Best Facial Essences to Add Hydration to Your Skincare Routine

Essences are the hidden gem that’s missing from your skincare routine. These lightweight products are made with mostly water and packed with additional powerful ingredients to hydrate and soothe the skin right after cleansing.

At first glance, adding yet another product onto your skin might seem excessive. But we’d argue that overdoing your skin with product is exactly what essences are trying to prevent. They’re meant to give you a boost of hydration and prep your face to ensure the rest of your products get absorbed properly.  

There’s a lot of confusion about what makes essences different from toners, and even some serums. The truth is that some brands use these terms interchangeably. Still, all three types of products have differences that you can keep an eye out for. 

Essences usually have a water-y consistency with soothing and hydrating ingredients, nothing too active or exfoliating, they’re not sticky, and they’re absorbed quickly into the skin. Toners still have a liquid consistency, but are usually exfoliators with active ingredients. Serums are thicker in texture and consistency, will usually leave your skin sticky or tacky, and they have the most active ingredients. 

IYKYK, using an essence before the rest of your routine is a great way to soothe your skin and protect your skin barrier. Shop top-rated essences below.