Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel Toner, with Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera, 12 oz

Why it's worth it

Thayers is alcohol-free witch hazel with aloe and glycerin, so it tightens and refreshes without exfoliating anything. It's what to reach for when your skin is sensitive, healing from a procedure, off actives during pregnancy, or just fed up with acids.

Witch hazel tightens pores today, without asking anything of your barrier. The tannins constrict the tissue around a pore, which visibly narrows it for a few hours. No acid, no alcohol, no purge, no waiting. For skin that stings at glycolic acid, or that you've been told to keep off actives for a while, that's the entire appeal.

Alcohol-free is the important phrase on this label. Most drugstore witch hazel is distilled with alcohol, which is why old-school astringents left your face tight and, over months, oilier than before. Thayers macerates its witch hazel with water only, then adds aloe vera and glycerin, so your skin ends up hydrated instead of squeaky.

From our review of 11 pore-minimizing facial toners, by Sarah Wright, Editorial Associate

What we like

• +Witch hazel tightens pores today, without asking anything of your barrier
• +Alcohol-free is the important phrase on this label
• +The unscented version keeps the ingredient list short
• +It gets along with everything else you use

What to know

• –The effect is cosmetic, and it wears off
• –It won't touch a blackhead