Soothing Spray Toner: Nature Republic Bee Venom Mist Essence

Bee VENOM for soothing sensitive skin? Sounds highly suspicious, if you ask me. But this Bee Venom Mist Essence from Nature Republic ($19.90 for 3.38 fl. oz/ 100ml) has some really interesting ingredients, and I'm always on the lookout for something to help calm down the redness in my skin.

This toning mist comes in a spray can, packaged in a lovely cardboard box with quite a bit of information in English for once (yay!). Now, the '98% bee venom complex' on the front of the box is a bit bogus, since the first couple ingredients are water and glacier water (so I'm guessing, tap water and fancy thermal spring water, right? ;), but the rest of the ingredients do sound very interesting:

- Phytosqualane (squalane): natural component of sebum, acts as a moisturizing emollient and carrier for active ingredients, helps increase skin's suppleness
- Bee venom: a blend of enzymes, peptides and aminoacids that supposedly can speed up the recovery of damaged skin cells and increase collagen production; also used by skincare brands such as Manuka Doctor and Wedderspoon
- Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP): a stable form of Vitamin C with antioxidant, hydrating, and skin brightening benefits
- Salicylic Acid: a BHA most commonly used in acne-fighting products, helps to increase the rate of cell turnover, unclog pores from inside out and prevent breakouts
- lots and lots of natural extracts, including rosemary, lavender, geranium and tea tree essential oils towards the end of INCI list.

Sounds like a bit of a multitasker, doesn't it? What I like the most about the ingredients in this Bee Venom Mist is a combination of natural extracts with scientifically proven components, something many brands calling themselves 'natural' rarely seem to be doing when formulating their products. By the way - judging from the products I've browsed in the Nature Republic store, the brand can only be described as aspiring to be natural, as most products contain alcohol and/or mineral oil. I don't really care how Nature Republic chooses to market itself; I always read ingredients anyway.

As far as the performance of the Bee Venom Mist Essence, let me start by saying that this is THE FINEST face mist I've ever had the pleasure of spraying on my face. When you press down the nozzle, it feels like walking into a soft, cool, humid cloud, fragrant with the energizing scent of candied ginger (I know it doesn't make sense, but that's what it smells like to me). The mist lightly settles on my face, and then I use my hands to gently press the moisture into my skin. The product doesn't feel sticky or heavy, aborbs quickly with no residue but does make my face feel instantly hydrated.

As for the irritation and redness reducing claims, I haven't noticed any results immediately after using the mist, like you would after a nice soothing sheet mask. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed, but in all honesty, I haven't yet found a spray that would instantly take down redness on contact. However, after using the mist for over two weeks, I've noticed that my skintone does look brighter and more even than before, and my face seems less aggravated by cleansing/ exfoliating. So overall, I do think the Bee Venom Mist Essence helps to soothe my sensitive skin, but it's not a miracle product. In comparison to another popular facial mist for sensitive skin, the Avene Thermal Spring Water spray, I like the performance of the Nature Republic product better.

All in all, this was a good buy, and I recommend you check out this Mist Essence if you're in the market for a soothing and hydrating spray toner. The Nature Republic Bee Venom range has a couple more products, and I think next time, I'd love to try out the sheet mask. What is your favorite facial mist or toner?