The truth about Bioderma

Bioderma was founded in 1977 by a French pharmacist Jean Noël Thorel. 

If you go to the Bioderma website you will read that their philosophy is about bio-mimetism « Based on total respect for the skin, BIODERMA products imitate its natural biological mechanisms through their components and their modes of action. To formulate them, BIODERMA selects the purest active ingredients, using molecules naturally found in the skin for better tolerance. Depending on the malfunction, BIODERMA products preserve, activate or restore the skin’s natural processes. » 

That is accurate that lots of their products mimic the natural functions of the skin but this is not perfect. 

A word about biological mimetism

The current trend in skincare is about « natural » skincare. Natural is associated with plant-derived ingredient making the consumers believe that if an ingredient exists in the plant realm it is good for the skin as opposed to « chemical » ingredient. This whole idea is an empty promise. Plants can be incredibly toxic and kill a human in a second. A good example is curare that is extracted from plants from South America. But the dose makes the poison. Curare is used in general anesthesia to paralyze the muscles… In a nutshell, don’t get fool by those marketings claims. Jojoba oil and shea butter are excellent for the skin while essential oils are manly problematic. 

As you know we are animals and not plants so the true « natural » ingredients are the ones that we already have in our skin. True biological mimetism skincare should replicate the natural physiology of our skin barrier and respecting the natural components of your skin. Unfortunately, almost no brands do it. 

For today’s post, I won’t review Bioderma sunscreens (Photoderm) because they deserve to be reviewed separately. Bioderma is one of the best brands that offer the most reliable high protection against UVB and UVA. However, the texture and « pleasant » finish are not necessarily there. 

Sensiobio or Crealine 

The Sensibio line or Créaline in French is the line dedicate to sensitive skin. This is where you find the iconic Micellar water that was a game-changer to remove makeup. 

The Sensibio Micellar water uses PEG-6 Caprylic/capric glycerides as a main gentle detergent. The formula is very simple yet very efficient at removing makeup. The Micellar water is also declined for skins prone to redness the formula is good but I would stick to the original version. I always recommend to rinse micellar water. The less detergents stay on the skin the better. 

The wipes are a pass for me. In general, I don’t like wipes and those are perfumed. 

The Sensibio line has 6 face cream, one eye cream, and one BB cream. 

Sensibio Light, rich and forte 

They contain mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose, and fruit-oligo-saccharides as humectants a trademark of Bioderma. The main difference between the cream are the emollients.,

The forte looks to be very emollient due to mineral oil and beeswax, the rich use mainly mineral oil and the light has Cetearyl isonomanoate which is a light emollient. If you have super dry skin the forte is for you. I use the rich and like it. 

Sensibio Tolerance+ is made for hypersensitive skins that are allergic. The formula is extra simple it looks to be a better option than the La Roche Posay Toleriane fluid. 

The Cicabio line 

I have already reviewed this line (here) and it is a fantastic line that features Centella Asiatica. One of my secrets is to mix the pomade with the Sensibio rich at night for an intense moisturizing effect. 

The Atoderm line 

The Atoderm line is very close to the Hydrabio. What I like about Atoderm is that some of the products are fragrance-free! 

I haven’t tried many products from this line. 

Shower cleansers

I have tried the shower gel. It is an okay cleanser that is fine for normal skin type. I won’t recommend it for dry skin. The Shower cream seems better for dry skin and I would go for it. The shower Oil is a pass. I have tried it and there is nothing impressive about it. Overall, I prefer other French shower cleansers such as the Eucerin PH5 shower oil. 

The body creams

I think I have tried years ago the Atoderm body cream (non-fragrant) and I liked it. The Intensive Balm will be my next pick as it contains a blend of ceramides and the SOS Spray seems to be excellent to calm down any itching sensation and for normal skin type as a body moisturizer. 

The Hydrabio line 

The Hydrabio line is meant for sensitive and dehydrated skin. My issue with this line is that it contains perfume which is unfortunate because the rest of the formulas are good. 

The actives of this line are humectants like glycerine and sugars mainly. 

The micellar water is reminiscent of the Sensibio but it has glycerine as a second ingredient and is not as good to remove makeup, so opt for the Sensibio. 

The Hydrabio toner is an excellent French hydrating toner that is affordable with glycerin and niacinamide but it has perfume. The Hydrabio essence is a new product and by looking at the formula it is a pass for me. The serum is good but closer to light cream for combination to oily skin. Oily skin can use it as their moisturizer. It is glycerin and xylitol based (humectants) blended with silicone. They have a cream and a gel cream that looks good but again with perfume. 

I wish this line was fragrance-free. If you want to try a product I would go with the cream or the gel-cream if you have normal skin type. I won’t do the all Hydrabio routine to not build up the perfume.  

The Sebium line 

The Sebium line is made for acne-prone skin and uses Zinc gluconate, salicylic acid, bakuchiol, and glycolic acid. The blend of actives is cleaver but why the perfumes! 

Acne is a chronicle inflammatory skin disease of the pores. The less you irritate the skin the better. If you have moderate to severe acne stay away from fragrances, essential oils, and various botanical extracts. If you have « light » acne with 4 to 5 breakouts here and there you can try of the Sebium line.  

The new Sebium Night peels have 15% glycolic acid you can use twice to 3 timers per week along with the global serum. I would use a moisturizer from the Sensibio line though. 

White objective 

The white objective line is meant to « whiten » the skin 

The actives are glycolic acid and UV filters. Hyperpigmentation is due to an accumulation of melanin and it is often induced by UV. 

The cleanser has a unique formula with citric acid as a second ingredient and detergent. That is a very innovative product. That I will try for sure. 

The serum contains glycolic acid and ethanol to make the glycolic acid stronger. One way to tackle hyperpigmentation, in the beginning, is to use a strong peel. I wish I had the concentration of glycolic acid in this one. You can use it every evening for 2 to 4 weeks with a thick moisturizer on top, in the evening. But don’t use it permanently. Sunscreen in the AM is an absolute requirement. 

The fluid and the cream are basically sunscreens with SPF25 so don’t buy them.

My conclusion 

Overall Bioderma is a good brand that understands that humectants are a key point for every skin type. Sensibio, Cicabio, and Matricium (here) are fantastic. The Hydrabio is a pass for me and for the rest, it depends on the products. I wish Bioderma would remove fragrance.  

Watch my video to know more.

Thank you for your time. 

Cyrille  

🧴 Products mentioned and recommended in my video

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