What's the difference between toner application with hands and cotton pad

i use cotton pad to apply exfoliate toner since the cotton pad give an extra exfoliate but for hydrating toner i use my hand to apply since it wont waste the product left on the cotton pad but sometimes i use special cotton pad like silcot to compress hydrating toner to the skin

In the past I only used cotton pads because ut didn't get messy. But nowadays I also use my hands because 1. no product is absorbed/wasted on the cotton pad and 2. it's more environmental friendly and I've never heard that oily people need to apply their toners with a cotton pad. I could imagine that rubbing a cotton pad on drier skin types could be sensitising but other than that...

I simply use my hands regardless the toner (hydrating or exfoliating) so no product is wasted on the cotton pad and it's less costly for me 😅 Interesting! I've never heard that oily people should apply toners with a cotton pad.

at first I used a pad so I wouldn't drip toner all over the place, but from a few years on I apply it directly with my hands, I waste less product (both pads and toner) and I don't have that exfoliation from the pads

I think it depends more on the products' texture and type (hydrating or exfoliating) rather than someone's skin type, such as watery ones will be more convenient using a cotton pad and thicker ones using hands. Also, what is the most important is making sure that the product is absorbed properly to serve its function.