SKINFIX | BARRIER+ NUTRIENT WATER MISTING TONIC

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Favorite Face Mists for Keeping Skin Hydrated in the Cold. You can catch the full piece here.

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Over the last two weeks, I’ve been exploring cold weather skincare. There’s nothing worse than dry, dehydrated skin in the winter. I used to struggle with coming out of the winter season looking a year older — and often joked that I’d aged the entire year in just those three chilly months.

Until I learned how to take better care of my skin from season to season. In the winter, skin needs richer, more moisturizing and hydrating treatments — that is, it needs you to help it replace its lost oil and water.

If you haven’t yet had the chance to explore my collection of ten of the best face creams for dry skin and all skin in the dry, cold air, I invite you to check them out here.

Two weeks ago, I kicked off my winter series with the first five of these richer face creams in a blog article titled, Winter Moisturizers Part I – Some of the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin and All Skin Types in Cold Weather. Then last week, I rounded out the top ten in Winter Moisturizers Part 2 — available here.

I like to separate the concepts of moisture and hydration by focusing moisture more on the oil content of the skin and hydration on the water content. Dry skin lacks oil. Dehydrated skin lacks water. Perhaps it’s not as clear cut as that, but it helps me to seek out the right treatments for my seasonal skin concerns.

So, I focused on moisture and moisturizers the last two weeks, now I want to offer up some thoughts on how to keep your skin hydrated. Of course, that starts from within — drinking lots and lots of water.

I have (let me see, I’m scanning the apartment and counting in my head!) six 50.7 fl oz / 1.5L bottles of Essentia ionized alkaline pH water strategically placed in three rooms. I literally have water within reach wherever I am in my 1,000 sq. foot Brooklyn apartment!

Call me crazy, but don’t call me dehydrated!

So while hydration starts from within, it’s important to keep the skin surface hydrated throughout the day. And I have multiple hydrating face mists around the apartment, too! When I walk by one, I often stop and spritz. Hydration is everything in the cold!

But how do you know if your skin is dehydrated? And what’s the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? Simply dry is a skin type and dehydrated is a skin concern or condition.

What’s the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin?

For the answer to that vexing questing, as I most often do, I turned to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team for insights. There’s a super piece on the Paula’s Choice site titled, What is Dehydrated Skin & How to Choose the Best Products. Here is an excerpt:

Dehydrated skin often looks and feels like dry skin all over your face, but there's a major difference between the two: dehydrated skin is usually a temporary concern (with various surprising causes) and dry skin typically doesn't change over time. If you have dehydrated skin, your skin may also produce a normal or even excessive amount of oil on its surface.
"Dehydrated skin" is something we’re asked about frequently. It seems there’s a lot of confusion about what this skin concern is about. A major part of the confusion is that the term "dehydrated skin" is often used interchangeably with "dry skin" or "combination skin" but they are not the same! Dehydrated skin can occur in all skin types and is not exclusive to those with dry skin or combination skin.
The Difference Between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin
Having classically dry skin is easy to recognize. Dry skin frequently feels tight and dry, with no oil anywhere to be seen. This situation rarely fluctuates; skin feels dry all year long. The dryness might get worse depending on the climate, season, or activity, but regardless of those things, without great skin care products, the uncomfortable dry, tight feeling will persist.
As mentioned above, dehydrated skin can look and feel similar, but there’s a major difference: Dehydrated skin tends to come and go, it does not persist.

Skinfix | Barrier+ Nutrient Water Misting Tonic

I’ve been having so much fun exploring Skinfix and its bevy of skincare products for dry skin. The superb Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream was featured in the first of my two-part moisturizer series, Winter Moisturizers Part I.

Skinfix offers an entire range of products focused on skin barrier health and the centerpiece of the Skinfix Barrier+ collection is its fantastic, lipid-replenishing face cream called Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream.

The Triple Lipid-Peptide moisturizer is deliciously rich, thick and creamy — the perfect face cream for dry skin and pretty much all skin types in winter. Seriously, check it out!

And, of course, the brand’s Remedy+ 911 Ointment was prominently featured in my recent article on maskne titled, Best Maskne Treatments – available to read here. If you’re struggling with maskne, you need a tube of Remedy+ 911 Ointment!

Funny, in comparison to those two die-hard, workhorse treatments, the Skinfix Barrier+ Nutrient Water Misting Tonic feels a bit unserious. But that doesn’t make it any less effective at promoting skin health — especially in the dehydrating cold air.

Nutrient Water Misting Tonic is just that — a nutrient-rich, lightweight facial spray that rehydrates skin with water. Its star ingredient is Coconut Fruit Water, likely 20% of the formula. Who doesn’t love coconut water? It infuses skin with essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals to help hydrate and rebalance skin.

Perhaps most intriguing to me at ingredient number three is Gluconolactone — a gently exfoliating PHA. So, while on the face of it the Nutrient Water Misting Tonic seems like it’s just a really good hydrating toner, it’s actually so much more.

What is gluconolactone?

For the answer, I’ve sought out the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team. Here are their insights:

Polyhydroxy acids are ingredients such as gluconolactone and lactobionic acid. They’re supposed to be as effective as AHAs, but less sensitizing.
Gluconolactone and lactobionic acid are chemically and functionally similar to AHAs (such as glycolic acid). The significant difference between them and AHAs is that gluconolactone and lactobionic acid have larger molecular structures, which limits their ability to penetrate the skin, resulting in less potential for sensitizing side-effects. Supposedly, this reduced absorption into the skin does not hamper their effectiveness.
Does that mean gluconolactone and lactobionic acid are better for your skin than AHAs in the form of glycolic acid or lactic acid? According to an Internet-published class lecture by Dr. Mark G. Rubin, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego, research on gluconolactone demonstrated only a “6% decrease in dermal penetration” in comparison to glycolic acid, which “isn’t a dramatic improvement.”
Gluconolactone may be slightly less sensitizing for some skin types, but this isn’t the magic bullet for exfoliation some cosmetics companies have been extolling.
Polyhydroxy acids can also function as antioxidants and may promote some amount of improvement in skin’s surface strength.

The Nutrient Water Misting Tonic formula contains several soothing actives, too, that are effective at taming irritated skin, something that’s very common when skin is dry and dehydrated. Among them, Panthenol, Cucumber Fruit Extract and Allantoin.

There are multiple humectants that help to lock moisture into the skin and prevent water loss, including Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Chondrus Crispus Extract, or red seaweed.

Nutrient Water Misting Tonic is a terrific, clean and natural treatment — among the best toners for dry skin, dehydrated skin and even sensitive skin.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Skinfix Barrier+ Nutrient Water Misting Tonic for $22 here.

BUY SKINFIX BARRIER+ NUTRIENT WATER MISTING TONIC

Proude,.jpg — SHOP THE BLOG:

**Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence**
**Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater**
**Sioris Time Is Running Out Facial Oil Mist**
**Laneige Cream Skin Mist**
**Skinfix Barrier+ Nutrient Water Misting Tonic**
**Derma E Hydrating Mist**

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF

WINTER MOISTURIZERS PART 2

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

SUBSCRIBE TO SKINCARMA ON YOUTUBE

The Ingredient List of the the Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence:

Water/Eau/Aqua solv, Yeast Ferment (Pink Yeast) Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate goodie

so|h, Honey Extract goodie

h, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside (Egcg) goodie

aox|so, Ceramide AP goodie

sii, Ceramide EOP goodie

sii, Ceramide NP goodie

sii, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Seed Extract, Sea Water h|solv, Phospholipids goodie

sii|emo, Sphingolipids emo, Laminaria Digitata (Sea Kelp) Extract, Zymomonas Ferment Extract h, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract goodie

h, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Phytosphingosine goodie

sii|cci|aacne|amic, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract emo, Triethyl Citrate perf, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract superstar

aox|so, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil icky

perf, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract perf|vc, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Extract perf, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower/Leaf Extract h|perf|so, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract goodie

aox|so, Rosa Damascena Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Polyglycerin-6 h, Glycerin superstar

sii|h 0 0, Saccharide Isomerate goodie

h, Cholesterol goodie

sii|emo 0 0, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate emu, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Betaine goodie

h, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Phenoxyethanol pres, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Carbomer vc 0 1, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Maltodextrin

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Mario BadescuFacial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater:

Water, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosa Canina Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Citronellol, Geraniol, CI 17200 (Red 33), CI 42090 (Blue 1).

The Ingredient List of the Sioris Time Is Running Out Facial Oil Mist:

Prunus Mume Fruit Water(78%) h, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil emo, Propanediol solv|h, Water solv, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Beta-Carotene, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Allantoin so 0 0, Beta-Glucan so|h, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract so|aox|amic|h, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract so|sb, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil perf, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil perf, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil perf, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil perf, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil so|perf