A few weeks ago, I teased all y'all with my Digital Traincase purchases. You can check back on that post to read again about the phenomenon of micellar water. I'm infected too, so as soon as I got the package, I immediately crack open my Bioderma to once and for all have an opinion on this cult fave, HG-status miracle water.
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| Bioderma Crealine TS H2O Micelle Solution |
I wanted to see how gentle it is and what benefits it can bring me, so I used it for one week as my ONLY skincare regimen as a sort of benchmark. I used if for another week in tandem with my least effective skincare items to see how it interacts with my typical skincare routine.
After the last day, I did a second experiment comparing Bioderma Crealine TS H2O Micelle Solution versus my current and effective, dual-layered Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, just to see how useful it is as a makeup remover. Let's get down to business :)
Price:
Php 1350 / 500ml from Digital Traincase. I haven't seen it in any physical store locally so feel free to check in with your favorite online reseller.
Product Description:
Bioderma is a French dermatological laboratory, widely-trusted for its effective products. At the core of their formulations are solutions to underlying conditions instead of temporary reliefs of symptoms.
BIODERMA is among the most frequently prescribed laboratories by French dermatologists.
Present in more than 70 countries, BIODERMA is growing very fast at international level. Over the past 5 years, the laboratory's average annual growth has been over 32%. - bioderma.com
The Sensibio (pink) line is dedicated to sensitive skin. TS H2O seems to be for dry, sensitive skin while H2O is for combination/oily, sensitive skin. I'm not very sure about these distinctions and I would verify further but most resources are in French. Even my own bottle has everything purely written in French and honestly, I don't want to pretend to know more than what I really do.
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| Bioderma Crealine TS H2O: Information Label |
I've read too many varying pieces on micelle solutions/micelle water/micellar water to know what's really real. So far, I am choosing to believe that it is a water-like, non-detergent micro-cleanser.
Detergent or ordinary soap-based cleansers whack up our skin's pH balance due to their alkaline pH because our skin is naturally slightly acidic. Soap particles have one hydrophilic (attracted to water) and one lipophilic (attracted to oil) end. The lipophilic ends cling to dirt and grime on the face while their hydrophilic ends cling to water, making it one big clump that's easier to wash off.
Harsher soaps have cruder, larger particles: facial soap < hand soap < detergent soap particles. These larger particles latch on to more oil and grease (a.k.a. dirt) but also erode on the good parts of your skin. Think of these soap particles as gigantic boulders in an avalanche that indiscriminately run over everything.
Micelle solutions basically do the same thing, but on a "micro" level, thus removing dirt and grime without eroding on the rest of your skin. They're the mildest possible way of cleansing the face because they are soap-free and have very small particles. Think of micelles as fine sand that gently buff down a ragged surface.
But that's just me piecing together from various sources. I'd love to read more reliable, English sources, please :P Most of what I've put down comes from this really useful source provided by Rae, but I have considered info from some sources that say completely different things and have inserted my own insights.
I'm really bad at annotating sources.
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| Bioderma Crealine TS H2O: Ingredients |
How to Use:
This can be used as a cleanser and makeup remover. Simply soak a cotton pad and wipe over the face. Bioderma insists that these solutions can be used rinse-free but do require thorough drying by tissue or towels.
Performance:
Experiment 1 - Bioderma as Skincare
Week 1: Bioderma ONLY
Prior to my Bioderma trial I went through a week without any skincare at all. Yes, I slept with all of my makeup on and only got to "wash" my face during my morning shower. I was curious of what my skin would be like and honey, IT'S BAD. The Week 1 Experiment involves me coming off from my second-to-worst skin since I started blogging so Bioderma is dealing with A LOT.
I used nothing but Bioderma on my face for the next seven days. This involved a very minimal two cotton rounds; one to remove my daily face powder, cheek tint and eyebag concealer, and the second one to make sure there's no remaining dirt on my face. The second round is pictured below. The upper part of depicts a secondary run on my face and the lower part is a tertiary run, showing almost no dirt at all.
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| 2nd Cotton Round Using Bioderma Crealine TS H2O |
Instead of my usual makeup remover-cleanse-tone-serum-moisturize routine, I simply used Bioderma to remove my makeup and cleanse the face. I refrained from continuing on to toner, serum and moisturizer because those three relieve irritations from my cleanser and I had to let these irritations develop if I truly wanted to prove Bioderma's claims.
I am happy to report that in the seven days of using just Bioderma, I didn't develop any new dry patches. By day 3, it even healed the ones I developed during my "No Skincare Week." Actually, I don't know if it's technically healing or my skin condition simply stabilizing because I still had some bumps on my skin.
Tiny bumps on my skin were controlled but not 100% removed. I would say 95% removed? Which is still great! Sadly, my skin wasn't completely supple and my eye area was beginning to crack so I had to write off a purely Bioderma skincare routine. That would've been waaaay convenient, though.
Week 2: Bioderma with my Least Effective Skincare Items
My Week 1 trial exceeded my expectations. I now wanted to see how Bioderma would react against a typical skincare routine but I didn't want the other products to overcompensate for its performance. I took my least effective skincare items (not to be specified here because I would rather put up a full review for each of them than carelessly brand them as not-very-effective) and went on for another week.
In those seven days, I expected to have my skin at just the same quality as Week 1 as these additional products barely do anything for me. However, it did need juuuuust that little to make my Bioderma experience so much better! With a serum and moisturizer now incorporated in my skincare routine, my skin achieved that last milliliter of moisture I was looking for in Week 1 and I am confident that Bioderma is a great prep for any random regimen I cobble together.
Conclusions on Bioderma as Skincare:
Bioderma Micelle Solution is a very balanced and non-irritating cleanser. I feel so refreshed after wiping it on my face. It feels just like water and I find it so convenient that I don't have to rinse my face off afterwards!
I sometimes sense a veeery slight bubbleage action, especially when I accidentally heave the bottle too violently due to its weight, but it doesn't feel like soap at all. I guess that this bubbleage is what leaves my skin feeling a teensy bit sticky after. Left alone, it feels like I just freshly washed my face but touching on where I used Bioderma skin to skin, it does feel a little sticky. I would also guess that this stickiness is what leaves my skin not feeling completely stripped of moisture.
Bioderma can be your sole skincare routine if you have normal skin that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. This is perfect for people whose idea of skincare is cleansers-only!
However, for most people, I wouldn't suggest using only Bioderma as your sole skincare item, no matter how tempting it is! My skin is normally dry and Bioderma seems to "tone" by not adding further irritation. However, I'm not convinced of it as a standalone toner. It doesn't seem to reverse further imbalances caused by external factors such as stress and genetics. If your skin is naturally a little bit dry (like mine) then you will still need at least a moisturizer.
Otherwise, I would recommend it for those nights when you just don't give a damn. When I get home too late or too tired, I usually just wipe my face off with Bioderma and doooooozzzzzzze!
Click here for Part 2, detailing the second experiment and the rest of my impressions.
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