I used to read a lot about floral waters in cosmetics, in particular rosewater and lavender water. It has been used in cosmetics for a very long time to freshen and soothe the skin and is quite possibly the origins of what we now know as toner :) I’d never really tried them until I came across the ones from the French organic brand Melvita.
Can I just say up front that I absolutely love the impractical heavy deep blue glass bottle packaging? I love it! Its heavy and if you are the klutzy sort, you could quite easily let it slip through your fingers and have it smash on the floor. But I love it nonetheless because it lends an old world charm to my skincare routine.
Plus, the waters are a really very nice treat for the skin :)
The floral waters are, I’m told, obtained from the distillation of the flowers but I believe the Melvita Floral Waters are mixed a little because the ingredient list do mention some other ingredients, perhaps to boost their efficacy.
So how would you use these floral waters then? I use them primarily as a refreshing spritz after cleansing my face, and also as a toning water as it offers some hydration properties.
The scent of lavender and rose is quite strong in both these waters, and the Lavender Floral Water is supposed to help calm the skin. It most certainly evokes feelings of calm because the scent is quite strong. The Rose Floral Water smells of fresh roses and is supposed to be good for sensitive skin.
There is a mister pump at the top of the bottle which sprays out a very fine mist but which is sufficient to dampen your skin. I usually spritz on some of the floral water after washing my face, morning and night, and lightly pat it in, then immediately follow up with my serums and creams. I find that when I apply my serums and creams on damp skin, they absorb better – which is an observation I will share another day ;)
Other than the skin refreshing effects of these sprays, I will tell you quite honestly that I don’t know what other benefits it delivers to my skin because I have not noticed anything marked, other than the nice fresh feel and a lovely smell. It doesn’t feel sticky on, which has to be a plus right? If you use a toner or lotion then you may think this is just another waste of time and you could very well be right. But I do like them, and so I use them daily.
The mist spray is quite fine so a 200ml bottle can last a very long while. I got the Lavender Floral Water first a few months ago when Melvita first came in and I’m not even halfway through yet despite using it almost everyday. So yep, its quite economical :)
In a nutshell
Floral waters distilled from flowers that refresh and tone the skin. The bottles are heavy glass which I know many are not in favour of but which I happen to like. The product sprays out in a fine mist on the skin and cools and refreshes the skin leaving a nice smell of flowers. I like using this to dampen the skin after cleansing because damp skin absorbs serums and creams better. I don’t see any other benefits to my skin otherwise.
Pros: Easy non-aerosol face mist, Certified organic and natural source for those for whom it matters, Lovely floral scent, Cool and refreshing on the skin, not sticky
Cons: A little pricey for some, Glass bottles may not favour everyone
There are 6 types of Melvita Floral Water available locally – Rose, Lavender, Cornflower, Chamomile, Orange Blossom and Witch Hazel. Each of them suit different needs but I personally think that they generally serve the same purpose – to soothe and refresh the skin, so I’d just pick whichever one your nose likes best :)
Here’s some things you can do with these floral waters that I’ve experimented with:-
- Chill it in the fridge and spritz over skin to cool and refresh on a hot day
- Dampen some pieces of cotton pads and place on skin for a quick refreshing face mask
Now, what I really need is for Melvita in Malaysia to carry these floral waters in travel size bottles under 100ml so I can take them on planes. The dry air in airplanes and hotel rooms bug me so being able to spritz this on my skin would be such a luxury and also relaxing! Some flights don’t allow you to carry aerosol cans that most of the facial mists come in so this one would be so much better. Its also a nice introduction to Floral Waters for those who are still hesitating, and will make very nice gifts. I hope they’re listening :P
Have you tried the Melvita Floral Water or any floral water from any other brand? Do you have any other tips for using these floral waters? Or perhaps you don’t think these floral waters serve any purpose at all :)
Paris B
Melvita Floral Water comes in 6 flavours Price: RM122/200ml (Rose) RM91/200ml (all others) Availability: Melvita stores at Suria KLCC and 1 Utama (website)
Hi PB! I also use these kind of mist spray to freshen up too because of our weather down here! But I have another use for this, after my makeup application if I see that my makeup is looking too matte, I spray a little to give a brightening and dewy effect :)
What a great tip Issa, thanks for sharing! I’ll try it soon and it helps to set your makeup too right? :D
Hi Paris, a nice & honest review as always. =) I have yet to try floral waters & this one looks interesting, being organic & all. Btw, I noticed from your photo that the expiry date for the lavender one is February 2012?
Thank you Phoenix :) This was my first time trying a floral water too. I didn’t notice the expiry date till you pointed it out! :O I’d better spritz as much as possible to finish it yes? :D
I prefer to have my skincare in the glass bottle too. This facial mist sounds very interesting, PB. Is the mist quite hydrating too? Or it’s mainly for freshen up?
High 5 for glass bottles :D As for the hydrating properties, I find the rose one a little bit more hydrating on the skin than the lavender. I use it in place of toner/lotion most of the time. Spritz it on and while damp, apply my serums or creams and it absorbs better :) I don’t leave it on or use it on its own though.
I am almost finishing mine…another 20% left in the huge bottle. Since it is relatively affordable, I am spritzing it to no end and sometimes just replace toner with it ;)
I replace my toner with this too! I like how fine the mist is and that nice smell which beats using an aerosol thermal water spray that doesn’t smell as nice :P
eh? why the rose is a bit more exp than the others? approximately how long can they be kept ah?
Rose essential oil usually costs more hence the price difference. I think the expiry date on the bottles are about 6 months but the lavender one that’s practically expired still smells ok when I use it. I wouldn’t stock up on this because its organic and natural and all that.
I don’t have the habit of spritzing water of any sort at random times throughout the day. haha, I bought Evian water and Avene Thermal Water spray but they are still standing there… … =P
I think I may experiment around spritzing water in future if my office is really too cold and dry. =P
But I must admit, I am quite a fan of nice scent, and I like using rosewater as toner/pre-toner.
Spritzing works best if you are out and about. When I travel and plod around cities on hot hot days its very refreshing (and helps me take those last steps to walk back to wherever I’m supposed to go) But on normal days, its a bit of a bother unless you have very dry skin or the air-conditioning is drying your skin out :) Maybe if you use a floral water, it’ll encourage you to spritz more often LOL!
Hmm, isn’t this similar to face mist?
I am currently using the BRTC’s Jasmine Eco Mist. I use it every morning after makeup and my face stays hydrated the whole day :D
I got it as a gift sometime mid of last year and I am not even halfway through as well :)
Not in glass bottle though but it’s good enough :P
Yup! This is practially a face mist just smells better :D
I love Melvita, especially their oils :D Never really tried these, though, and now I’m intrigued haha! But eeeks, Rose for sensitive skin? Not a fan of most rose-scented stuff though, so maybe I’ll check it out at Melvita first before buying :P They’ll certainly make a refreshing spritz on a hot day or when on a flight (If they ever come up with a smaller sized one) and I think I will use it as a “setting spray” after makeup hmm.
The rose scent is of fresh blooming roses so its quite nice. I’m not a fan of rose scents at the best of times either :) I tried the Melvita Rosehip oil but that broke me out. Will try a couple more others and see how they fare but am laying off face oils for now. Another option is to decant the mist which is what I plan to do so I can take it travelling :D
The idea of spraying flower-infused water on the face sounds lovely!
Glass bottle is a yay for me, means less pollution.
Only if they reuse the bottles – it would be nice if Melvita had some form of recycling programme so we can return the bottles and containers to them. At least we’ll know they’re doing something about it else if we just toss it out with the trash, we won’t know either if they actually recycle them locally.
Thanks for the review.
Think I’ll pick up a bottle and see if I can replace it as my toner since they are almost the same price range :)
You’re welcome Shleesy :) I use this like a toner too – just after cleansing before my skincare :)
I really want to try these! Thank you for the reviews. I think I will like the glass bottle, too )
They should be easy to find in your part of the world, Marina :D I hope you like them if you try them :D
Totally randomly: the first thing I noticed about these is the fact that the instructions are in Dutch! I can only see part of the back of the bottle, but usually if the instructions are in French and Dutch the products are marketed in Belgium *happy dance* The site gives some addresses of where I can find Melvita here, so I’m definitely going to take a look! Thanks for making me discover a brand that’s actually so close to me, Paris!
Oh yay! I hope you get to try them soon, Sunny! I hear they are doing quite well in Europe and they have a nice range of products available from head to toe. Been meaning to try the shower stuff myself :) Aside: I loved the food in Belgium. I went on a day trip to Brussels once, picked up lots of chocolate ;) And had gorgeous mussels and the best Flemish beef stew I’d ever eaten. My mom still talks about it to this day :D
Oh hahaha yup, we eat pretty well here in Belgium :) You can actually find recipes for Flemish stew online. I’ve made it on my own and it’s pretty yum!
I might have to look up that recipe (unless you have a rec? ;) )
Hey Paris, I found it in French, but I can translate it for you if you want! Let me know!
Thanks for the offer Sunny! I’ll look up the recipe and if I don’t find a good one in English, I’ll take you up on your offer!
I recently purchased Melvita’s Rose Extraordinary Water and I’m in love! Guess these Floral Waters will be the next mists I’ll purchase once my Vichy Eau Thermale sprays run out… ;)
I’ve replaced my Vichy sprays too! Just in time since we can’t get them here anymore LOL It would be nice to be able travel with these though. I have tried a couple of Extraordinary Waters but haven’t quite gotten my head around the concept :P How do you use yours?
Haha! I did a last minute shop around just before Vichy pulled out of pharmacies here and managed to bag myself 2 gigantic cans of those Vichy sprays at Buy One Get One Free! =D I foresee them lasting me a while so I am going to refrain from buying those gorgeously scented floral waters! ;) As for Extraordinary Waters, I usually place about 3-4 drops onto my palm and then pat it all over my face – Hada Labo lotion style! How do you usually use yours?
That’s the problem with the Extraordinary Waters. I did the same thing you do but I didn’t like how it felt :(
ROSE FOR ME ROSE FOR ME!!!
You’ll LOVE this and the Rose Extraordinary water :)
I’m using the orange blossom one. i use it as mask and it really really does brighten up my skin! lovely product!
Happy to know you like this Natalie! I haven’t noticed brightening properties, but its nice and relaxing as a mask isn’t it?
I am an absolute fan of rose products. I’ve been using rose water every night after cleansing for quite a while now. I even talked about it in my blog!
Please, take a look ;)
http://greenupyourlifeyourock.blogspot.com/2011/10/star-of-beauty-cabinet-rose-water.html