We’re on our soapbox today for not one but two reasons. First, we want you to get the most out of your toner in terms of its multifaceted capabilities. Second, we’d love to get in our two cents on the fingers vs. cotton pads debate. Will we settle that discussion once and for all? Probably not, but we’re certain we can make a great case for the place biodegradable cotton pads should have alongside your favorite toner.

Toner + lint-free cotton pad = built-in residue check

We’re sure you’ve got your cleansing routine down pat, but nevertheless, the beauty of using toner with a high-quality, lint-free cotton pad is that you’re sure to take the day off your skin—without leaving anything behind. Traces of makeup? A shadow of grime? Proof of its previous rent-free life on your face is right there on your cotton pad. Now you can go to bed residue-free.

Up the exfoliation factor

A particularly clever aspect of combining an acid toner with a textured cotton pad, specifically, is the two-for-one exfoliation you get from a single swipe. And there’s no need to rub. A gentle, even, upward swiping motion with a White Rabbit textured cotton pad dampened with your acid toner of choice does a great job of combining the benefits of physical and chemical exfoliation to remove dead skin cells. We feel smoother already.

Cotton pads for even toner application

You know that feeling where you’re waiting for your toner to sink in and part of your face is already dry while another section is weirdly soaking wet? And you’d really just like to move on to step two of your skincare routine but you can’t? Splashing toner on your face in an even layer with only your finger tips is not easy. We’ve never mastered it. This is the extra thin, biodegradable cotton pad’s time to shine.

Low-waste toner application

This may sound self-contradictory, but hear us out. Yes, copiously dousing a drugstore cotton pad with your nice toner—which was likely un peu chère—feels totally illogical given how much product winds up in the cotton round and not on your face. This is why so many toner bottles instruct you to use your fingers, instead. Now, if only our fingers came with little spouts. We’ve never been able to evenly spread the bare minimum of toner across our faces using our hands only (though if you have, we salute your skill!). This is one of the reasons we came up with our low-waste cotton pads in the first place. Toner is watery. It is hard to control. A few drops on, not in, a White Rabbit cotton pad makes it a lot easier to apply a conservative amount of toner, while still making sure it winds up where you want it: your face.

A grime check, exfoliation session, and even and low-waste toner application in one? Pairing toner and an ultra-thin cotton pad sounds like a match made in skincare heaven to us.