If you’re unfamiliar with Bioderma‘s Hydrabio products, let me have the pleasure of taking you through a tour of some of their products! The Hydrabio range is intended for dehydrated sensitive skin and contains the Aquagenium^™ patent which stimulates the skin’s cellular capacities and reactivates its natural hydration process to the upper layers of the skin. 

The product that first introduced me to the Hydrabio range was their H2O micelle solution. I had been using (and still do) use the Sensibio/Crealine micelle solution (that’s the one you see most often with the pink cap!), but when the weather gets colder in Toronto, I wanted something a little bit more hydrating and the Hydrabio line delivers on that. The other huge upside for me is that the Hydrabio range has a scent that is really clean and fresh.

So, if you’re not familiar with a micelle solution (also often referenced as micellar) is a cleansing and make-up removing water. I don’t personally find it strong enough to remove long wearing foundation and waterproof mascara, but I find this impeccable for removing all other traces of makeup. I’ll usually remove my makeup with an oil based remover, and then I’ll go in with this micelle solution to clean up all the extra bits. It hydrates, cleanses and refreshes my skin all at the same time. Even if you’re not wearing makeup, this is excellent for just re-vivifying the skin when you need a bit of a pick me up. Throw a few squirts on a cotton pad, swipe it all over your skin and you’re good to go!

The Hydrabio H2O used to only be available in the 250 ml version, but I can happily report that you can now get it in a 500 ml bottle as well!

If you’re looking for a heavy duty face cream, look no further than the Hydrabio Creme. The Creme is targeted towards people with dehydrated sensitive to very dry skin with a lack of radiance. I don’t find myself on that extreme end of the dryness spectrum, but I can say that this one feels incredibility luxurious on my face. I use it on my face as an overnight moisturizer when I really need to pack in the moisture (which is something I tend to need if I’ve been wearing foundation too many days in a row). It’s a small jar, but you don’t need a ton!

To round out my Hydrabio routine, I’ve got the Gel-Creme and the Serum.

As you found expect, the Gel-Creme isn’t as thick of a cream since it does have a gel base. While it’s still great for dry skin, it’s also targeted towards combination skin since it’s not quite as thick. I use this in the morning on days when I don’t feel like something a intensely moisturizing as thick cream, and I’ll interchange it with whatever other moisturizers I’d currently be using it (like Aveeno, etc.).

And lastly, their Hydrabio Serum. Serums are something I’ve only recently started to understand in my beauty routine and I’m not quite sure I notice an immediate difference in my skin with them, so it’s a bit of a take it or leave it step for me. I started using this particular Serum last winter when my skin needed the added boost of moisturizer and I felt it did help me out (it was also before I had more of the Hydrabio range so I needed to amp up my regular moisturizing routine), but it’s not something I reached for during the warmer months. As we’re headed into the colder months up here in the Northern Hemisphere, you may want to look into something simple like a Serum in order to augment your current moisturizers!

If it wasn’t already hyper-obvious, I’m an huge enormous fan of Bioderma and their Hydrabio range is a staple for me in the colder months. A lot of skincare can leave me going “meh, it’s fine, but do I love it?”, but Bioderma is definitely a true love for me in terms of skincare.

Even if you’re not into the dry skin products, you may want to check out their range since they do offer products for varying types of skin. If you’re Canadian, the Bioderma range is easily accessible via Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall! For those looking to shop online, here’s a direct link to Bioderma‘s product page on beautylish.com!

The products featured in this post were sent to me for review.

Although I’ve been a big fan of Bioderma‘s micelle solution for quite a long time, it’s only recently that I’ve started to delve into more of their products. I was first introduced to the Hydrabio line by Bioderma via their micelle solution from the same line and so far this Hydrabio Serum is a frontrunner in that lineup for me!

This isn’t a picture heavy post because it really is just a singular product, but man, is it ever a good one. The Hydrabio Serum is designed to retrain the skin to moisturize itself. It has a frothy gel-like consistency that smells AMAZING to me – in fact, the whole Hydrabio line, it has a fresh, aquatic scent that is especially pleasing to me. (Please note the product does indicate that it contains allergen-free fragrance.)

“Developed in the BIODERMA Research laboratories, the Aquagenium  biological patent found in Hydrabio retrains the skin to activate its natural moisturising capacities by stimulating the production of aquaporins, water channels in the skin, and retain the water it needs to be balanced.”

Bioderma suggests you can use this in conjunction with your moisturizer, but I’ve found that it’s not really necessary – the Hydrabio Serum is more than enough to plump up my skin and renew moisture to it. I even love the pump bottle – one pump delivers enough product to cover my entire face.

If you’ve got dry skin and need to bump up your moisture level, I’d definitely give the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum a shot – it’s worked out so well for me!

The product featured in this review was sent to me for consideration.

Bioderma‘s micelle solution (often mis-said as “micellar” in English, which is really just an attempt to anglicize the French “solution micellaire”) is a product that I begrudgingly jumped on the bandwagon for several years ago. (I say begrudgingly because it was a little on the expensive side and basically only readily available in France – which is where I first picked it up!)

And now… it’s everywhere in my apartment and I’m loathed to be without it! It’s in my bathroom to help clean up and refresh my skin after I’ve removed my makeup. My husband even uses it when he’s feeling a bit greasy in the face after workday and wants a refresher.

I also have it sitting on top of my makeup table to help me fix any makeup mistakes and clean up under my eyes when I experience fall out from my eyeshadows.

I was, however, slightly unaware that Bioderma actually made a few varities of their micelle solution. The one that’s most easily recognizable is the Sensibio H2O (called Crealine H2O exclusively in France) which has a pink top. For those unfamiliar with the product, Sensibio H2O has the consistency of water and is considered perfect for sensitive to intolerant skin. It is fragance, alcohol and paraben-free, as well as hypoallergenic.

Some people use it to remove their makeup entirely, however I don’t find the formula is heavy duty enough for that on my face because I often wear waterproof and/or longlasting products. I prefer to use this after I’ve removed the bulk of my makeup with an oil-based remover/cleanser and then go in with the micelle solution on a cotton pad and clean up the excess that I missed by washing my face (and trust me, no matter how much you wash your face, you will still have excess makeup somewhere!). It’s odourless, but not tasteless, so if you use this to remove your lipstick, it will be a touch bitter.

I also use this to clean up any makeup mistakes while I’m doing my face and to clean up the inevitable eyeshadow fallout on my under eyes during application.

The Hydrabio H2O formula is entirely new to me. I don’t notice any difference in my skin when I use this (as in, it performs just as well as the Sensibio H2O), however this is formulated for dehydrated sensitive skin. One thing that I thought was interesting about this one is that it smells really, really nice. Bioderma‘s web site indicates that it’s an allergen-free fragrance, as it would have to be since this is intended for sensitive skin. I’ve actually grown quite fond of the scent of the Hydrabio one and if it comes in the larger 500 ml bottles like the Sensibio, I’ll be switching to this one once I’ve finished all my bottles up!

The final micelle solution is the Sebium H2O which was created for combination, oily or blemished skin. I’m none of these things, so I can’t tell you how it does, or does not help the skin in those respects. (I mean, I’m potentially combination skin, but it’s February here in the northern hemisphere so I’m basically just a dry bastard right now.) This one is also scented (although interestingly not marked as allergen-free), hypoallergenic, paraben-free and has no colouring agents. I assume the colouring agent comment is indicated on their site because unlike the others, this liquid is actually blue!

Final Thoughts

I cannot live without the Bioderma micelle solution in any of its formats. It’s a gentle, easy to use product that works wonders to help clean up my skin, or refresh it if it’s feeling tired and dirty. It’s rinse-free, which means you can splash it all over your face and not have to worry about reaching for a towel. If there’s one skincare product out there that I can recommend to you, it’s this one.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration, although I did already own the two larger bottles of Sensibio H2O.