[REVIEW] Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel (Before and After)

[1]💭Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Before&After [5]Verdict

Price (use this link): 14.90
Texture: Thin gel
What you get: 50 mL
Cruelty-free: No

+INGREDIENTS

Ingredients of the Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel: Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant/Cleansing + Emulsifying), Methylpropanediol (Solvent), Disodium EDTA (Chelating + Viscosity Controlling), Mannitol (Moisturizer), Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Zinc Sulfate (Antimicrobial/Antibacterial + Astringent), Copper Sulfate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate (Surfactant/Cleansing), Lactic Acid, Laureth-2 (Surfactant/Cleansing + Emulsifying), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Controlling), Propylene Glycol (Moisturizer/Humectant + Solvent + Viscosity Controlling ), Sodium Hydroxide (Buffering), Fragrance (Parfum)

💭In-Depth Details Of Interesting Ingredients:

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate: Surfactant/Cleansing, interesting because it’s usually used in baby products.
Xylitol: Improves skin barrier + Antibacterial
Rhamnose: Potentially Anti-aging (an increase of pro-collagen I and collagen IV expression)
Fructooligosaccharides: Not enough research or clinical trials concerning this ingredient, but could potentially improve skin barrier based on past research.
Copper Sulfate: 🔴[Not enough research to support anything when topically applied] But there is this article which indicated some perhaps promising future implications.
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract: Antioxidant ( Flavonoids, Polyphenols) + Anti-inflammatory (Quercetin) +
Lactic Acid: A form of AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), which is a class of acids that reduce cell adhesion in the top layer of the skin (decrease cellular bond between corneocytes) which leads to an exfoliating effect. AHAs have also been shown to increase the production of mucopolysaccharides and collagen in the skin. [Anti-Acne + Anti-Aging + Brightening + Antioxidative]

🤔Hmmm:

Parfum/Fragrance: A lot of people assimilate alcohol and fragrances in skincare to dehydration and irritation. I would recommend that you watch this video: “Is Alcohol Safe in Skincare Products?” (by Liah Yoo, who worked at Korea's largest beauty company, AmorePacific and now also has her own brand: KraveBeauty) and consult the links provided in the info box which refer to published scientific studies and articles. The main point is: yes, alcohol and fragrance can be very stripping and irritating to the skin, but it all depends on how they are used and combined in the final formulation (their ratio, the reactions they have with other ingredients, etc…), I have sensitive skin but my skin did not react negatively to the blue mask in any way. Of course, if you’re unsure, a patch test is always recommended.

+HOW TO USE THE Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel

Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel Texture — Sebium Foaming Gel can be used once or twice a day, seven days a week.
1-Apply a drop of the gel on the wet skin of your face
2- Work the cleanser into a foam.
3-Rinse it off to eliminate any trace of impurity.

+WHAT DOES THE Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel DO?

A gentle, purifying gel that helps to visibly minimize the appearance of irregularities and cleanses oily or combination skin
Skin types: Combination to oily skin

1.D.A.F.™(Dermatological Advanced Formulation): With a seaweed extract and a combination of ingredients working in a mild, synergistic and complementary way, this technology contributes to improve the tolerance threshold of the skin and improve its resistance. [The only potential seaweed extracts I could see in the formula are the sugars: A lot of brands give special titles to a combination of ingredients in their formula, which usually serves to market the product. An example would be ‘MultiEx Phytrogen’ in the Eco Your Skin Facial Pilates Mask, which is just a particular combination of some of the ingredients present in the list. Usually, these patented combinations have research to back up their claims and you can easily look them up online, which will give you studies and clinical data obtained on them. Weirdly enough, I couldn’t find any papers or reseller of D.A.F.™ to tell you what exactly it is constituted of, but since Carbohydrates are the major constituents of seaweeds, I looked at the list and with some research, figured out that you could extract the Mannitol, Xylitol and Rhamnose (carbohydrates) present in the formulation from different types of seaweeds (check this research paper out for more information: Production of mono sugar from acid hydrolysis of seaweed ). Sugars are great moisturizing agents for the skin, each has specific properties (check the in-depth ingredients review above) but as a general consensus, sugars all serve to protect and fortify the skin barrier. Now with that being said, I still think that ‘‘improving the tolerance … and resistance’’ of the skin is a very far-fetched claim. Cleansing is the harshest step of any skincare routine, while you can find cleaners that are suitable for sensitive skins and limit the drying effect of surfactants, no cleanser is going to make your skin noticeably stronger because 1] they don’t sit on your skin for a long period of time and hence don’t penetrate and aren’t formulated to penetrate the deeper layers of your skin and 2] any strong potent ingredients they are constituted of will be in much lower concentrations than their surfactants/cleansing one. Here for example, when it comes to all studies on the sugars present in the formulation, they have been tested when applied topically, never in a washing formula, so any positive effects that studies may correlate with the use of these ingredients are limited to the product sitting on your face for much longer periods of time. It doesn’t mean that adding sugars or ingredients like Ginkgo to a cleanser is pointless because it does make it less drying and gentler but probably doesn’t do much other than that. Ingredients that have been proven to make a difference even when incorporated into cleansers are mainly exfoliating ones because they directly work to loosen the bonds of the dead skin cells on the top layer of your skin. Hence having an ingredient like Lactic acid in this cleanser is good, but in my personal experience: for you to notice any real effects with exfoliating ingredients in cleansers, they need to be present in a much higher concentration than in this one, if you take the Hada Labo Tamagohada face wash for example (from [10] Anti-Acne products that actually work + A Skincare routine), it has 5 AHAs/BHAs, all present in high concentration as shown from their position in the ingredient list. The Lactic acid in the Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel in comparison is one of the last ingredients on the list (lower concentration) and the only AHA present in the whole formulation (research has shown that combining certain AHA/BHAs enhances their effects). The point is, I don’t think this cleanser really does ANYTHING apart from being gentle and non-irritating/sensitizing.

2.Fluidactiv® Patent: This technology targets sebum quality. It helps to visibly minimize the appearance of irregularities: The same thing that I said above applies for this, I’m guessing the mix of ingredients here probably incorporates Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, and Lactic Acid. Zinc Sulfate is a well-researched antimicrobial/antibacterial agent, but Copper Sulfate isn’t really well researched when it comes to topical application and I’ve discussed Lactic Acid above. Here the conclusion is that the cleanser probably does have some anti-acne properties but they are pretty mild, this is probably not going to actively fight your acne if it’s hormonal, and it’s not really going to magically mattify your oily skin unless you were using a bad quality cleanser or one not suitable for your skin type before it.

3.Skin types: Combination to oily skin: If you have really oily skin, I don’t feel like this cleanser is going to do anything for it, you’re much better of trying the Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam or if you want something more gentle, the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel For Oily Skin, these are two cleansers that actually limit your oil productions and you will notice a difference when using them. If your skin is sensitive and not dry or sensitive and oily, this could be a great match, but if it’s sensitive and dry, try the Pyunkang Yul Low pH Pore Deep Cleansing Foam, as this is the only cleanser I’ve ever tried where my skin didn’t lose any moisture after the cleanse. If you have acne-prone skin, again you’re better of trying a cleanser that is specifically formulated to combat acne like the Hada Labo Tamagohada face wash mentioned above, but if you have acne skin that is sensitive the Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel would actually be a good choice. This is a good simple cleanser, but whether it’s suitable for your skin or not depends on what type of skin you have.

Bioderma Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel Before and After

If you’re someone that wears foundation, heavy makeup, or waterproof makeup, you’re not going to like this cleanser unless you do the double cleansing method and use a really good makeup remover beforehand. Compared to the majority of cleansers I’ve tried, the way this one removes makeup is very mediocre. As you can see from the arrows in the last picture, the red lipstick still had a stain, the waterproof eyeliner was still visible, and a bit of foundation was left. This should be fine if you use an oil or even something like the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution, but be aware of your cleansing expectations: the Sebium Purifying Cleansing Foaming Gel will remove dirt and pollution, but doesn’t work so well with makeup.

Another thing to point out is that this doesn’t foam up much, I personally don’t mind, as it has great slip, but I know that some people prefer bubbly foamy cleansers. There are claims of this cleanser not drying out your face, these claims are false in my personal experience it does dry out your skin, I wouldn’t feel comfortable not putting on toner or moisturizer after cleansing, but the dryness is not uncomfortable in any way, this doesn’t strip your skin. But be sure to follow up with a hydrator.

I used to use this when I was a teenager for about 4 years, I think it’s a great product of choice for teens or people looking for a very simple skincare routine. Yes, there are better products out there depending on what you’re looking for, but from my experience, this is a very easy product to find so it does have a convenience factor. It’s not incredible in any way, but it does deliver and the formulation is gentle enough, the only weird part is that this contains fragrance. I’m personally okay with fragrances in cleanser formulations, I don’t think they’re a smart thing to incorporate but I’m not a hardcore hater either. However, do keep in mind that fragrance always has the possibility of sensitizing your skin depending on how it gets incorporated into the final product.

For me, this is a cleanser that I always tend to go back to when my skin freaks out as I know that it doesn’t cause any irritation and is mild and gentle enough.