Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using a face mist?
Besides feeling amazingly cooling, face mists offer some of the best benefits of your favorite skin-care products. “A face mist gives instant hydration to the skin and a boost of sun-protection, moisturization, and irritation-calming actives,” says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. Still, the benefits highly depend on the type of face mist you choose, says Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. “[Some mists] are formulated with humectants to hydrate the skin, some have emollients to support the skin barrier, and some have sunscreen ingredients to offer sun protection,” Dr. King adds. “Some have hypochlorous acid to offer antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties.”
King also cites ease of use as a benefit of skin mists. “[Mists don’t] interfere with makeup as much. If you use a lotion or cream, you have to apply it over makeup, while you can just spritz a mist over [what you have on your face]. It’s less work and less mess, especially on a made-up face,” she notes.
What ingredients should I look for in a face mist?
Remember your skin concerns and goals when shopping for a face mist, but across the board, King advises looking for ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. “What you look for is what you want to achieve. Moisturizing, antioxidant, or anti-inflammatory benefits—the big three reasons people use it.” King also says that noting the size of the particles coming out of the nozzle is essential, and the finer the mist, the better. “[Look for] sunscreen ingredients for sun protection, hypochlorous acid for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties, and soothing ingredients like aloe, calendula, allantoin, bisabolol, and beta-glucan for anti-inflammatory properties,” Dr. King notes.
Meet the experts
- Ginger King, a cosmetic chemist
- Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
- Mamina Turegano, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist based in New Orleans
- Carlos Vieira, a board-certified dermatologist at The Dermatology Specialists based in Philadelphia
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best face mists, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists and cosmetic chemists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
