Dr. Barbara Sturm Hydrating Face Mist for oily acne-prone skin

High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few toners fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Highly suitable for your oily skin due to Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment and Glycerin, which offer humectant action and support barrier repair, providing excellent hydration.
- The formula offers general hydration and soothing benefits for your oily skin and acne concerns due to ingredients like Glycerin and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, which are supportive rather than targeted for acne.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin feels fine.
- Apply your hydrating toner after cleansing and before putting on your moisturizer or SPF.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the hydrating toner into your skin with your hands. Let it ⏱absorb for a minute before adding your next product.
- Applying the hydrating toner on slightly damp skin helps your face absorb it better. This keeps your oily skin balanced and hydrated.
- Be sure to avoid the eye area when applying. Do a patch test before your first use to check for any reaction.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users with dry, sensitive, or dehydrated skin frequently praise this mist for its ability to instantly soothe redness and provide a burst of moisture without feeling heavy. While the ultra-fine spray mechanism and 'glowy' finish are universally loved, a significant number of reviewers struggle to justify the high price point for a product they view as a supplementary hydration step rather than a transformative treatment.
Highlights
Ultra-fine mist Mostly Mentioned
- “disperses like a cloud”
- “doesn't spit or leave droplets”
- “finest mist I've ever used”
- “luxurious spray mechanism”
Exorbitant price Mostly Mentioned
- “way too expensive for water”
- “hard to justify the cost”
- “luxury tax pricing”
- “there are cheaper alternatives”
Instant hydration Often Mentioned
- “quenches thirsty skin”
- “invigorating mid-day boost”
- “relieves tightness immediately”
- “skin feels plump”
Makeup friendly Sometimes Noted
- “sets makeup beautifully”
- “doesn't disturb foundation”
- “brings powder back to life”
- “adds a dewy finish over makeup”
Soothing & calming Sometimes Noted
- “reduces redness instantly”
- “calms my sensitive skin”
- “great after sun exposure”
- “helps with irritation”
Basic performance Sometimes Noted
- “just okay results”
- “didn't see long-term changes”
- “glorified water”
- “nice but not essential”
Packaging quality Rarely Noted
- “plastic bottle feels cheap”
- “expected glass for the price”
- “cap cracks easily”
- “packaging underwhelming”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, lookfantastic.com, cultbeauty.com, bluemercury.com, spacenk.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Dr. Barbara Sturm Hydrating Face Mist a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Dr. Barbara Sturm Hydrating Face Mist is a great fit for oily acne-prone skin because ingredients like Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment and glycerin provide deep hydration while supporting skin barrier repair. It also contains aloe vera to help soothe your skin, and the formula has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients to cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This toner is a great fit for oily acne-prone skin because ingredients like Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment and glycerin provide deep hydration while supporting barrier repair. Additionally, glycerin and aloe vera help calm and soothe the skin without triggering irritation.
What does Aloe Vera Leaf Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Aloe vera leaf extract helps soothe oily, acne-prone skin by calming redness and reducing blemishes. It has a very safe profile and works well to keep skin clear and smooth when used regularly in your routine.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm oily acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and lipid synthesis in sebaceous glands. It also supports skin barrier function and improves hydration while helping deliver treatments without causing irritation.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This hydrating toner fits right after your cleanser in the morning, and can also be used after your cleansing mask on your weekly routine day. It helps provide deep hydration and keeps your skin feeling calm without any risk of irritation.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this hydrating toner with your retinol routine, applying it right after cleansing and before your retinol treatment. Using a gentle toner with glycerin and aloe vera helps keep your skin calm and hydrated while minimizing the dryness often caused by retinol.
How often should I use this toner?
This hydrating toner is a great fit and is gentle enough to use daily in your morning routine. It helps keep oily skin comfortable and calm without clogging pores.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores, cause breakouts, or lead to purging on your oily skin because it has an excellent safety profile without harsh ingredients. The formula provides soothing hydration and supports your skin barrier rather than targeting active acne directly.
Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Facial masks containing low-temperature extracted Portulaca oleracea protect sensitive skin from photothermal stimulation and improve skin barrier function during photorejuvenation.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2025Portulaca oleracea extract ameliorated skin barrier damage and inflammation induced by combined exposure to glycolic acid and UVB in HaCaT cells.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000Hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol, and isotonic saline nasal sprays all significantly improved dry nose symptoms over four weeks in 240 patients, with hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol providing superior nasal moisturisation compared to the other two.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 2020Topical purslane at 5% and 10% concentrations achieved alleviation of symptoms and lesion remission comparable to topical 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in 34 subjects with oral lichen planus over 90 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2023Topical application of a crude extract of Portulaca oleracea accelerates wound healing by decreasing wound surface area and increasing tensile strength in Mus musculus JVI-1, with the greatest contraction achieved at a single dose of 50mg compared to other dosages.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2003A polysaccharide fraction (VPOP3) from Portulaca oleracea L. reduced reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, inhibited UVB-induced apoptosis, and downregulated melanogenic signaling pathway proteins in cells and zebrafish.
Phytomedicine, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Lactobacillus Portulaca Oleracea Extract Ferment, Propanediol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Bioflavonoids, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Pantolactone, Citric Acid
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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