Tower 28 Made Its Fan-Favorite Facial Mist Into a Serum

It's so soothing for red, irritated skin.

By

Erin Lukas

Published on May 13, 2022 @ 03:09PM

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CLEAN SLATE: Tower 28's Fan-Favorite Mist Is Now a Serum — Photo: Courtesy of Tower 28/ InStyle

It's not a hard and fast rule that spinoffs are never as good as the original. In skincare, Tower 28's SOS Intensive Serum is one such product.

Inspired by the brand's best-selling, cult-favorite SOS Rescue Spray, the serum soothes irritated skin and visibly reduces redness for a clearer and calmer complexion. Like the spray, the hero ingredient is hypochlorous acid, an acid that's naturally produced by the body's immune system to fight off bad bacteria and calm redness. It also contains a non-drying solution of water and sodium chloride to act as a delivery system for the hypocholorous acid since it's found naturally in white blood cells.

Dr. Kelly Killeen, a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon in L.A., previously broke down the science lesson on the spray for InStyle. "Hypochlorous acid is a spectacular ingredient as it does several things," she said. "This multitasking ingredient allows the SOS Spray to be gentle with only one other ingredient, saline or salt water. Hypochlorous acid not only kills bacteria and viruses [but] also improves blood flow and reduces inflammation. These two additional things help your skin heal faster."

Also, similar to the spray, this formula has also earned the National Eczema Association's Seal of Acceptance, deeming it safe for all skin types, including those with inflammatory conditions such as eczema and rosacea.

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How to Use:

SOS Intensive Serum is designed to be used morning and night on cleansed skin and can be paired with the SOS Rescue Spray as a toner for an extra dose of hypochlorous acid. The brand says it can be applied to targeted spots or all over the face.

Throughout the pandemic, I've been spritzing my face masks with SOS Rescue Spray to prevent bacteria-related mascne, so I was excited to try the serum version of one of my most-used skincare products of the past two years. My honest thoughts on SOS Rescue Serum, ahead.

First Impressions and Final Thoughts:

Since the serum is so watery, it tends to spurt out of the pump. So, be sure to hold your palm close to the dispenser so it doesn't get anywhere. Otherwise, SOS Serum is a dream to apply. It soaks almost instantly into the skin and doesn't leave any sticky or filmy residue behind. Also, I appreciate that I don't have to wait a minute or two to move on to the next step in my skincare routine.

I choose to use the serum all over my face at night after cleansing and before retinol. While the serum instantly leaves my skin feeling refreshed, I noticed after about a week and a half of continued use, the blemishes on my chin and the redness around my nose were less noticeable. Since the serum can be incorporated seamlessly into my routine and soothes my skin, it's staying in my regular rotation — especially going into the summer months.

From non-toxic makeup and skincare to sustainability practices, Clean Slate is an exploration of all things in the green beauty space. Find out what's really in your products — and what's being left out.