Homemade Facial Toner – Easy and Refreshing DIY Recipe

Facial toner is a great addition to your daily skincare routine. It helps refresh and hydrate the skin while preparing it for the application of serum or face cream.

This simple recipe combines aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin and rose water or chamomile hydrosol. The result is a lightweight, refreshing facial toner that you can easily make at home using just a few ingredients.

Ingredients

• Distilled water – 81.2 g
• Aloe vera gel (clear, without added colorants) – 10 g
• Vegetable glycerin – 3 g
• Rose water or chamomile hydrosol – 5 g
• Cosgard 221 preservative – 0.8 g (0.8%)

Yield: 100 g of facial toner.

How to Make Facial Toner

1. Prepare your workspace. Thoroughly clean and disinfect your work surfaces, utensils and toner container.
2. Mix the water and aloe vera. Pour the distilled water into a clean container and add the aloe vera gel. Stir until the ingredients are evenly combined.
3. Add the moisturizing ingredients. Add the vegetable glycerin and your chosen rose water or chamomile hydrosol.
4. Mix thoroughly. Stir until the mixture becomes uniform. If the aloe vera gel is particularly thick, additional mixing may be necessary.
5. Add the preservative. Add 0.8 g of Cosgard 221 preservative and mix thoroughly to distribute it evenly throughout the toner.
6. Check the pH. Measure the finished toner's pH. The recommended target is 5.0–5.5. If necessary, adjust the pH using a suitable cosmetic pH adjuster.
7. Bottle the toner. Transfer the finished toner into a clean, disinfected bottle with a spray nozzle or cap.

How to Use Facial Toner

Apply the toner to clean facial skin after cleansing and before using a serum or moisturizer.

You can spray the toner directly onto your face or apply it using a cotton pad. If using a spray bottle, avoid spraying the product into your eyes.

The toner can be used in the morning and evening. Before using it for the first time, perform a patch test on a small area of skin.

Benefits of the Ingredients

Distilled water forms the base of the toner and provides a lightweight, liquid consistency.

Aloe vera gel helps hydrate the skin and provides a pleasant, refreshing sensation.

Vegetable glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture and helps maintain skin hydration.

Rose water gives the toner a delicate floral aroma and adds a pleasant sensory experience to your skincare routine.

Chamomile hydrosol is an alternative to rose water, especially if you prefer a gentle, herbal fragrance.

Cosgard 221 preservative helps protect water-based cosmetic formulations against the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Rose Water or Chamomile Hydrosol – Which Should You Choose?

Both ingredients can be used in this recipe, but they give the toner different fragrances and sensory characteristics.

• Rose water – a great choice if you enjoy a delicate, floral fragrance.
• Chamomile hydrosol – ideal if you prefer a gentle, natural herbal aroma.

Choose a hydrosol suitable for cosmetic formulations and check its ingredient list, as some products already contain preservatives or other additives.

Storage

Store the toner in a clean, tightly closed bottle, following the storage instructions provided by the preservative and ingredient manufacturers.

Important: Because the toner contains water, it is susceptible to microbial contamination. Without appropriate microbiological testing and preservative efficacy testing, it is not possible to reliably determine the shelf life of homemade facial toner.

Discontinue use if you notice any changes in the toner's smell, color or consistency.

Tip: If you want an especially lightweight toner suitable for a spray bottle, choose a liquid, water-soluble aloe vera ingredient. Thick aloe vera gel may make the toner cloudy or clog the spray nozzle.