The Consumer Council on Tuesday said people should not use skin toners excessively, after finding alcohol and fragrance allergens in some of the samples it tested.

Most toners claim to have deep cleansing, pore tightening, exfoliating or moisturising qualities, and are often incorporated in people’s skincare routine.

But the watchdog said out of 25 samples it tested, nine of them contained up to four fragrance allergens, while ten models had alcohol.

The chairperson of the council’s research and testing committee, Nora Tam, said too much alcohol can dry the skin and cause allergies, and people should use those products sparingly.

“Avoid over-cleansing is the advice I would give to consumers, because a lot of consumers, they would use a lot of this toner or clean [their] face with too many different things, especially in the morning,” Tam said.

“Your skin is not so dirty, I think sometimes water is good enough.”

She urged manufacturers to avoid or minimise the use of allergenic substances in their products, and include a clear ingredient list on their product labels so that consumers can make informed choices.