Mario Badescu: A Two-Room Manhattan Facial Studio and the Pink Bottle It Left Us

Mario Badescu was a Romanian native, a chemist and pharmacist who had his own skin laboratory in Vienna before he moved to New York City in 1966. A year later, in 1967, the brand started with facials in a two-room Manhattan apartment. I love that. Before it was a name on a shelf, it was one person and a small apartment. After the founder died in the mid-1980s, the brand was acquired by Morise Cabasso, whose family still runs it, so it has a rare thing in beauty, which is continuity.

The face mists are how most of us meet it. The Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater was formally added to the line in the 1980s, and it is still the one I think of first: a rose-scented, light mist for after a flight or a long day in dry office air. The Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea version is the cooler, more watery one, and I keep it in the fridge for hot weeks. The Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender is the calmer, evening-leaning mist, softly herbal in a way that makes a bedtime routine feel more deliberate.

The Repairing Facial Spray with Hypochlorous Acid is the most modern-sounding one in the group, and I would keep it for a mid-day refresh.

Hold the bottle about a forearm's length away, close your eyes, and spray. Then press, do not rub, and let it sink in before moisturizer.

Then there is the bottle everyone can spot from across a room. The Drying Lotion is one of the original formulas, and its pink-on-the-bottom, two-phase look is instantly recognisable. The directions say not to shake it: you dip a cotton swab into the pink sediment at the bottom and dab it on a single blemish at night, not across the whole face. Tiny amount, small spot, that is all.

The Anti Acne Serum is the more everyday version of that thinking, a serum step for skin that breaks out. As with any product in that category, use it consistently for a few weeks before judging it, and if your skin is persistently inflamed or painful, that is a conversation for a doctor.

The cleansers are where the brand shows its practical side. The Enzyme Cleansing Gel is the one I would use at the end of a long day, and the Glycolic Foaming Cleanser is a step up for days when skin feels congested and rough. Keep it to a few times a week to begin with. The Botanical Exfoliating Scrub is a physical scrub, which I would use with light pressure and wet hands, not more than once or twice a week.

The Squeeze Tube Lip Balm is a small thing, but I like it in a coat pocket, and it is a sweet way to end a routine that otherwise reads a little clinical.

Face mists are a crowded category, and it is interesting to see how differently brands approach a simple spray. I have grouped a few from other brands here, so you can compare how they feel against the classic rosewater bottle.

Caudalie's Grape Water Moisturizing Face mist is the closest in spirit: light, fresh and easy to carry. Tower 28 Beauty's SOS Daily Hypochlorous Acid Spray is made for skin that is prone to breakouts and redness, so it lines up with the hypochlorous spray from Mario Badescu. Eadem's Mami Wata mist adds cica, panthenol and ectoin for sensitive, irritated skin, and it is the one I would try if my cheeks felt tight and touchy.

Summer Fridays' Jet Lag mist is a soothing hydration spray with a plush feel, and I associate it with airports for obvious reasons. Tatcha's Luminous Dewy Skin mist is a two-in-one hydrator and finishing spray, so it works over makeup and gives it a soft glow. rhode's Glazing mist is a hydrating face spray, and the one I would keep on a desk.

What I would skip: spraying a mist and then leaving it to air-dry on its own in a dry room. Water that evaporates can leave skin feeling tighter, so pat it in, or follow it with a moisturizer within a minute. And skip layering three different mists, since your skin will not tell you which one it liked.

My advice is to see a mist as a pause, not a routine. Nothing more complicated than that. Spray it after cleansing, after a workout, at your desk at three in the afternoon, and always follow it with something that holds the moisture in.

Keep one in your bag and one by the sink. If a mist ever stings, stop using it. If you are trying something with acids, like the glycolic cleanser, use it on its own evenings and let your skin rest in between, and for anything that stays red, sore or painful, see a doctor. What I like about this brand is that it still feels like it grew out of a small apartment. Good habits do not need to be fancy, and a bottle you actually pick up will always beat the elegant one you forget on a shelf. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer, Made by Two Pharmacists for Touchy Skin.