No BS Beauty has worked through a lot of mists and essences, more than 50 in total, and her record is mostly warm: most approved, a fair number mixed, and only a few skipped. That works out to an approval rate of 74% on this category. She has named a few outright category winners, and the pattern running through all her positive takes is pretty consistent.
What does No BS Beauty recommend in mists & essences?
She keeps coming back to products that do what they promise without unnecessary extras. The Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier 2% NAD+ Serum Mist won her over partly because the mist is so fine she can use it over or under makeup at any point in the day, and she was on her third bottle when she reviewed it. NAD+, which she describes as helping fight free radical damage, shows up as a plus in more than one review, including the Numbuzin No.9 NAD+ Bio-Lifting Sill Essence, which she says has visibly plumped her skin both instantly and over the two years she has been using it. A short, focused ingredient list and no added fragrance are things she notices and calls out specifically. For essences, she rewards ones that feel purposeful rather than padded.
No BS Beauty's essence picks, in her words
"You can use it under or over makeup. That's how fine the mist is. I absolutely love it. [...] It seems to be a nice protective spray. It also contains rice extract, meadowfoam seed oil, galactomyces ferment, buffy ferment, and ceramides. No scent to it. Really wonderful product. And I love the fact that I can apply this over or under makeup morning or evening or middle of the night, whatever you feel like. It's great. I can't say enough good things about it."
"My main pick from Tatcha is their Luminous Dewy Skin Mist. I love it and it's 30 off. It's a steal in my opinion."
"I'm pretty picky about my toners, and this is one of a couple of toners I've ended up really loving and repurchased."
"Numbuzin No. 9 NAD Sill Boosting Essence is wonderful. [...] It has some peptides, a little bit of each one. I've really noticed this instantly plumps skin in appearance and long-term. I've been using this for probably close to two years and it's really been a great product in my routine. I highly recommend checking it out. It's really wonderful."
"I personally would recommend this as opposed to like alcohol wipes because that would be pretty drying. But either way, it's very important to sanitize it if you have any active breakouts or things like that, hold off or see an esthetician or dermatologist."
"My first experience with this brand was their Centella Ampoule and their Centella toning toner, which was kind of right when I was starting to get really interested in K beauty [...] stuff. Their toners and moisturizer are great. Can't go wrong with Skin1004."
How many mists and essences has No BS Beauty reviewed?
No BS Beauty has reviewed 53 mists and essences, for an approval rate of 74%. 39 approved, 10 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has No BS Beauty skipped in mists & essences?
Each of her skips had a clear reason. The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence she described as "a $20 toner in terms of ingredients", meaning she did not feel the formula justified itself. The Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence she dismissed briefly but directly: too scented. A repurchase of the Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water arrived smelling like it had been stored badly for a year, so she skipped that one on quality grounds. And the NIOD Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide Mist, despite being on her winners list in an earlier version, got a hard verdict when she tried version 3: the nozzle was so uneven she ended up decanting it into a different spray bottle just to finish it, and it had a strong scent from one of the ingredients. She was clear she preferred version 2.
"They also have a Sunday Riley set which includes uh their ceramic slip cleanser uh pink Drink Essence which I didn't love is very scented"
"I liked the version 2 much better than this one. This stuff was terrible, really hard to mist it evenly. The previous version you could mist and be very even to the point where you could apply it over makeup. I just apply this like midday as I'm going through the day for some hydration boost and things like that, but yeah, the nozzle, the sprayer on this was awful. And it did have a scent. It wasn't a fragrance ingredient, but it had a strong scent from one of the ingredients."
"I repurchased the Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water and I open it up and I can instantly smell it was not as the original one was. It smelled very very off like it was stored in a hot storage container for a year and it was definitely gone bad."
"This is what I would consider a $20 toner in terms of ingredients and things like that."
What should you take from No BS Beauty's picks?
If you are curious about this category, her record is a useful map. She tends to approve things that keep the formula tight, skip the fragrance, and actually perform on skin over time. Her named winners are Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence, which she repurchased and calls one of a couple of toners she has truly loved, Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, and a prior version of the NIOD mist before the formula changed. Her skips are just as useful: they show she is watching ingredient value, scent, and even something as practical as whether the nozzle works.
Watch No BS Beauty say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin MistNamed a winnerWatch at 1:26
- NIOD Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide MistNamed a winnerWatch at 2:15
- Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro EssenceNamed a winnerWatch at 5:05
- Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing EssenceSkipped itWatch at 6:27
- Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence WaterSkipped itWatch at 16:29
- COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power EssenceSkipped itWatch at 8:56
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier 2% NAD+ Serum MistRated itWatch at 2:24
- Numbuzin No.9 NAD+ Bio-Lifting Silk EssenceRated itWatch at 6:06
- Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial SprayRated itWatch at 16:39
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella AmpouleRated itWatch at 6:52
- Mixsoon Bean EssenceRated itWatch at 3:22
- Aestura Atobarrier 365 Hydro EssenceRated itWatch at 5:35
- Skin Food Royal Honey Propolis Enriched EssenceRated itWatch at 5:08
- COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing EssenceRated itWatch at 8:43
- Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating EssenceRated itWatch at 0:31
- Jumiso Snail Mucin 95 Plus Peptide Facial EssenceRated itWatch at 8:08
- COSRX Ceramide Skin Barrier Moisturizing MistRated itWatch at 2:29
- COSRX Madagascar Centella Ampoule (Retinol Boosting Shot)Rated itWatch at 7:36
- Peach & Lily Wild Dew Treatment EssenceRated itWatch at 5:43
- Summer Fridays Jet Leg Skin Soothing Hydration MistRated itWatch at 1:55
- COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence & All-in-One Cream SetRated itWatch at 14:09
- I'm From Mushroom Collagen AmpouleRated itWatch at 6:55
- Biodance Collagen Peptide Jelly MistRated itWatch at 4:34
- Jing Jung Soothing Moisture EssenceRated itWatch at 5:14
About this expert
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This guide reflects what No BS Beauty said across her videos about 53 products in mists & essences, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.