I am a huge fan of Bioderma, a French Pharmacy Brand so just that fact might have swayed me a little, because the French take their Beauty seriously! One of the first posts I wrote on this blog, two years ago was a review for the Sensibio H2O and in the years that have passed have seen me try various offerings from Bioderma. So after finishing my previous face-wash I decided to take Sebium Gel for a ride.

Buy Online:

• Tube 100 ml – 850 INR
• Pump bottle 200 ml – 1575 INR 
• Pump bottle 500 ml – Not available in India

Product Description & Claims

• Sébium Gel moussant gently cleanses and purifies the skin without drying it :containing zinc sulphate and copper sulphate, it cleanses the epidermis, reduces the number of blemishes, and limits sebum secretion.
• Its ultra-gentle, soap free formula respects the skin’s balance : the physiological pH is maintained and the hydrolipidic film is preserved to maintain moisture in the skin.
• The patented natural complex raised the skin’s tolerance threshold.
• Suitable for Combination or oily skin
• Limits sebum secretion
• Keeps pores from becoming clogged
• Guarantees good skin and eye tolerance
• Soap-free cleansing base
• Sébium Gel moussant can be used as a shaving foam
• Scented formula
• Non-comedogenic
• Non-drying
• Soap-free

Ingredient

Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Methylpropanediol, Disodium Edta, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Peg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate, Lactic Acid, Laureth-2, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum).

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I have combination skin and during the monsoon season due to the humidity it becomes slightly more Oily. So I thought this was the ideal time to test this face wash as it claims to control the sebum secretion using their patented formulation called Fluidactiv^™.

Intended for acne-prone skin, the Fluidactiv^™ patent acts on one of the main causes of acne: thickening of the sebum. This Fluidactiv patented complex biologically limits the thickening of the sebum and regulates its quality, thereby preventing the formation of pimples, blackheads and blemishes.

I have the 2oo ml variant in a pump bottle, and if you have been with me for a while you know how much I love pumps over tubes & tubs! Its easy convenient & hygienic. The pump is engineered in a manner that the press action is fairly controlled and not a lot is dispensed unless you want to!

The presence of fragrance in this product is unnecessary and I am not a fan of fragrance in skincare products. Moreover this one has a very overwhelming; overtly strong fragrance – kind of like the drugstore men’s face/ body wash! I dislike it and despite repeated usage have not been able to become used to it. This is especially surprising because the other ranges that I have tried (Sensibio/ Hydrabio) both had a very subtle & understated scent!

The formula is of thin gel consistency and is a bright blue in colour which I think is the attribute of the ingredient – Copper Sulphate. I need only a  pea size amount for my face and neck. It doesn’t foam much but has a great slip to it so spreads over the skin very easily.

It cleanses the face well if you have already done a good job of removing your makeup before hand. If there is makeup on your face this by itself will not work and you would need a second cleanse. I don’t wear makeup often but I do wear sunscreen everyday and I feel this does a fairly good job of get rid of the remnant sunscreen and dirt at the end of the day. The face feels fresh and clean but slightly dry afterwards; not very dry but I have used face wash’ that are gentler as compared to this one so I can tell.

Efficacy wise I felt it did a average job especially since it claimed to control Sebum and in my case I feel there wasn’t any effect on the sebum production because my T-zone by midday was just as shiny with or without the support of this product.

Pros:

• Effective Cleansing Action
• Non-comedogenic & Hypoallergenic
• Tolerated well by various skin types.

Cons:

• Overwhelming Fragrance
• Not ultra- gentle as claimed.
• Did not limits sebum secretion
• Uses SLS
• Expensive
• Need more product & effort to remove some high adherence waterproof products

Closing Thoughts:

It didn’t wow me as much as I expected it to! Over all I feel this did not work for me because it is not the right product for my skin type. If you have oily to very oily skin which is acne prone this might be worthwhile for you but if your skin despite being oily is sensitive I would not recommend this due to the overwhelming fragrance and slight dryness this brings about.

Check out the other Bioderma Products I have tried here & here. Also find me on Instagram here and lets discuss Beauty!