Let Me Show You How This $32 Niacinamide Face Mist Made My Pores Look Smaller in Minutes

Like Regina George, I spend a lot of time analysing my pores in the bathroom mirror.

Sure, it’s not always great for morale, but when you talk about skin care for a living, it comes with the job. And just like Regina, my pores can feel kinda huge, especially around my nose and chin. 

It’s not the end of the world (pores are normal, after all). We've all got them, but if there’s a product that promises to make mine look smaller, I’m probably going to be into it.

It's for this reason my pores and I gladly accepted the challenge of road testing the Dermalogica Clear Start Micro-Pore Mist 118ml- a newly-launched face mist that reckons it can make your pores look smaller, minimise shine and improve the appearance of post-breakout marks.

Sounds delightful, but does this mist really work? Will it give me the smooth, glassy skin of my dreams and shrink my rudely large pores into submission?

A good journalist always does her research, so keep scrolling for what I found. 

Pores are essentially tiny openings on our face that act as the pathway to hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

Contrary to popular belief, pores don’t 'breathe'. They also can't 'open and close' - a skincare myth that truly bugs me - but they do excrete sebum (oil) and keep our skin moisturised.

When too much oil is excreted, pores can become clogged and inflamed - we see you, blackheads and whiteheads.

Another punch to the gut - you can't 'make your pores smaller' permanently. You also can't shrink them, or minimise them, or tighten them.

What we can do though, is shrink their appearance. In other words, we can make our pores look smaller.

Pores stretch and become enlarged due to factors like age, genetics, congestion and our hormones, making them visibly obvious and dimpled, and a royal pain when it comes to makeup application.

But through certain ingredients (and pore minimising makeup tips like these), we can refine the skin’s texture, resulting in a clearer, smoother complexion and drum roll... smaller-looking pores. Praise be! 

The Dermalogica Clear Start Micro-Pore Mist 118ml is a lightweight face mist that claims to minimise large pores, reduce excess oil and generally brighten up the skin.

It contains niacinamide (vitamin B3), cucumber extract and wild rose hip flavonoids – a calming trio known to reduce shine, and brighten and refresh the skin.

Its premise is simple: Spray liberally over the face post-cleanse, pre-serum, and top up as needed throughout the day. Easy peasy. 

Let me preface this by saying that I love a mist. I keep mists all over the house and spritz at every given opportunity.

I basically live in a cloud of thermal spring water.

So when the Micro-Pore Mist landed in my hot little hands, things were already off to a flying start. Oh, and it looks cute AF in the good light.

The initial draw card for me was that this product isn’t just a feel-good mist (aka water that smells nice), but a functional one loaded with lots of proven ingredients.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the former, but the idea of niacinamide, cucumber, rose hip, witch hazel and probiotics in one handy spray bottle excited me. I have skin that’s mostly normal but prone to shine and congestion, so anything pore-minimising gets a resounding yes in my books. 

I used the Dermalogica Clear Start Micro-Pore Mist 118ml as instructed (straight after cleansing) and immediately, my face felt soft and smooth. Importantly, the mist sunk in quickly and wasn’t sticky.

I followed up with serum, misted again (can’t have too much of a good thing) and capped it off with moisturiser and a lightweight SPF. 

Did my skin look matte but still luminous? I think it did.

Were my pores smaller? In a word, yes – but it’s difficult to attribute that to the mist alone. Ready to zoom in on my pores?

Where it truly stood out was when it came to refreshing my makeup (or bare skin – WFH life) during the day.

I found once the mist dries down, it really does reduce shine and give a soft-focus effect, similar to the way a light dusting of powder would. But crucially, without sacrificing glow.

As for the scent, it’s light and fresh – think a chilled glass of Evian water with cucumber wedges and a slice of lemon.

The mist itself is also super fine so doesn’t feel damp, disturb makeup or take forever to dry. Tick, tick, TICK! 

While a mist won’t affect your skin in the same way a serum or treatment product would, the Dermalogica Clear Start Micro-Pore Mist 118ml is an easy way to add surface hydration, soften the look of pores and top up on good ingredients like niacinamide and rose hip.

It’ll also refresh your makeup and control shine (without losing out on glow), so perfect for skin types that are prone to a little midday grease.

Plus, it smells like an expensive day spa and looks good in your bathroom – who doesn’t want that? 

Overall, it's five stars from me.