
One of our favorite skin care staples at the GW office is the face mist. It’s instantly cooling, refreshing and hydrating. Sure, some people might swear face mists as an superfluous step centered upon what amounts to be over-priced water, however there are active and specialized mists that do a whole lot more. The best mists are made from organic, botanically based ingredients called hydrosols, otherwise known as flower waters which are made from distilled plant material including leaves, fruits and fruits. These flower waters hold the aromatic and nutritional components of the plants which means they deliver actual skincare benefits.
Organic mists, oftentimes called elixirs, toners, or essence, are made from great ingredients that do everything from nourishing dehydrated and irritated skin to setting skin pH and accelerating serum penetration. Not only are the mists beneficial for skin and a pleasure to spray, but by providing actual moisture content, they enhance the overall performance of oils and moisturizers making them essential for any routine. Given that some of the atomized mist is undoubtedly inhaled into the body with each spray, we also feel safer with organic formulas that don’t featured questionable ingredients.
Luckily in this case, organic means higher performance and higher safety. With the rise of high-end performance oriented natural skincare, we’ve moved past the OG – rose water, and now have mists that are made with all forms of powerful actives from antioxidant rich plant extracts to precious metals.
Here are six of our favorite organic, high-performance mists:

FAVORITE MISTS
HERBIVORE BOTANICALS Rose Hibiscus Face Mist
Consider this a marriage of the most luscious of the flower waters where coconut water meets rose water for instantly hydrating and refreshing with a subtle, flowery aroma. The presence of hibiscus flower extract speeds cell turnover while witch hazel tones skin and aloe vera soothes and hydrates skin. There’s also something to be said for the hefty bottle and millennial pink hued tonic inside that makes us never want to put this down. This Instagram friendly mist will quickly become an obsession.
JOSE ROSEBROOK Hydrating Accelerator
When brand founders rave about another brand’s product, you know it’s special. We’ve seen the founders of May Lindstrom, Agent Nateur and RMS Beauty speak so highly of this mist that we knew it deserved a spot in our feature. This aloe vera juice based mist is made from a broad composition of organic plant oils and extracts, including bilberry, marshmallow root, fennel seed that are infused or suspended in the juice. The renowned vanilla, ylang ylang, eucalyptus fragrance is both clean and relaxing. The spray delivers the perfect mist and the lightweight, durable plastic packaging makes this a travel favorite.
JULISIS Gold Neroli Toner
Described by supermodel and actress, Erin Wasson, as a line “based on different rocks and stones that have been blessed by shamans,” JULISIS is one of a kind. Take this toner, which provides a mineral-rich alchemic blend of aloe and neroli mixed with Himalayan salt and pure liquid gold essence. That’s right, you’re literally misting your skin in liquid gold. This activating toner works on an energetic level to awaken and invigorate skin. This mist is perfect for carrying in the gym bag especially for morning workouts, and we find it doubles as the perfect conversation starter.
IN FIORE Vitale Toning Floral Essence
A juice fast for the skin, In Fiore’s VITALE is an aloe based mist with bitter orange flower hydrosol, flower extracts and herbal infusions that maximize serum absorption rates while instilling hydration. The opaque fluid indicates the concentrated nature of this purifying, mildly astringent mist. VITALE is a particularly powerful toner as it balances skin and stimulates circulation which enhances skin health. The bitter orange flower, nettle, witch hazel and lemon are like a detoxifying treatment for when skin feels a bit lethargic. We love this for jetlag and after-sun exposure. The beautiful photogenic mist is best treasured as a top shelf centerpiece.
MŪN Anarose Hydrating Rose Toner
For those who want a bit of a throwback to classic toners, this sophisticated organic tonic originally came as a toner to be swiped onto skin via cotton pad. Like traditional toners, the ingredients help to mildly exfoliate and clear residue. When used as a mist, Anarose becomes an instantly gratifying rose water and aloe vera leaf juice spray that hydrates and softens skin with plant extracts like Prickly Pear and Goji Berry that rejuvenate the skin with antioxidants. The smell is subtle and beautiful thanks to hand-picked Bulgarian roses and organic rose, daisy and jasmine extracts. This mist absolutely felt like showering skin in flower dew a.k.a. heaven.
YÜLI Metamorphic Elixir
No list on high-performance organics is complete without YÜLI. Their Metamorphic Elixir has been described by beauty editors as “rose water on steroids,” which is pretty apt when the powerhouse formula contains hyaluronic acid, probiotics, liquid silver essence, aloe vera, hydrosols from 5 rose species, & immortelle, frankincense, lavender and carrot hydrosols which are considered natural retinol alternatives for their ability to rejuvenate skin and stimulate cell turnover. This elixir is as one of the only mists that is not water-based, which means the concentration of active ingredients is exceptionally high, meaning this mist function almost like a serum in it’s level of performance.
Aloe Vera
You may notice aloe vera as another common ingredient in these organic mists. Aloe Vera is regarded as a gold standard ingredient that is hydrating, soothing and healing while being good for all skin types. It’s light enough for oily skin, soothing for sensitive skin and hydrating enough for dehydrated skin. It also blends well with hydrosols, making the resulting tonic more active and potent.
When to use mists:
Mists should be applied after cleansing skin and right before serums. Besides their place in the daytime and nighttime regimen, here are a few other recommended uses:
- Morning wake-up: skin is dehydrated overnight, a few sprays helps to awaken and rehydrate.
- Make-up prep: mists help to prime skin and set make-up, giving skin a refreshed, glowing and naturally dewy complexion.
- Office staple: mists rehydrate skin from dry office air and invigorates mood.
- Mid-day: mists uplift from afternoon slumps as they reawaken and energize.
- On-the-go: mists can be used at any time. They can provide cooling and refreshing benefits on a hot day and hydrating and soothing benefits on a cold day.
- Post-workout: cools down skin and re-conditions it from heat and sweat
- Travel: nothing feels as gratifying in fighting dry cabin air as heavy sprays of a hearty mist. That tight, stripped feeling is immediately lifted.
Photographed and Written by: GW Team