I usually don’t use regular toners that you apply on cotton pads unless they contain acids. If they don’t, I don’t like to be bothered. I prefer to use toners in a spray bottle. If I get myself to use a moisturising lotion, that would probably be an essence, especially a fermented one — they are just marvellous.

These two toners, La Roche-Posay’s Serozinc and Caudalie’s Grape Water, are lesser know sisters of popularised French face mists, thermal waters and Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir. Many brands have thermal waters in their lines, but the problem with all of them is that you should not leave them on your skin, as they may dry your skin out. Thermal waters mists were meant to use after washing your face to remove the chlorine residue. They are not intended to be on your skin for too long. Ask any French facialist; they will always tell you to wipe thermal water off your face. The other, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, is intended to be left on the face, nothing wrong with that, but the ingredients are not the best — it’s just water and fragrance. To be honest, I find the mist quite drying. It gives a bit of glow, and that’s all I can say about it. Also, the price tag is unjustified, but I will blame the hype with French products for its popularity.

The La Roche-Posay Serozinc is one of my favourite products. It took years for LRP to release Serozinc to their other markets, and the price disparity between countries is absurd. However, it’s my number one #serozinc4ever. It’s not an astringent toner or thermal water, though, it may resemble them. It’s something in-between. It contains sodium chloride, but it won’t dry out your skin, so there’s nothing to worry about. It also has zinc sulfate which makes me think of this product as if it was zinc ointment but in a mist form. I never liked applying zinc ointments because they are thick and hard to wash off, but Serozinc I can use at any time of the day. For me, it does as much as zinc ointment would do. It won’t dry out the spots, but it will help to heal them, and it makes the skin less greasy. By the way, it’s very mild for the skin. Zinc is known for its calming and soothing properties; it makes this a great toner, especially after treatments. You can’t go wrong with this one. I highly recommend this to everyone, regardless of the skin type, condition, or age. You will like it. It’s a simple toner that won’t cause damage and can only help.

Ingredients: water, sodium chloride, zinc sulfate. (bottle)

It’s now available in most of the markets in which La Roche-Posay operate, the prices vary among pharmacies, €6-15 (for 150ml) in Europe, but I know they can go crazier than that sometimes. You can get it reasonably priced from lookfantastic.com.

Caudalie’s Grape Water is another simple but fantastic toner. Caudalie’s entire company is built on the magic of grapes. Caudalie originate from Bordeaux, which is the largest wine region in the world. Caudalie attribute a lot to grapes and the antioxidants found in them. No surprise there, as there are many antioxidants found in wine, but also champagne (also made from grapes), which has the highest concentrations of resveratrol, used by companies in many anti-wrinkle serums. So instead of buying resveratrol serums, get yourself a bottle of champagne, it’s cheaper, and you will feel happier.

This product is pretty simple there are three ingredients as well: VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT WATER*, VITISVINIFERA (GRAPE) JUICE*, NITROGEN. *Plant origin (uk.caudalie.com)

You get all the goodness of grapes in one bottle. Caudalie, in a study approved by the French Health Ministry, have found that this product increases hydration by 127% and decreases dry skin sensitivity by 61%. I don’t know if the numbers are exact when I use it, but it definitely helps to hydrate my skin. My skin feels soft and plump after using this mist. I like to use it a lot throughout the day, as it boosts moisture and is very refreshing. It’s great as a toner and as a cooling mist during hot summer days (I don’t do thermal waters). It cools me down and helps to soothe and moisturise the skin. It’s great for everyone who seeks to boost the hydration game in any skincare routine.

Again as above, the price of the product varies between pharmacies and countries. I find about €10 for 200 ml of this product quite reasonable, and you can get it at a good price from lookfantastic.com.