Is dull skin always about dehydration?

No — it can be pigmentation- or texture-driven too; Rice 70 is specifically the pick when dehydration is the cause.

Is $23 worth it over the $6.80 option?

Depends on skin type — I'm From is the better value for normal or combination skin; Anua's richer texture is positioned specifically for dry skin.

Can Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner be used in the morning?

Yes, per Anua's own guidance it layers under sunscreen once absorbed.

Should it be paired with a brightening serum?

The barrier-first argument above suggests yes, letting the hydrating rice toner lead before or alongside a brightening step, not instead of it.

Is this the same as Beauty of Joseon's rice toner?

No — different base (kaolin clay versus a higher rice extract concentration) and different stated skin-type fit.

Which of the three is best for genuinely gray, ashy-looking skin specifically?

Anua Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner, on the premise that most gray-not-dark cases are dehydration-driven rather than pigmentation-driven.

Can these rice toners be used alongside a retinoid or exfoliating acid routine?

Generally yes, since none of the three is itself an active exfoliant, but layering timing matters — applying a rice toner before an active on the same night is the more common approach than after, since the hydration base can help buffer the active's irritation potential.

product review

3 Best Korean Rice Toners for Dull, Gray Skin 2026: I'm From, Beauty of Joseon & Anua

A research-based breakdown of three rice toners for dull, gray-looking skin, landing on Anua's Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner specifically for dehydration-driven dullness.

Glow Rebalance Research Desk2026-07-088 min read

Research note

Research note: product facts should be checked against current brand and retailer pages before major updates. Review signals are treated as directional patterns, not universal outcomes.

Research summary

The short answer

The recurring question behind most rice-toner shopping for genuinely dull, gray-looking skin in 2026 is whether the grayness is a pigmentation problem or a hydration problem. Review and formulation signals point to hydration as the more common driver in dull-not-dark cases — which is why, alongside I'm From Rice Toner ($6.80) and Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk ($18.00), the toner most specifically positioned for that cause is Anua's Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner ($23.00), aimed at dry, dehydrated skin rather than pigmentation.

This breakdown treats that distinction as the organizing question for the whole comparison, rather than ranking all three toners on one undifferentiated 'best rice toner' axis.

Criteria

Criteria used for this comparison

Five factors decided how each toner is positioned below.

Hydration depth, based on formulation and stated positioning.
Texture richness versus a lighter, more watery finish.
Price per use.
The skin-type fit each brand states explicitly for its own product.
Whether 'glow' claims are framed around hydration or around pigmentation-brightening — a meaningfully different mechanism.

Rank 1

1. I'm From Rice Toner ($6.80) — Best value, best for normal or combination skin

The classic recommendation, built on high rice extract plus niacinamide, and consistently an editors' top pick across rice-toner roundups — for good reason, since it's the plumping, more-luminous baseline most rice-toner lists start from. The tradeoff review signals commonly mention: it's thin enough that very dry skin still wants a richer layer on top rather than treating it as a complete hydration solution on its own.

Rank 2

2. Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk ($18.00) — Best for combination or oily skin

Built on rice extract, rice amino acids, and kaolin clay, and positioned by the brand for combination or oily skin specifically. The clay does real work for that skin type, absorbing excess oil while the rice extract handles glow — but that combination makes it a mismatched tool for dehydration-driven dullness, where clay's oil-absorbing property isn't the fix that's needed.

Rank 3

3. Anua Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner ($23.00) — Best for dry, dehydrated skin

70% rice extract in a genuinely richer, milky texture, built for hydration and glow together, and specifically positioned for dry, dehydrated skin — the profile most likely to be the actual source of gray-looking dullness rather than pigmentation. Per Anua's own product page, the formula leans into that richer, hydration-forward texture rather than the lighter finish of the two picks above, which is the specific reason it's the better match when dehydration, not tone, is the diagnosis.

Philosophy

The barrier-first argument, and where it doesn't apply

The editorial position worth stating plainly: when grayness comes from dehydration rather than pigmentation, a hydration and barrier step should come before or alongside any brightening active, not after it. That argument has a real limit, and it's worth being honest about it — pigmentation-driven dullness is a different problem, and Beauty of Joseon's clay-forward formula or an active brightening serum is the better match for that case, not this toner.

Readers who aren't sure which category they're in can use a simple check: dehydration-driven dullness tends to look flat and gray all over and improve visibly within a day of consistent hydration; pigmentation-driven dullness tends to show as uneven patches that don't respond to hydration alone.

Ingredient context

What rice extract is actually doing in these formulas

Rice extract and rice water carry a long history in Korean skincare as a brightening-and-softening ingredient, generally associated with antioxidant content and a mild, non-irritating profile that makes it a common base for gentler, everyday-use toners rather than a targeted, high-strength treatment. That gentleness is part of why rice toners specifically, rather than a stronger acid or retinoid toner, are the common starting recommendation for dullness that hasn't been diagnosed as anything more specific.

The differences between the three toners compared here come down to what's layered on top of that shared rice-extract base — niacinamide in I'm From's formula, kaolin clay in Beauty of Joseon's, and a higher rice-extract concentration in a milkier texture for Anua's — rather than any one of them using a fundamentally different core ingredient the others lack.

Routine fit

Where a rice toner fits around the rest of a dullness routine

None of these three toners is designed to be a standalone fix. In a fuller routine, the rice toner step generally comes right after cleansing, ahead of any treatment serum, functioning as the hydration base the rest of the routine builds on. Readers dealing with dehydration-driven dullness specifically may get more consistent results pairing whichever rice toner they choose with a humectant-forward serum layered on top, rather than expecting the toner alone to carry the full routine.

A reasonable way to test whether a rice toner alone is enough: use it consistently, morning and night, for roughly two weeks before adding anything else. If dullness noticeably improves in that window, the hydration-first diagnosis was likely correct. If it doesn't, that's a signal worth taking seriously that pigmentation, not dehydration, may be the bigger driver — at which point Beauty of Joseon's clay-forward formula or a dedicated brightening serum becomes the more relevant next step, not a richer version of the same rice toner.

FAQ

Common questions

Quick answers based on the comparison above.

Is dull skin always about dehydration? No — it can be pigmentation- or texture-driven too; Rice 70 is specifically the pick when dehydration is the cause.
Is $23 worth it over the $6.80 option? Depends on skin type — I'm From is the better value for normal or combination skin; Anua's richer texture is positioned specifically for dry skin.
Can Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner be used in the morning? Yes, per Anua's own guidance it layers under sunscreen once absorbed.
Should it be paired with a brightening serum? The barrier-first argument above suggests yes, letting the hydrating rice toner lead before or alongside a brightening step, not instead of it.
Is this the same as Beauty of Joseon's rice toner? No — different base (kaolin clay versus a higher rice extract concentration) and different stated skin-type fit.
Which of the three is best for genuinely gray, ashy-looking skin specifically? Anua Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner, on the premise that most gray-not-dark cases are dehydration-driven rather than pigmentation-driven.
Can these rice toners be used alongside a retinoid or exfoliating acid routine? Generally yes, since none of the three is itself an active exfoliant, but layering timing matters — applying a rice toner before an active on the same night is the more common approach than after, since the hydration base can help buffer the active's irritation potential.