The 7 Best Exfoliating Toners to Try After You’ve Run Out of P50 1970 (2025)

Few skincare products have the same reputation or fanatic devotion as Biologique Recherche’s iconic P50 1970 Lotion. The French toner and exfoliator has such a loyal user base (A-listers like Bella Hadid and Nicole Kidman included) that many overlook the pungent odor—described as smelling like horseradish or vinegar—and apply the liquid gold to their face anyway. For decades, P50 1970 (the original formula) has been a secret weapon for exfoliating, toning, and balancing the skin, and the brand even expanded the range with several variations for pigmentation and sensitivity.

“P50 1970 truly revolutionized the skincare world, creating a category of its own,” says Danuta Mieloch, founder of skincare brand Danucera and Rescue Spa in New York and Philadelphia, where the toner and Biologique Recherche’s line are sold. “It highlighted the crucial role that a toner plays in your routine, especially one with such powerful, active ingredients.” For years, Mieloch has incorporated the toner into treatments at Rescue Spa, and was at the top of her list for product recommendations before launching her brand. “P50 1970 became a go-to for so many; it demonstrated just how transformative an exfoliating toner could be,” she adds.

So it’s no wonder that panic ensued when Biologique Recherche announced that P50 1970 would cease to exist in 2025, with the last shipment of product from France to the States taking place in January. The sudden shuttering of the formula is all because of one ingredient: Phenol, an antiseptic that exfoliates the skin and leaves a tingling sensation (that most P50 users have grown to appreciate) but also has been flagged for being potentially unsafe on the skin.

If you’re reading this and clutching your last bottle of P50 like a string of pearls, don’t fret. P50 may have been the blueprint for exfoliating toners, but there are now a handful of formulas that deliver similar glow-boosting results. But how do you know which toners are a sufficient P50 replacement? “A great toner should contain exfoliating acids to promote cell regeneration and balance the skin,” Mieloch says. “Used before a serum, it enhances the effectiveness of the actives that follow, making your skincare more impactful.”

Ahead, we rounded up the best exfoliating toners to use when you’ve finished every last drop of P50 1970.

Mieloch created an exfoliating toner that harnesses the same renewing power of P50 with lactic and glycolic acid. It also includes birch water and sap, which brighten skin and reduce inflammation. “These ingredients work synergistically to target breakouts, pigmentation, and fine lines, giving you a clearer, brighter, and more youthful complexion without disrupting the skin barrier,” she explains. The formula is so gentle that even those with sensitive skin can use it daily to keep complexions radiant and smooth.

This essence will slough off dead skin cells in seconds. A duo of acids (salicylic and phytic) and the brand’s patented TFC8 ingredient, which supports the skin’s natural repair process, leave skin looking brighter and smoother instantly. Plus, it adds moisture back into the skin with vitamin E.

This toner looks and feels different than P50, but don’t mistake that for weakness. The creamy formula gets its milky texture from soothing colloidal oatmeal and rice water, which offset the powerhouse acid complex, made up of lactic, azelaic, and tranexamic acids. Skin is left brighter, but not at the expense of hydration.

Similar to the way P50 minimized the appearance of pores, this toner from Farmacy also refines texture and removes gunk and excess oil from pores with the help of 2 percent salicylic acid and fruit enzymes.

The 15 percent exfoliating acid complex in this milky toner includes three of the powerhouse exfoliators in Biologique Recherche’s P50 1970: malic, mandelic, and lactic acids. But this iteration also has squalane to hydrate skin and enzymes to unclog pores and rid dead skin cells for a well-rounded exfoliation.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight one of Biologique Recherche’s phenol-free lotion options. The Lotion P50 is made without phenol but still includes the same exfoliating and smoothing acids as the P50 1970.

This exfoliating toner combines fruit-forward acids with spa-like ingredients. Five acids, including malic, lactic, and glycolic acids, gently slough off dead skin, while rosemary, aloe, chamomile, and witch hazel soothe the skin.

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