Toner is a much maligned and misunderstood commodity in the labyrinthine world of skincare. Used properly, it can imbue your dermis with plumping botanical extracts that leave it soft as a day-old rose petal, but splash it about without a plan and it can leave you, literally, high and dry.

Like a jaded Hollywood star, toner's had some bad press over the years, but the good news is, it's due for a comeback of Mickey Rourke-esque proportions. Why? Maybe it's because people are realising that a return to good old-fashioned cleansing is the cornerstone to having really beautiful skin. It doesn't matter how much dollar you're layering onto your face by way of techy skin serums or vials of virgin stem cells, if the skin underneath isn't totally clean, balanced of pH and ready to receive those vital ingredients, you're screwed.

Did we mention it's also the most versatile of all skincare accoutrements? Soak cotton pads in alcohol-free toner and make a mask, keep a pump spray bottle on your desk for a mid-PM spritz, hell, you can even remove cleansing creams with the stuff. For the unofficiated toner may seem like a really expensive bottle of smelly water, but believe us when we tell you, you need it in your life.

Click through the gallery above to find out why toner is ripe for a renaissance.