The Best Toner Pads For Every Single Skin Type and Concern

My skincare routine is surprisingly simple for someone whose job it is to keep up with beauty trends and new launches. You could say that I won the sensitive-skin lottery—I have ultra-dry, rosacea-prone skin, a touch of eczema, and a severe fragrance allergy. I get to test a lot of exciting new products, but I always go back to my tried-and-true favourites, all of which are…well, a little boring. It goes something like this: cleanser, vitamin C, moisturizer and sun protection, with the occasional exfoliant or mask thrown in for good measure. For the most part, my baseline routine has worked just fine and has remained mostly unchanged for years. But this past winter’s blizzards and polar-vortex temperatures, paired with a couple of hectic travel days, have caused major flare-ups that have left my skin in need of a little extra care.

Enter: toner pads—a staple in Korean beauty routines. Over the past few months, dozens of new—or at the very least, new-to-Canada—launches have popped up on my radar and turned me into a toner-pad fangirl. Unlike the alcohol-laden toners we grew up with, these one-use, pre-soaked pads are drenched in serums or essences that target any skin concerns you can imagine. Think: dehydration, redness, dullness, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and a loss of firmness. “I used to tell everyone to avoid toners because they were very harsh,” says Dr. Jennifer Tran, a dermatologist who practices in Toronto. “But I really love the new toner pads, and I think everyone can find one that works for them.”

Toner pads are not just dermatologist-approved—they’re also the ultimate lazy-girl hack to better skin. First off, they’re incredibly versatile and can be swiped on like a traditional toner, or used as mini sheet masks for a more targeted treatment. Being able to mix-and-match formulas to treat different areas at the same time has been a game-changer for me, personally. I can soothe my dry patches and rosacea flare-ups with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, cica and ceramides, while also giving my nose and chin the gentle exfoliation they’re begging for with AHAs and BHAs. Toner pads are also a great way to give a buzzy new ingredient (lookin’ at you, PDRN!) a whirl. When it comes to exfoliating formulas, Tran recommends swiping them onto your skin and letting the serum dry, while pads soaked in gentle and hydrating actives like collagen and PDRN can be left on for longer to promote deeper absorption.

Ready to unlock your glassiest skin yet? From super-hydrators to mild exfoliators, these are the best toner pads to try to level up your skincare routine.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Pillow Pads

Soaked in a soothing cocktail of colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, squalane and cica, these gentle pads live up to their name’s pillowy hype. They can be swiped onto the skin or left on for a few minutes to act as a spot treatment for dry patches and rough areas.

Glow Recipe PDRN+ Repair + Soothe Toner Pads

PDRN (a.k.a. polydeoxyribonucleotide, or salmon DNA, an ingredient that helps repair skin and can boost collagen production) is nothing new in the Korean beauty market, but it’s recently taken off in North America. In this brand new launch, the star active is derived from white rice and prickly pear cactus extracts, and paired with other calming powerhouses, like beta glucan and adenosine. The pads themselves are surprisingly thin, malleable and shaped to contour the under-eye area, which makes them the perfect stand-in for a sheet mask.

Summer Fridays Gentle Reset Daily Exfoliating Pads

Packing for your next getaway? Throw a few of these individually wrapped pads in your suitcase to keep travel-induced blemishes and dullness in check on the go. The formula contains AHAs and PHAs, but it’s gentle enough for daily use thanks to a soothing complex made from aloe leaf water. Follow with the brand’s iconic Jet Lag Mask to seal in moisture.

Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0

Formulated with a blend of BHAs and AHAs, these exfoliating pads are a viral sensation for a reason—they instantly reveal brighter, glass-like skin without stripping away moisture thanks to the addition of allantoin and panthenol, a cocooning duo of ingredients often found in K-beauty formulas. They’re also a favourite of Tran, who uses the excess serum on her arms to treat keratosis pilaris.

Biodance Collagen Gel Toner Pads

K-beauty skincare brand Biodance knows a thing or two about collagen—its ultra-viral overnight sheet masks are packed with the ingredient and touted as the secret to near-instant glass skin. Like the masks, these toner pads contain collagen, hyaluronic acid and galactomyces, a type of yeast derived from the fermentation process that has hydrating, brightening and antioxidant properties. And the good news? They work their magic in just 15 minutes, so they’re perfect for those of us who don’t have a ton of time to spare.

Hanyul Yuja Brightening Toner Pads

Whether they’re used as a one-swipe toner or as a targeted treatment, these pads pack a serious brightening punch. The formula features yuja, a Korean citrus fruit that’s rich in vitamin C, and a five percent concentration of niacinamide.

Mediheal Madecassoside Blemish Pad

These thin, gauzy pads are drenched in an essence formulated with madecassoside—a compound derived from the centella asiatica plant that delivers anti-inflammatory benefits—to reduce redness and tackle post-acne marks. You can simply swipe the toner on, but the pads adhere to the skin incredibly well, so you can go about your business while you spot-treat problem areas.

Torriden Dive In Multi Pad

Looking for an all-star K-beauty pick that won’t break the bank? Meet Torriden, the no-frills skincare line beauty editors are obsessed with. These sensitive skin-friendly pads are soaked in the brand’s Dive-In serum and contain five different types of hyaluronic acid to boost moisture levels, plus allantoin and panthenol to calm skin.

COSRX Peptide Collagen Lifting Glow Pad

Collagen, peptides, niacinamide and niacinamide work together to increase firmness, radiance and hydration in these pre-soaked pads. Their extra-large size and curved shape that fits the under-eye area snugly make them the perfect substitute for a sheet mask.

Anua PDRN 100 Hyaluronic Acid Glow Pad

A newcomer to Sephora Canada, this K-beauty brand is known for its Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner, but its essence-soaked pads should also be on your radar. There are a few options to pick from, but we’re partial to the glow-enhancing pads with salmon DNA-derived PDRN.

Neostrata Restore PHA Renewal Pads

A four percent concentration of PHAs gently sloughs away dead skin cells to smooth texture and even out skin tone while calming cucumber and green tea extracts tackle irritation in these pre-soaked rounds.