I am a huge fan of layering skincare products to solve dehydration issues. Put a humectant (water-grabbing) product on, then seal it in with an oilier product – it’s been the absolute greatest discovery I’ve made for rehydrating my skin!
The problem though is that there are very few purely humectant products on the market. Yes, you could mix up your own glycerin/water mixture, but without a preservative it goes off quickly. Pure water is good and cheap but it evaporates quickly and gives you very little time to moisturise on top, and I like to take my time with my evening skincare routine (I know I sound like a loony but I find it relaxing to do just before I sleep – it’s like an incredibly vain form of meditation).
Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Nourishing Facial Water is DESIGNED for layering. It has glycerin as the second ingredient, and while I know everyone’s on the hyaluronic acid train these days, I still find that glycerin hydrates my skin faster, and it’s so much cheaper to buy a glycerin-containing product.
Intense Hydration Nourishing Facial Water also contains various botanical extracts like willow bark and kiwi, which potentially contain decent amounts of salicylic acid (exfoliating and antiinflammatory) and vitamin C (collagen-stimulating and lightening). Of course, like with any product containing natural ingredients, the actual active ingredients in a natural extract will vary based on how the extract was treated before getting into the product, so it’s hard to say for sure. It’s at a skin-friendly pH of around 5.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Water, Propanediol, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Sodium PCA, Fragrance, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol.
I found that using it beneath my night moisturiser left my skin feeling smooth and plump the next day, and using it under my sunscreen in the morning stopped it from feeling tight.
The Intense Hydration range also includes moisturisers, eye cream, a mask and a cream cleanser with a dash of scrubbing grains.
What’s your favourite layering combination?
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Great review! I’m really interested in this product, but I’m also kind of confused b/c of the product’s name… am I right in assuming this isn’t a micellar water at all? I could be totally wrong, but it seems like it’s a ph-adjusting toner?
It’s not either, actually – you can use it as a pH-adjusting toner, but it’s meant to just add moisture to your skin and help it hold onto water 🙂
Oooh this sounds really interesting! I’m currently using the night creme in this range so I would love to try the facial water with it.