Do face mists actually do anything? Ask The Kit

“It’s the dog days of summer, and I don’t have air conditioning. To cope, I’ve been spritzing my face all day with anything I can get my hands on. There are currently nearly a dozen bottles spread between my night table and my work desk — even one above the kitchen sink. Do I have a problem? And do they do anything at all?” — Overheating in Hamilton, Ont.

There is a meme that keeps on giving, wherein people insert the phrase “just to feel something” beside an action verb. For me, just like you, that’s misting my face with fancy sprays — just to feel something. I have always been a passionate fan of face mists, starting with Evian’s classic mineral water spray and expanding from there. In France, pharmacies usually have a full wall of various chicly branded thermal water mists. I’m quite sure part of the allure of face misting comes from our abiding adoration of French pharmacies.

In the back of my head is a hazy memory of a line in an article about how constant misting isn’t great for your skin. Luckily, The Kit’s beauty and lifestyle director, Katherine Lalancette, has encyclopedic recall. A 2017 Into the Gloss story said that if you don’t pat your face dry or apply moisturizer after putting on thermal water sprays, they can actually dry your skin out.

But I spray a lot of this stuff on, and that just doesn’t feel like the case. For peace of mind, I checked in with an expert. Happily, Dr. Lisa Kellett, the medical director of DLK on Avenue in Toronto, told me not to worry about drying out my skin with water mists. “We think of skin as an esthetic thing, but in fact, it is a defence organ, meant to protect us from the environment. It is not particularly permeable,” she says. “You can reach the outer layer, the stratum corneum, with product. But getting to the dermis, the inner layer, is very difficult. You would have to use a laser to drill channels to get there.”

In fact, Kellett says that when you put on moisturizer after a face spray, its efficacy is boosted. “You can increase permeability if the skin is wet.”

I ask her about whether other ingredients in a face spray can be harmful, such as alcohol, which seems like it would be drying. “Actually, that is a myth, too,” she says. “There are, for instance, many alcohol-based sunscreens. I don’t have a problem with it so long as it is a safe formulation.” By that, she means Health Canada — approved. “Pretty much everything at your Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall is going to be approved by Health Canada,” she says. “Look for the NPN (natural product number) or DIN (drug identification number).”

Looking at my collection of face spray bottles on my desk as I’m speaking to Kellett, I realize I’ve bought a bunch of mists at random health food shops entirely because they smell nice. “That stuff makes me nervous,” she says. “Essential oils can irritate your skin, causing contact dermatitis.”

But when face mists are not just water, and are infused with active ingredients proven to have skin care benefits, a mist is just as effective as a cream, says Kellett. “It is simply a different delivery system.”

One such spray that has been my constant companion lately is SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist, a new item from the brand often found in glass cases at medi-spas and derm offices. I do not use it as indiscriminately as my other sprays because it’s a splurge at $88.

That’s because it has some power ingredients in there. For one, it has a redness-calming effect. “It contains a blend of phyto-botanical extracts meant to soothe, calm and hydrate sensitive skin, and has been shown to immediately reduce visible redness by 31 per cent,” explained Dr. Samuel Herz, the brand’s medical spokesperson. There is also hydrating hyaluronic acid in the formula, which Herz told me is best absorbed by slightly moist skin.

This mist is best applied in the morning, “after cleansing and toning but before a vitamin C serum and moisturizer,” he says. “I like to suggest patients also reapply it throughout the day, to provide additional lightweight hydration. One of the nicest features is that this mist can be reapplied on bare skin or on top of makeup as needed.”

See, now we are talking my love language. I definitely get a teensy dopamine rush from the act of spraying my face — guys, it just feels good! It’s refreshing! I’m totally feeling something! And if it’s actually hydrating and calming my skin at the same time, all the better.

Shop the advice: Lovely face mists for a hit of hydration

Graydon Face Food Mineral Mist, $49, thedetoxmarket.ca SHOP HERE

This is the hero vegan product at Graydon Skincare, a Toronto-based natural skin care line. Both a toner and a hydrating mist, it contains white tea, zinc, magnesium, copper and malachite to protect against environmental damage. Bonus!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir, $59, caudalie.ca SHOP HERE

With its intoxicating scent, this French grape-extract spray is all natural and a favourite classic product always found in the purses of the international fashion set.

Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray, $24, sephora.ca SHOP HERE

A quick hit of this classic mineral water mist can refresh a sweaty face, set or revive makeup, and is an all-around pleasant experience.

SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist, $88, skincauticals.ca SHOP HERE

Hydration via hyaluronic acid in a mist delivery system, with botanicals to calm redness.

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