If you ask me, toners are the unsung heroes of our daily skincare routines. They don’t get as much hype and selfies as other products out there do because,well, they’re hard to see and take photos of. But if you ask me, they’re the real MVP of getting your skincare routine down to a tee and getting those pores squeaky clean. A good toner is truly a hero product that gives your face a nice, clean base to work with so that it can soak up all those yummy skincare products you’re about to put on it next.

Growing up in a Korean household, a good toner was and is still my mom’s holy grail product for her skincare routine. She would never skip her am or pm toner and to this day that’s still her #1 most requested product from my beauty stash.

Working in the beauty industry for so long definitely has its perks! One of those perks is that I get to pretty much try the latest and greatest. With such access also comes the responsibility of trying and testing everything out to make sure they’re worthy of our faces and time.

Insert my tried and true toner I swear by: Thayers’ Rose Petal Facial Toner. I love this toner because 1. you can find it anywhere unlike its bougie counterparts, 2. On top of it being an all-natural product, it’s also alcohol, paraben, and phthalate-free (research has shown that some phthalates are used as solvents and can cause reproductive harm), 3. It feels like a gentle cloud on the skin once applied, 4. It truly has worked its magic on my sensitive, fickle, and acne-prone skin.

I’ve suffered from acne my whole life and yes, adult acne is a real thing. I’ve been using this product for a few months now and it’s safe to say that not only does it feel really gentle on my skin, but it has significantly calmed down my inflammation and reduced its overall redness as I tend to be a little pink after I wash my face.

I appreciate that the light rose scent is faint and not overpowering, and the mix of aloe vera and witch hazel in it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated vs. dry and over stripped and dry like most toners tend to do.

If you’re not familiar with witch hazel, it’s rich in antioxidants to effectively fight bacteria in acne-prone skin without leaving it feeling dry. As a 30-something-year-old who still gets her fair share of unwanted blemishes here and there, this toner is a great way to incorporate into my daily skincare routine while keeping my breakouts under control.

I like to apply it with a cotton round in the mornings, midday-post workout when I need a refresher, and at night after I use my cleanser to keep my skin healthy and clean and the aloe vera in it works to calm, soothe, and naturally hydrate the skin leaving it feeling moisturized and never over stripped.

It’s a great, gentle product you can grab one for under $11. Meaning? You can achieve great skin without having to break the bank.