Rice, Glycolic Acid Are the Fastest Growing Toners in the US

Toner performs many wonders for the skin: shrinks and tightens stubborn pores, hydrates skin and gives off a radiant glow.

Per Spate’s popularity index, toner has been spreading across platforms, with a +2.5% increase in popularity compared to last year — a sign that consumers are increasingly adding this format into a well-rounded routine.

Currently, the moment’s fastest-growing toners based on the New York City-based trend tracker’s popularity index are glycolic acid and rice toners.

Glycolic Acid Toner

Glycolic acid toner, especially popular for targeting hyperpigmentation, has grown by +118% compared to last year across platforms. Google Search is leading the conversation with 78.7% of the trend’s popularity share.

On search, interest in glycolic acid toner has grown by +94.8% compared to last year. On TikTok, it’s seen an even bigger jump with +288.6% growth, racking up 558.5K average weekly views and 21.7K average monthly searches on Google. A few brands are dominating the search results, including Good Molecules, The Ordinary and Mario Badescu. On TikTok, the top branded hashtag is #theordinary, which consumers use on face and body to assist with hyperpigmentation and body odor. Brands seeking to enter the glycolic acid toner category are encouraged to position products as a full-body treatment. With the rise of full-body deodorants, consumers are actively searching for skincare that works beyond the face.

Rice Toner

Consumers are all over rice toner like, well, white on rice. The product has grown by +79.9% compared to last year across platforms, per analysts. The trend is currently led by Google Search, which holds 54.6% of the popularity share. On Search, it’s up +53.8% compared to last year, while on TikTok, it has grown by +126%. The trend pulls in an average of 1.5 million weekly views on TikTok and 12.2K monthly searches on Google.

Praised for its brightening, hydrating and soothing properties, rice toner is also seen as a gentler way to treat hyperpigmentation. Most of the top-searched products come from K-beauty brands, including Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Toner, Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk, Glamfox Rice Niacinamide Toner and Pretty Skin Rice Niacinamide Toner. Toner is considered an important step in 10-step Korean skincare routines, which has helped build trust around these products, analysts say. That trust is mirrored on TikTok, where the trend’s leading hashtags include #beautyofjoseon, #anua and #tirtir — all Korean brands with a growing popularity. Many of these toners are also priced affordably, an important factor given that toner is still often seen as an optional step in skincare routines.