Toner City Over Here

Amidst growth and a slew of launches, all eyes are on skin care's toner category.

In 2023, toner sales in the prestige skin care market swelled to $226.5 million, indicating 27 percent growth versus the year prior — and a mega-leap from the mere 1 percent growth Circana tracked for the category in 2022.

The surge has been thanks in part to the enduring success of Glow Recipe's cult-favorite Watermelon Glow exfoliating toner — which reportedly sells every 13 seconds and was joined by a hydrating essence counterpart last year — as well as a number of buzzy recent entrants to the category, including Hailey Bieber's Rhode.

Having long been considered a “niceto-have step,” as Superegg founder Erica Choi put it, toners are now rapidly gaining prevalence as mainstays in a typical skin care regimen — and brands are getting in on the momentum.

“We saw a need within our portfolio for an essence, and also a need within the competitive landscape in general for essences and sensitive skin-safe products,” said Kate Major, senior manager of product development at Farmacy of the brand's new Honey Milk Hydrating Essence. The offering, which taps ceramides, chamomile and vitamin-rich white honey locally sourced from Hawaii's Kiawe Forest, is estimated by industry sources to reach between $3 million and $5 million in firstyear retail sales.

Benefit Cosmetics similarly leaned into hydration for its Hydro Pop essence launch, specifically targeting combination and acne-prone skin. “A lot of essences are formulated for drier skin types, and we saw an unmet need to bring non-clogging hydration in a lightweight format to the customer who struggles with imbalanced, combination skin and uneven texture,” said Kate Helfrich, senior vice president of Benefit's global product and service innovation team.

Hydro Pop is one of three new additions to Benefit's skin care range, which debuted with seven products last year as an extension of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand's Porefessional franchise, which reportedly comprises about 15 percent of the total business.

For Tula, whose strongest categories include moisturizers, cleansers and eye skin care, “toner represented an opportunity for us to do that twice-daily exfoliation step that could fit seamlessly into the everyday routine,” said chief executive officer Andrea Nolting. The brand's new PHA and lactic acid-powered Clarifying Tonic serves as a versatile addition to its existing toner pads and more potent exfoliating toners.

“It's an easy [product] to swap in, and at an accessible price point. Some of the other categories that we play in today are ones where a consumer might be less likely to swap in and out of in terms of product; the toner step is one they can sort of play around and experiment with,” she said.

Here, the launches upping the ante in the toner category.

Aesop Immaculate Facial Tonic

Fueled by gentle exfoliant mucor meihei extract, panthenol and niacinamide, this post- cleanse step seeks to nurture the skin barrier while boosting hydration and treatment steps that follow.