Paula's Choice Advanced Replenishing Toner for skin with dark spots
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Licorice Root Extract
Carnosine
Epigallocatechin GallateHigh
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for skin with dark spots; a few toners fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers excellent hydration for your normal skin due to the humectant action of glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, complemented by linoleic and oleic acids for emollient benefits.
- The inclusion of ferulic acid and epigallocatechin gallate provides moderate benefits for pigmentation, supporting skin brightening.
- The product is safe for your normal skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing agents like licorice root extract.
How to apply
- Use your hydrating toner AM and PM every day to boost glow. Always pair with SPF in the morning to protect against dark spots.
- Apply your hydrating toner after cleansing and before moisturizer or SPF. This step preps your normal skin to better absorb the next products.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the hydrating toner into your skin with your hands. Avoid rubbing to keep your face calm and happy.
- Apply the hydrating toner on slightly damp skin to lock in extra moisture. This helps your normal skin stay plump and hydrated all day.
- Always avoid the direct eye area when applying. Do a quick patch test before your very first use to be safe.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 1.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this toner is highly praised for its ability to deeply hydrate, soothe, and plump dry, sensitive, and aging skin. Users frequently highlight its milky, nourishing texture that restores the skin barrier without causing irritation. A small number of users with acne-prone or oily skin found it too heavy or experienced minor breakouts.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “This toner is absolutely amazing for dry skin! ... It is incredibly hydrating”
- “leaving my skin hydrated without the stickiness”
- “helps add hydration! The milky texture feels so luxurious”
- “It visibly plumps my skin, keeps me hydrated”
Plumps and softens Often Mentioned
- “It helps my skin to feel supple.”
- “It visibly plumps my skin... and evens my skin tone.”
- “leave my skin hydrated and really soft and glowy!”
- “It makes my skin feel softer and less tight.”
Soothing and gentle Often Mentioned
- “It is so soothing to my skin!”
- “it's pretty gentle and the best part it doesn't irritate the skin”
- “The soothing properties of the toner help calm irritation and redness”
- “I could never find one that did not sting and irritate my skin... I'm glad I did! It is so soothing”
Milky, lightweight texture Sometimes Noted
- “The milky texture feels so luxurious and absorbs well”
- “It is a milky consistency... It goes on and sinks right into the skin.”
- “It's like a kiss of moisture without the weight.”
- “my skin drank it all up in an instant”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “At first I thought this was pricey... Just wish I could afford it”
- “You have better toners for this price.”
- “A little exy, sure, but I've tried cheaper products”
- “It's my favourite but it's expensive so I try to stock up”
Causes minor breakouts Rarely Noted
- “I found i did have small breakout from it and stopped using.”
- “around the 3 to 5 day mark is when I'll start to experience little bumps”
- “I have quite acne prone skin... stopped using.”
Unsuitable for oily skin Rarely Noted
- “it is more designed for combination skin... not for oily skin”
- “If you have oily or combination skin, we recommend trying one of our toners for oily skin instead.”
- “I felt like this wasn't doing as much at first... I am more combination”
Sources: lovi.care, paulaschoice.com, sephora.com.au, sephora.nz, dermstore.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Paula's Choice Advanced Replenishing Toner a great fit for skin with dark spots?
Paula's Choice Advanced Replenishing Toner is a great fit for skin with dark spots because it features licorice root extract, ferulic acid, and epigallocatechin gallate to help brighten your skin. It also provides plenty of moisture with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate while keeping your skin calm and safe from irritation.
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for skin with dark spots?
Ferulic acid and epigallocatechin gallate help brighten dark spots, while licorice root extract gently soothes the skin.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for skin with dark spots?
Hyaluronic acid is unlikely to directly fade dark spots, but it helps keep dry and uneven skin plump and deeply hydrated. To effectively target dark spots, this type of skin needs brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide alongside your hydrator.
What does Glycerin do for skin with dark spots?
Glycerin helps keep dry skin hydrated and supports a healthy skin barrier, which makes skin feel soft and smooth. While it does not directly fade dark spots on its own, it is often added to spot-fading products to keep the skin comfortable while other ingredients work.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Acta Dermato-venereologica, 2017
Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This hydrating toner is used after cleansing in your morning routine, followed by a moisturizer and sunscreen. It helps support skin brightening while keeping your skin calm and moisturized.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this toner alongside retinol by applying it right after cleansing and before your retinol treatment. It is unlikely to cause irritation because it contains soothing ingredients like licorice root extract and lacks harsh additives.
How often should I use this toner?
This hydrating toner is a great fit for skin with dark spots and can be used daily both morning and evening. It helps keep skin soft and supports a brighter, more even look over time without causing irritation.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for skin with dark spots because reviewers report very low complaints of minor breakouts and the formula lacks harsh ingredients. It helps keep skin calm and hydrated without heavy oils that typically block pores.
Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Topical application of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Sophora japonica flavonoid-rich fractions individually and in combination significantly increased the wound healing rate and reduced oxidative stress compared to wound and Nolaver-treated groups.
Molecules, 2023A night cream containing melatonin, carnosine, and Helichrysum italicum extract reduced oxidative stress ex vivo and improved hydration, reduced transepidermal water loss, decreased wrinkles and spots, and lowered skin reactivity in 117 individuals over up to 12 weeks of nightly use.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2020Supramolecular carnosine improves skin reactivity, upregulates Nrf2 expression, activates antioxidant defenses, and reduces AGE levels while demonstrating whitening efficacy in cells and clinical tests compared to conventional carnosine.
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2024A targeted skincare regimen containing active ingredients such as rhodophyceae extract, ergothioneine, and L-carnosine significantly reduced transepidermal water loss by 24.09%, improved skin elasticity, and decreased redness, dryness, and desquamation in thirty-five female Chinese participants over 4 weeks following advanced optimal pulse technology treatment.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical green tea extract significantly improved clinical symptoms, tear breakup times, and meibomian gland health compared to standard treatment in patients with dry eye and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 2017Topical low-dose green tea extract reduces UVB-induced p53 expression and apoptosis in human skin keratinocytes compared to placebo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2009An anti-acne hydrogel containing Aloe barbadensis, Garcinia mangostana, and Camellia sinensis extracts showed superior antiacne and antiblotch activities compared to 1% clindamycin gel in sixty subjects with mild-moderate acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Polysorbate 20, Dimethiconol, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Carnosine, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Genistein, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sphingolipids, Ferulic Acid, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Quercetin, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Pumpkin Seed Extract, Lecithin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium Edta, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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