Ah, Bioderma. I have extensively written about their Sensibio micellar water, which is my micellar water and (waterproof!) makeup remover of choice, and has been for years.
I received this cream as a gift with purchase when I was stocking up on the Sensibio. Seeing as I love it, my interest was piqued as I was curious to find out whether this rich cream would leave as lasting an impression as their cleansing water.
That being said, I am not fond of French pharmacy brands as a rule as they have disappointed me time and again throughout the past 15 years or so of being a skincare consumer. I always find that their formulations leave much to be desired compared to Korean and Japanese brands, relying on the hype of ~French beauty~ (cue eye roll) alone rather than actual effectiveness.
Was this cream by Bioderma going to be different? Was this moisturiser going to blow me away and slap me in the face with all of my preconceived notions? (As you can tell from this post’s heading: It did not).
・What it is: ・
This is a moisturiser.
・TL;DR:・
I did not know that my face alone could feel claustrophobic. Yet here we are.
・Price & Availability: ・
I got this as a gift with purchase when I was stocking up on my beloved Sensibio cleansing water at Olive Young. I actually did not pay anything for this.
Online, I see these bouncing around for US $25 per unit.
・Size/Quantity: ・
This pot contains 50ml of product.
・Ingredients:・
The ingredients list at first glance looks ok in my opinion.
AQUA/WATER/EAU, GLYCERIN, ISODODECANE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE, DIMETHICONE, PROPANEDIOL, XYLITOL, CETYL PALMITATE, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, NIACINAMIDE, TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE, ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL, POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE, GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER, TRIBEHENIN, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ARACHIDYL GLUCOSIDE, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, GLYCERYL BEHENATE, DISODIUM EDTA, SQUALANE, SALICYLIC ACID, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, MANNITOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, HEXYLDECANOL, TOCOPHEROL, POLYSORBATE 60, RHAMNOSE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) SEED EXTRACT, BRASSICA CAMPESTRIS (RAPESEED) STEROLS, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM). [BI 715]
CosDNA does not return any major triggers either:
Skincarisma gives this rich cream a less favourable rating, but then again, ratings are not everything in life. Do your own research and do not automatically discount a product just because an aggregated rating tells you so. Do take others’ subjective recommendations with a grain of salt, including mine.
・Packaging:・
The cream comes in a stylishly futuristic looking plastic jar. If hygiene is an issue for you and you don’t like dipping your fingers into jars, I’d recommend using a little spatula, cotton bud or even a tiny dessert spoon to scoop out this moisturiser.
Personally, pots and jars don’t bother me as they seem to some people. Some formulations are just not meant to come in a pump format or a squeezy tube.
・What the company says:・
Whee, they certainly like talking a lot about this! Here we go:
Durably and deeply hydrates and nourishes. Smoothes the skin texture and reveals its radiance. Provides a sensation of softness and comfort. Fresh and light fragrance. Generates hydration. The patented biological complex Aquagenium™ generates intense hydration, immediately and lastingly. Vitamin PP strengthens skin resistance and impermeability . Apple seed extract stimulates the activity of Aquaporins, which are the natural channels allowing water flow within the skin.
The rich and creamy texture of Hydrabio Crème intensely nourishes the skin.Thanks to an emulsion inspired by the structure of the epidermis, the active ingredients of the Aquagénium™ patent penetrate deeply and in a more targeted manner. The skin thus regains its natural hydration capacities, for intense radiance. In a lasting way.
Smoothes skin texture. By eliminating dead cell and reducing progressively the corneum stratum thickness, the salicylic acid evens up and smoothes the skin, for a long-lasting radiant complexion. Prevents from premature skin ageing. Vitamin E helps to protect the skin against oxidative stress and combat premature cutaneous ageing.
・Consistency/Texture:・
The consistency of this opaque white cream is a very thick and stiff. If you scoop it out, it will certainly stay on your hand without changing shape or sinking in in the slightest. The texture is more that of a primer than a moisturising cream to be honest.
・Scent:・
Though there are some fragrances contained therein, I found that for me, the cream was actually quite odourless and neutral smelling. Perhaps the fragrances masked any underlying scents rather than actually perfume the cream.
・Application:・
As far as I can tell, this is meant to go on as the last step of your skincare routine, so I put on all my lotions and potions and then proceeded to use this on top.
Unfortunately, I have to say - and this really puts me off using this cream ever again - my skin felt tight and smothered underneath this cream. It felt as though a blanket of silicone was enveloping my face, and it got more and more comfortable as time moved on and as I moved my face. I could feel it stuck on my features.
I actually felt claustrophobic using this and I had visions of myself wearing a wad of clingfilm all over my face. The cream felt heavy and just sat on my face without ever sinking in or without settling into a comfortable film sitting on top of my skin.
Do note that I have been using heavy moisturisers and face oils for years. I actually prefer heavy, rich textures as I feel they are more nourishing to my now 30 year old skin which needs a bit of help! Yet, this was supremely uncomfortable and the sensation never quite faded.
・Efficacy:・
As for efficacy, I cannot say that the cream did much of anything in any department. It sealed in all the skincare products that I was using underneath, but then again, so does petroleum jelly. In terms of efficacy, I would have to say that Vaseline does a similar job at a fraction of the cost of this cream.
・Final Thoughts:・
This is why you should not trust ingredients lists 100%. On paper, this cream was okay actually, but when I actually used it, I found it too uncomfortable to work with to the point where I was unable to finish it. I had to chuck it after only getting through half of it as it felt uncomfortable to use even on the body.
If you are looking for a beautifully formulated, rich moisturiser - 70g, currently on sale at Lalavla Korea for ₩6,900 - may I recommend Akma’s 96h cream aka Black Gold? That is a nourishing rich cream that actually keeps you hydrated all day long and then some.
Admin
