In an industry where there is an overwhelming amount of product launches daily, Product Of The Week helps you cut through the noise. To help you find your new beauty and wellness favorites, this series highlights the tried-and-true products that our writers can’t live without.
The core of A-beauty is about more than just incredible ingredients from the motherland. It is also about celebrating the ancient wisdom, skin secrets, and stories our ancestors held. EADEM’s newest product Mami Wata Ultra-Calming Rescue Mist channels all the above.
“Growing up in Côte d’Ivoire, my evenings were filled with stories that sparked wonder and imagination,” EADEM co-founder Marie Kouadio Amouzame writes on Instagram. “Among these tales, one figure stood out: Mami Wata, the powerful water spirit whose legends flow through the hearts and minds of countless African communities.”
Translated to “Mother Water” in English, Mami Wata is “one of Africa’s most celebrated deities,” Kouadio Amouzame says. As part of America’s West African diaspora community, I, like many others, was forcibly disconnected from the stories of my ancestors, first hearing about this story through EADEM. Now, via a product like this, I feel more connected.
According to the brand, “Mami Wata combines centuries-old healing botanicals like Cica,” found in South African, “with innovative barrier-building actives like Ectoin®,” formulated to be the solution to all of my retinoid-induced skin concerns. Like water, the part-scientific part-spiritual ingredients harness the ability to soothe and strengthen the skin of the bearer with a lone mist.
In 2025, wet skin is in, but as a skin fanatic on Tretinoin (the gold standard prescriptive retinoid) it is a finish much more difficult to achieve, especially this time of year. My hyperpigmentation, acne, texture, and age has dissolved, but my skin is more red, sensitive, and dry as a result, while my skin’s barrier calls out for rescue.
That said, to tame irritation, the brand tapped into skin-conditioning allantoin, and bisabolol, a derivative of chamomile. For hydration, ingredients like aloe juice and glycerin offer a depth of moisture. Meanwhile, panthenol vitamin B5 and barrier-reinforcing squalane is added to fortify my skin’s barrier.
In true EADEM fashion, Mami Wata, like their Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm, is a three-in-one: recovery serum, essence, and protective shield. Although my skincare routine is written in stone, featuring a blend of prescriptive creams, sunscreen, and gentle cleansers, their travel-friendly mist is one of the only skincare products in my bag.
I mist my face while I’m out running errands to avoid dry, flaky skin. I especially do this in the cold weather, or on a flight just ahead of fashion month. Overall, this product rescues my skin with its clinically-proven benefits.
