Hydrating Essences: Why You Need Them (And Where To Find The Best Ones

Courtesy of GettyEssences are the hidden gem that's missing from your skincare routine. And there's no better time to add them to your life than during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Made with mostly water, these lightweight products are packed with additional powerful ingredients to hydrate and soothe the skin after cleansing. They can definitely get pricey, and buying them on sale is highly recommended. You might not need yet another product for your routine. We don't want to overwhelm your skin, after all. Yet, we'd argue that overdoing your skin routine is exactly what essences are trying to prevent. They're meant to prep your face to ensure the rest of your products get absorbed properly and not sit on top of your face. Best Essence on Sale for The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: Lancôme Clarifique Renewing & Refining Double Treatment EssenceBest Essence Mist on Sale at The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: Omorovicza Queen of Hungary MistBest Affordable Essence on Sale at Nordstrom: Seoul Ceuticals Korean Skincare Marine Mineral Pump & Glow EssenceBest Korean Essence on Sale at Nordstrom: MISSHA Time Revolution The First Essence 5XThere'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 the best essence deals at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and other top-rated essences below.Shop Essences at The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale:Lancôme Clarifique Renewing & Refining Double Treatment EssenceThis essence's formula combines four exfoliating acids, beech bud extract, and hydrating oils in a bed of water and oil to exfoliate, brighten, soothe, and hydrate skin.Omorovicza Queen of Hungary MistThis essence mist is powered by a healing concentrate to improve skin hydration, boost elasticity, and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also formulated with orange blossom, rose, sage distillates, and apple pectin to enhance the senses and add moisture to your skin. Seoul Ceuticals Korean Skincare Marine Mineral Pump & Glow EssenceThis Korean essence spray is infused with tamarind seed extract, aloe vera, chamomile, Japanese green tea, cucumber extract, wheat protein, and marine minerals to hydrate, rejuvenate, improve skin lipid content, and promote firmness. MISSHA Time Revolution The First Essence 5XThis K-Beauty essence is powered by 97% desert cica yeast ferment to firm, brighten, help maintain skin pH balance, and deliver dense moisture while offering basic strength care to your complexion.Mania Holic Dew Toning EssenceThis essence deeply hydrates while exfoliating your skin for a smoother and balanced complexion with its formula of glyceryl glucoside, panthenol, adenosine, peptides, niacinamide, glutathione, galactomyces ferment filtrate, and more.Hyggee All-In-One EssenceThis essence is packed with skin-loving ingredients like goat milk extract, birch sap, triple hyaluronic acid, and water lily extract to nourish, hydrate, and protect your skin.Shop More Top-Rated Essences:Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence WaterRating: 4.6/5 stars with 5,974 reviews. This Korean essence is made with 80% ginseng water, a herbal root with a rich history in Asia dating all the way back to the 1500s, that promises to support elasticity, hydrate, and brighten.Curél Japanese Skin Care Hydrating Water EssenceRating: 4.5/5 stars with 2,734 reviews. This Japanese essence promises to calm cleansed skin with its non-irritating formula that's safe for sensitive skin. Plus, it's fragrance-free, pH-balanced, and made with no artificial colors. Tatcha The EssenceRating: 4.4/5 stars with 2,552 reviews. Tatcha's essence promises to deeply hydrate, soften, and plump your skin with its impressive formula that features Hadasei-3, a trio of fermented Japanese superfoods.Editor's PickDERMALOGY by NEOGEN Real Ferment Micro EssenceRating: 4.6/5 stars with 2,161 reviews. Yearning for the viral glass skin? This essence promises to be your first step towards that goal with its formula of 93% natural fermented ingredients that boost hydration and protect your skin barrier. rhode Glazing Milk Ceramide Facial EssenceRating: 3.9/5 stars with 1,790 reviews. This beloved Rhode product might need no introduction. Made with the brand's signature ceramide trio formula, the essence promises all-day hydration while soothing and supporting your barrier. Editor's PickPEACH & LILY Wild Dew Treatment EssenceRating: 4.7/5 stars with reviews. This essence from K-Beauty brand Peach & Lily is formulated with lotus extract, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to help reduce inflammation, improve the appearance of dark spots, and hydrate. fresh Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment EssenceRating: 4.8/5 stars with 1,385 reviews. The Fresh Essence delivers long-lasting hydration and protection from environmental stressors with its formula of double-fermented kombucha, hyaluronic acid, and artemisia flower extract.EltaMD Skin Recovery EssenceRating: 4.5/5 stars with 1,029 reviews. Formulated with malachite extract, this pH-balanced essence from cult-classic brand EltaMD promises to hydrate and soothe, while detoxifying and repairing your skin barrier.Farmacy Honey Milk Hydrating EssenceRating: 4.8/5 stars with 1,019 reviews. This creamy, antioxidant-rich essence from Farmacy delivers soothing and calming hydration with its formula of Hawaiian white honey, ceramides, and chamomile. How We ChooseThe E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.