Real Barrier - Robynrose review for Essence Mist

🌱 I received this as a gift from Neopharm in exchange for my honest review🌱 🌱 Claims: All Neopharm products are free from: Parabens, Ethanol, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Phenoxyethanol, PEG, Artificial Fragrances**, Benzophenone, Diethanolamine and Artificial Pigments. “An easy to use, lightweight spray, ESSENCE MIST, helps relieve dry skin with one spray. Imparts long lasting moisture and calming. Quickly absorbed.” 🌱 Key Ingredients: This mist contains Real Barrier’s trademarked MLE emulsion of skin-identical synthetic ceramides. It’s hard to say if one ingredient alone is what makes a product good since they are more than just the sum of their parts. Fortunately, there is an array of other good ingredients. 🌱Panthenol aka Pro-vitamin B5 is the third ingredient listed - a high concentration 🌱 Glycerin - hydration, anti-aging 🌱 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride - emollient fatty acid 🌱 Viscum Album (Mistletoe) fruit extract - skin soothing 🌱 Allantoin - skin soothing 🌱 Madecassoside - antioxidant, active ingredient in Cica 🌱 Phytosterols - soothing, hydrating 🌱 Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 - anti-aging peptide 🌱 pH: Unknown 🌱 Texture: A watery liquid with a bit of body to it. This will not come out as an ultra-fine mist from the pump, definitely more of a “spritz” 🌱 Scent: A light lavender scent, from essential oil. Also contains orange oil. These essential oils do provide some antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits, but they can be irritating to sensitive skin. Something to note, since the product is marketed towards those with damaged barriers. 🌱 Price: $22CA for 100mL or $0.22/mL 🌱 Application: This formula has a bit of body to it; whatever spray pump they use needs to do a bit of heavy lifting. It doesn’t come out as a fine mist, like the Sioris toner, more like a tight frontal cone. On the plus side, you get good accuracy. On the downside, you can’t really hit your whole face with one spray. I’ve recently been using this after I leave the shower, just before I start my whole skincare routine. It’s great at keeping my skin moist and hydrated if I haven’t applied any other products yet. My skin is usually tight immediately post-shower or cleanse, so it’s nice to have something that hits the spot. I would not spray this over top of makeup, as the emollient ingredients can break down makeup. It’s more for skincare prep or bare-faced days. 🌱 Other uses: After a workout, post towelling off, this is a lovely refreshing spray that restores the moisture I had just sweat away. 🌱 Every day: If essential oils are not a problem, the other ingredients in the formula more than make up for it. This mist provides a burst of light easily-absorbed hydration and moisture which is especially good in low-humidity rooms. 🌱 Notes: While this product claims to be free from artificial fragrances, it does contain fragrant essential oils that can cause skin sensitivity: 🌱Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties and a pleasant smell, but can irritate skin 🌱Vetiveria Zizanioides (Vetiver) Root Oil can cause skin sensitivity I am mostly concerned about the addition of Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil. Citrus essential oils contain furocoumarins which are phototoxic. This means that when they are applied to skin and then that skin is exposed to light, the oils can cause redness, irritation, stinging and burning. Not what you want in a product designed for an already compromised barrier! Now, most of the concerning occurrences come from people using 100% pure essential oils directly on skin, and not the tiny amounts that Real Barrier includes. However, I think this product would be better if it did not contain any fragrant ingredients, even if they are of natural origin. 🌱 Packaging: The mist comes in a translucent plastic spray bottle with an opaque wrap-around label, which keeps the product safe from UV light. The pump is fairly easy to squeeze, but should be held back pretty far from your face to get even coverage. 🌱 Accessibility: Although the cap is quite large, it is very smooth. This could present some difficulty for those with motor issues or slippery wet hands. 🌱 Sustainability: This product could be refilled if refills were made available. I like how Real Barrier’s labels are easy to peel off, making the packaging that much easier to recycle! 🌱 Overall: If you are not sensitive to essential oils, this is a great product if you are suffering from low-humidity rooms. Great for post-workouts.