Should I use this before or after serum?

Before. It is the toner step, applied right after cleansing to prep skin so the serums and treatments that follow have a cleaner base to work into. This is general guidance rather than a fixed rule, so adjust it based on how your own skin or the product itself responds.

Is this toner strong enough to use alone for pore care?

It is built as a prep step within the wider Porexel line rather than a standalone pore treatment, so pairing it with the line's serum gives the fuller routine effect.

How much should I use per application?

Enough to lightly saturate a cotton pad, or a few pressed palmfuls if applying by hand, is the usual amount for a toner step. This is general guidance rather than a fixed rule, so adjust it based on how your own skin or the product itself responds.

Is this the same formula sold in Korea, or a version made for the US market?

This is TIRTIR's Korean-market formula, sourced and shipped with its original Korean-market packaging and batch coding rather than a separate US-reformulated version. Korean Pharmacy stocks the exact SKU sold through Korean retail rather than a substitute built for US shelves, which is the point of buying from a specialist rather than a general beauty retailer.

How should I store this to keep it in good condition?

Keep the cap or compact closed between uses and store it away from direct sunlight and heat, the same way you would any cosmetic. A cool, dry spot such as a drawer or cabinet keeps the texture and finish consistent for longer than leaving it exposed on a warm windowsill or in a hot car.

TIRTIR

Porexel Gentle Refining Toner 120ml

Name: TIRTIR Porexel Gentle Refining Toner 120ml
Brand: TIRTIR
SKU: 13494861638
Price: 50.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Porexel Gentle Refining Toner, TIRTIR's toner step in the pore-focused Porexel line. It is part of TIRTIR's Korean-market skincare lineup, formulated and sold as.

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$50.00

120 ml

$41.67 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Combination to oily skin looking for a lightweight hydrating stepRedness-prone or easily irritated skinNormal skin building a full multi-step Korean routine

Helps with: The first liquid step after cleansing in a Porexel routinePore-prone skin building a full routine around that concernPrepping skin before a serum or treatment layer

One-time purchase

$50.00

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How it works

This toner is built to follow cleansing in the Porexel routine, prepping and softening skin before the line's serums and treatments go on. As a lighter, water-first step, it is meant to remove any remaining residue after cleansing and leave skin receptive to what comes next, rather than to deliver a heavy treatment on its own. It is meant to follow cleansing and precede serum, while skin is still slightly damp, so the water-based formula has a receptive surface to work into. This particular listing is the 120ml size TIRTIR sells for the line, packaged and formulated for the Korean market rather than a separate US release.

Key benefits

The toner step of TIRTIR's pore-focused Porexel line
Preps and softens skin before serum and treatment steps
Lighter, water-first texture rather than a heavy formula
Focused use on pore-prone zones like the nose and chin
Brought in as the exact Korean-market SKU TIRTIR sells at home, not a separate US-market formulation

How to use

Sweep a cotton pad soaked in toner across the face after cleansing, paying attention to the nose, chin and other areas prone to visible pores. Follow immediately with the rest of the Porexel routine while skin is still damp.

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60 of 61 explained

Water/Aqua/Eau solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
Tripropylene Glycol solvent: Tripropylene Glycol is a glycol used mainly as a solvent, keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid.
Sodium Citrate pH adjuster: Sodium Citrate is the salt of citric acid, used as a buffer: it holds a formula at a steady pH rather than pushing it in one direction. It is also a mild chelator.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Niacinamide active: Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
Gluconolactone exfoliant: Gluconolactone is a PHA, the gentlest exfoliant class. Its molecule is too large to penetrate quickly, so it smooths the surface without the sting of an AHA, and it is a humectant at the same time.
Glycereth-26 humectant: Glycereth-26 is a modified glycerin that hydrates with far less stickiness than glycerin itself. It is a common way to load water into a formula that has to stay light.
Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Glycolic Acid exfoliant: Glycolic Acid is the smallest AHA, which is why it is also the most penetrating and the most likely to sting. It loosens the bonds between dead surface cells and is used for the look of dullness and rough texture.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Methylpropanediol humectant: Methylpropanediol is a small glycol used to hydrate and to help water-soluble actives penetrate the outer layer of skin more evenly. It leaves almost no tack, which suits watery textures.

48 more explained

Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Hydrogenated Lecithin emulsifier: Hydrogenated Lecithin is lecithin with its unsaturated bonds filled in, which makes it far more stable. It emulsifies and is the standard shell for the liposomes that carry actives into the outer layer of skin.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Xanthan Gum thickener: Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar. It thickens a watery formula into a gel and holds the whole thing in suspension so nothing separates. Too much of it and a serum turns stringy, which is why it appears in fractions of a percent.
Adenosine active: Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit Extract plant extract: Fig Fruit Extract carries fruit sugars, mild acids and a protein-digesting enzyme. It is used as a hydrating extract with a light smoothing effect.
Centella Asiatica Extract plant extract: Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate ferment: Lactococcus Ferment Lysate is a lactic-culture ferment with the bacterial cells broken open, so their contents are in the formula too. It is used as a conditioning ferment in barrier-focused products.
Coptis Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Coptis Japonica is a traditional East Asian medicinal root, bright yellow from its berberine content. In skincare its extract is used for the look of congested, oily skin.
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract plant extract: Roselle hibiscus extract, deep red from anthocyanins and naturally acidic. It carries plant acids and is used as an antioxidant extract.
Ceramide NP barrier lipid: Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
Fructooligosaccharides humectant: Fructooligosaccharides are short fructose chains used as humectants and as food for the skin's own resident microbes.
Octyldodeceth-16 emulsifier: An ethoxylated branched fatty alcohol. It emulsifies and also gives a formula a soft, cushioned slip.
Cyanocobalamin vitamin: Cyanocobalamin is vitamin B12, and it is a deep pink-red, which is why a formula carrying it often has a colour nobody added on purpose. It is used as a conditioning vitamin.
Arginine amino acid: Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid exfoliant: Capryloyl Salicylic Acid is salicylic acid with a fatty tail, sometimes sold as LHA. It stays nearer the surface than salicylic acid and works at a higher pH, so it exfoliates more evenly and more gently.
Sodium Chloride thickener: Sodium Chloride is salt. In a cleanser it thickens the liquid; in a mask or essence it balances the mineral content of the water phase. It has no active role.
Phenylpropanol solvent: Phenylpropanol is an aromatic alcohol with a faint hyacinth smell. It works as a solvent and strengthens a preservative system, so it appears in formulas built without parabens.
Levulinic Acid preservative: Levulinic Acid is a plant-derived acid used with its sodium salt as a natural preservative system. It also adjusts pH.
Sodium Levulinate preservative: The sodium salt of levulinic acid, and the other half of a plant-derived preservative pair. It is used in formulas built without traditional preservatives.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Resveratrol antioxidant: Resveratrol is an antioxidant from grape skin and Japanese knotweed. It is used for the look of dullness and is often paired with ferulic acid, which keeps it stable.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide active: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, usually written NAD, is a coenzyme every living cell carries, built from vitamin B3. In a formula it is used as a conditioning active at very low levels.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide active: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide is a nucleotide built from vitamin B3 and a sugar phosphate. Korean formulas use it as a conditioning active, usually alongside niacinamide itself.
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a sugar-derived emulsifier and solubiliser, mild enough to be a standard choice in Korean essences. It dissolves small amounts of oil into water without any tightening feel.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Glutathione antioxidant: Glutathione is a small peptide the body uses as one of its main antioxidants. In skincare it is used as an antioxidant and for the look of dullness; it is unstable in water, so formulas that carry it are usually built around protecting it.
Cholesterol barrier lipid: Cholesterol is the third of the three lipids the outer layer of skin is built from, with ceramides and fatty acids. Formulas that carry all three are following the ratio skin itself holds.
Ceramide AP barrier lipid: Ceramide AP is a second cosmetic ceramide, distinguished by an extra hydroxyl group. Formulas that name several ceramides are copying the mix skin actually holds rather than relying on one.
Ceramide AS barrier lipid: Ceramide AS is a further member of the same lipid family. Its presence usually signals a formula built around a full ceramide profile rather than a single headline one.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Ceramide NG barrier lipid: One of the ceramide types found between skin cells, also written ceramide 2. Ceramides are the lipid that fills the space between cells in the outer layer.
Ceramide NS barrier lipid: Ceramide NS is another of the ceramides skin makes for itself. It is used alongside NP and AP so a formula supplies a mixture rather than a single lipid.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emollient: Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is a coconut-derived ester used as a light, dry emollient in place of silicone. It spreads far and leaves a soft finish.
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate peptide: This is a two-amino-acid peptide, sold as Syn-Ake, used for the look of expression lines. Its structure was modelled on a component of snake venom, though nothing of the venom itself is in it.
Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract plant extract: Diospyros Kaki is the persimmon tree. Its leaf extract carries tannins and vitamin C and is used as an antioxidant extract.
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract plant extract: Grape Fruit Extract carries polyphenols and fruit acids. It is used as an antioxidant plant extract.
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Flower Extract plant extract: Safflower Flower Extract is a traditional East Asian dye and skincare plant. It is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract and can tint a formula.
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract plant extract: Polygonum Cuspidatum is Japanese knotweed, the main commercial source of resveratrol. Its root extract is used as an antioxidant plant extract.
Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract plant extract: Coffee Seed Extract carries caffeine and chlorogenic acid. It is used as an antioxidant extract and, in eye and body formulas, for the look of puffiness.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract plant extract: Camellia Sinensis is the tea plant. Green tea leaf extract carries catechins, among the most studied plant antioxidants, and is used for the look of redness and oily shine.
Castanea Crenata (Chestnut) Shell Extract plant extract: Chestnut Shell Extract carries tannins and is used as an antioxidant plant extract, most often in formulas aimed at visible pores.
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract plant extract: Zanthoxylum Piperitum is Korean pepper. Its fruit extract is used as a conditioning plant extract and is often paired with pulsatilla and usnea in Korean formulas.
Adenosine Triphosphate active: Adenosine Triphosphate is the molecule cells move energy around with. In a formula it is a conditioning nucleotide, related to the adenosine declared beside it.
Ceramide EOP barrier lipid: Ceramide EOP is the ceramide with the longest tail, and in skin it acts as the rivet holding the lipid layers together. It is the third member of the standard cosmetic ceramide trio.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

Worth knowing

Patch test on the inner arm before full-face use if you are introducing a new toner to a sensitive routine.
Anyone using a retinoid or exfoliating acid the same night should introduce a new toner gradually alongside it.

Complete the routine

This itemTIRTIR Porexel Gentle Refining Toner 120ml$50.00
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinTIRTIR Milk Creamy Foam Cleanser 90g$42.50
The treatment step of this routineTIRTIR ICE-COOLING WATER DROP SERUM 30ml$57.50

Total for 3 items$150.00

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TIRTIR Porexel Gentle Refining Toner 120ml

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TIRTIR, Korean-market original

Prep the skin, before the pores get the real treatment.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic