Versus

BYOMA Hydrating Milky Toner Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner - US

Toner
Toner
British Brand United Kingdom
American Brand United States

Updated on April 15, 2025

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe toners. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Skin Conditioning

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Learn more about Panthenol
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Sodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.

When to use

1,315 Routines
51% use in am
49% use in pm
95% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
73 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
95% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

BYOMA Hydrating Milky Toner 29 ingredients

4.1 /5
from 11 ratings
Hydrating (9) Absorbs Well (8) Works Well (7)
morganwilkins's avatar

Morgan Wilkins

6 months ago
Review

Honestly, I wanted to love this product. It did help with redness and hydration. But I fear this was part of my face feeling a burning sensation when I added moisturizer on top of it…

#hydrating
#irritating
#light
#absorbs well
kassia's avatar

Kassia

3 months ago
Review

I was wary of trying this, as I absolutely despise BYOMA’s brightening toner, but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth all the Internet hype, especially considering how cost effective it is compared to most other milky toners. Quite light and immediately hydrating. This is definitely going to be my staple winter toner.

#great value
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well

Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner 21 ingredients

2.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Irritating (2) Expensive (1) Hydrating (1)
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

1 year ago
Review

It's a beautiful milky texture, but it caused a stinging sensation for me. I have desert dry skin and thought it would be a step up from the Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner. My skin barrier was compromised from multiple nights of retinol, so I opted to go for this to help barrier repair. It was the first thing I put on my skin after cleansing, and was surprised when it started Show more

#hydrating
#irritating