment for brightening, congested skin, discolouration, and line smoothing, as it contains powerful renewing fruit AHAs. It would not be used every time after cleansing and can be used up to nightly. Plus, always use SPF in the day following use, as always recommended. You can use both together, using the toner in the morning and the exfoliator in the evening or as required. They do not both need to be used at the same time.

There are many reasons why you might want to reach for a toner over an exfoliator. Firstly, if your skin is clear, line free, even skin toned, healthy looking and without congested areas then you do not really need an exfoliator, and so in this instance you would most likely opt to use a toner over this, and might just use a very gentle exfoliator like ours once a week. Likewise, if your skin is sensitive then you might want to keep exfoliation to more of a minimum in your routine. If your skin is extremely sensitive and cannot tolerate anything on the face then you might want to avoid toning and exfoliating altogether, and instead just cleanse with an oil like our Revitalising Face Oil.

We hope that you have found our explanation useful about the differences between a toner and an exfoliator. Everything in our award-winning anti-ageing skincare range can be found online.