Product Review: Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist

Deciem has been on my radar for a while, but I've resisted the temptation to purchase anything because it felt wasteful to be buying more products before I'd used up the skincare I have at home. Until now, that is. The other day I was at their downtown Vancouver store with Jayne and I spotted the Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist ($20). Here was a product unlike anything I had or had seen before, a product that fit a very specific niche and would probably be heavily used come summer! And for just $20, how could I lose? I've been testing this for a week and am very pleased with it so far. This hyaluronic body mist has proven to be the perfect marriage of formula and packaging.

Hyaluronic acid is a lauded skincare ingredient for good reason. It's a humectant with a molecule size small enough to slip down between skin cells and it can absorb many times its weight in water, which means mega hydration being drawn into the top layers of your skin! But while hyaluronic acid is common in eye creams, toners, and moisturizers, it still seems to be relatively rare in body care. That's why I was so thrilled to find a body mist in which hyaluronic acid is the star ingredient.

Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist is formulated with a couple of other actives meant to deliver texture and tightness benefits (plant D-glucose, red marine algae), but otherwise the ingredients list is relatively straightforward. Sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer is listed as the second ingredient after water. The formula's lemony scent comes from fragrance, citral, citronellol, and limonene. Although the fragrance is strong right after application, the worst of it dissipates in about 5 minutes so you don't have to worry about walking around smelling like a Citronella candle.

If you're used to the slippery sensation of lotion as your cue for "moisturized" skin, the feel of Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist may take some getting used to. When it's first applied, it sits all over skin in a silky sheen, not sticky at all and cool to the touch. But after it absorbs all you feel is how your skin is hydrated and plumped from within; there's no layer of product sitting on the surface of arms and legs. Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist promises long-lasting hydration benefits—up to 72 hours with a single application, in fact. I tested this claim by showering and skipping moisturizer the day after application, and even though my skin didn't feel as soft as it did the day before, it wasn't tight, dry, or uncomfortable. And bonus, even my husband noticed how much softer my skin felt!

The non-aerosol spray nozzle produces an ultra-fine, continuous all-over mist and makes application a breeze. When I hold the nozzle about 12-18" away from my body, it just takes one pass over the front and back of each of leg, one pass over each arm, and a zig-zag motion over my torso and back. The whole process takes seconds. My top tip for application is to hold the nozzle far away enough to let the mist cover large areas (this will help the product last longer too!). I've read some reviews by customers complaining that they used up almost the entire bottle with a single application; to me that sounds like they were holding the bottle too closely to skin and the hyaluronic acid was being dispensed in concentrated spurts instead of the intended fine mist. It's the same principle as seasoning your food from up high as opposed to up close—you're going to get a more even distribution when you spray from farther away.

I love the idea of swapping Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist for your regular body lotion during the hot summer months. Lightweight texture and a cooling, refreshing mist that can be sprayed on hot limbs? Yes, please! Plus, it's a great product to layer under sunscreen—it's not sticky or goopy and it absorbs so quickly while providing the perfect hydration boost. I'm going to be reaching for Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Body Mist often as the temperatures warm up, along with my sunglasses and my SPF.