In this post I’ll compare Byoma vs the The Ordinary milky toner products, so you can decide which one is best for your skin needs.
Table of Contents
- What is a milky toner used for?
- What does The Ordinary milky toner do?
- What does the Byoma milky toner do?
- What is Byoma milky toner good for?
- Is Byoma milky toner acne safe?
- The best milky toners for acne prone skin
- Byoma vs the ordinary milky toner: conclusion
What is a milky toner used for?
To compare the Byoma vs Ordinary milky toner, we need to understand what they even are!
Milky toners, acid toners and rice toner have become incredibly popular lately – especially on social media.
Milky toners in particular, are basically just toners that are white in colour, and usually a little thicker than your average toner.
Benefits of a milky toner
Most milky toners are designed to be hydrating, almost like a liquid moisturiser.
Especially with Korean milky toners, they are designed to be layered with other serums, and then sealed in with moisturiser.
The skin benefits of a milky toner range from:
- Boosted hydration: skin feels more supple and plump
- A stronger skin barrier: the skin barrier is repaired and functions better
- Refined skin texture: if the milky toner is exfoliating, your skin texture may improve
- Soothed reactive skin: the toner can calm irritated skin
- Even skin tone: the look of dark spots can be reduced
Milky toner vs regular toner
A milky toner is simply a white toner that looks a bit like milk.
A regular toner can have the exact same benefits of a milky toner, except it’s not white.
Really, a milky toner is only called that because it looks white in appearance.
Do I need a milky toner in my skincare routine?
Because milky toners are trending so much, you might wonder ‘do I need a milky toner in my skincare routine?’.
The answer is that milky toners are just a personal preference, you don’t need one at all.
They are simply a type of skincare product that boost hydration and glow: but so do other toners, serums and moisturisers.
Nobody really needs one, but you may enjoy using one.
The bottom line is: don’t feel pressured into getting one because it’s trending, only use it if you want to.
What does The Ordinary milky toner do?
The Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% uses fermented ingredients to gently exfoliate the skin.
It has very few ingredients, which his something I really like as someone with skin that breaks out easily with new products.
Not only is it gently exfoliating, it is also hydrating thanks to the high squalane content.
The Ordinary milky toner is suitable for all skin types, from oily skin to dry skins and sensitive skins.
This is for a few reasons:
- The exfoliation comes from yeast extract that is very gentle
- It has very few ingredients, so unlikely to cause issues for most skin types
- It is hydrating, which even oil skin types can benefit greatly from
- It can be combined with most other skincare ingredients
The one downside I see with this toner
When you compare the Byoma vs The Ordinary Milky toner, there is only one downside I see to the Ordinary milky toner.
Even though it is supposedly gentle enough for daily use, everyone’s skin is going to react differently.
Just because it says ‘daily use’, doesn’t mean you’ll actually tolerate that.
Also, repeated exfoliation can compound on the skin, especially when combined with things like:
- Salicylic acid or glycolic acid
- Retinoids
I wouldn’t feel comfortable using an exfoliating toner twice or even once daily, alongside my retinoid – I think it’s just a little too much.
The negative effects might include: redness, flaking, irritation and more.
As dead skin cells are exfoliated away, sometimes you can tip the balance a bit too far and have unwanted side effects.
What does the Byoma milky toner do?
In contrast, the Byoma milky toner does not contain any exfoliating ingredients – it is just hydrating.
To compare Byoma vs The Ordinary milky toner: Byoma is a hydrating toner, The Ordinary is a gentle exfoliant.
Really, they are quite different and designed to do different things, but both have an overall gentle formula.
The Byoma milky toner contains a lot more hydrating ingredients:
- Saccharide isomerate (moisturising)
- Ceramide NP (a barrier building ingredient)
- Polyglutamic acid (helps skin hold onto water)
- Centella asiatica extract (a soothing plant)
- Sodium hyaluronate, sodium citrate and sodium phytate
What is Byoma milky toner good for?
Unlike the Ordinary milky toner, the Byoma milky toner does not exfoliate.
However, it is really good for hydrating your skin and making it feel plump and glowy.
The milky formula feels almost like a milky essence when you apply it, and can be combined with all other skin care ingredients!
It is a good option if you are wanting either a serum or toner for sensitive skin types.
However, it’s also fine for dry skin, oily skin, combination skin and rosacea skin types.
None of the key ingredients should be irritating, unless you are (unfortunately) allergic.
Is Byoma milky toner acne safe?
Is your Byoma milky toner causing breakouts? Some people have reported that they do get breakouts from it, unfortunately.
As someone who is very acne prone when it comes to products, in all honesty I would not try this product because I just know it’d break me out – I’ve got no chance!
However, I wouldn’t let that put you off because I am very very reactive to products. Not everyone is the same as me.
The best milky toners for acne prone skin
When comparing the Byoma vs the Ordinary Milky Toner, there is a clear winner for acne prone skin.
In my opinion, the Ordinary milky toner wins.
This is for a two key reasons:
- It has overall way less ingredients – e.g. less ingredients for your skin to react to
- Although it has no acne fighting ingredients, it is slightly exfoliating which can help
In contrast, the Byoma milky toner is quite rich in hydrators.
Although hydration is always a good idea, unfortunately very acne prone skin often breaks out to this type of formula.
I have selected some more good milky toners for acne prone skin:
1. [coat]s Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk
[coat]s is, in my opinion, a really underrated skincare brand!
Aside from this milky toner, their hydrating cleanser is one of my favourite cleansers.
The [coat]s Gentle Hydrating Toning Milk has the same milky texture, and a few more brightening properties than the Byoma or Ordinary formula.
I would use it as a treatment 2-3x a week, probably not daily.
2. Some by Mi Galactomyces Glutathione Glow Milky Toner
Mostly milky toners seem to have quite long and very similar ingredient lists, that I don’t think are super acne friendly.
This one, however, is much shorter and simpler.
The Some by Mi Galactomyces Glutathione Glow Milky Toner also contains vitamin C for added glow.
Byoma vs the ordinary milky toner: conclusion
Overall, these toners both share a milky texture, but do quite different things.
The Byoma product hydrates and nourishes, while The Ordinary toner gently exfoliates and hydrates too.
When you look for a milky toner for acne prone skin, I’d recommend avoiding the formulas that contain multiple oils.
In my experience, this feature has a strong correlation with breakouts.
I would also avoid added fragrance and essential oils, to steer as clear away from irritation as possible.
