Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 Review

Hello lovely ladies,

I’m super excited to introduce a new brand on IMBB today – the France-based Biologique Recherche. Anyone who is seriously into skin care, especially acid toners would have heard about this and all the rave reviews it gets. Honestly, it has a cult following. It is one of the most favourite products of Caroline Hirons and probably the most searched review on her site. I had been hearing about it for sometime but had no means to get hold of it. And suddenly, one day, I realized, it is indeed available in India and that too fairly easily. I’ve been using it for over a month now and feel comfortable to share my review on this. Let’s find out if t is worth all the rave.

Product Description:
The P50, P50V and P50W balancing exfoliators are the unique fruit of 30 years of reflection and experience. P50 balancing exfoliators speed up the epidermis’ natural exfoliating process and the reconstruction of the epidermal shield. The fortified epidermis can then fulfill its protective functions completely, enhancing the skin’s self-regeneration potential.  The P50 ritual is a key stage in all Biologique Recherche skin care programmes; it exfoliates, purifies, cleanses and regenerates.  The Lotion P50 is the formula of the multifunction lotion in its purest form. It contains Thyme essential oil and myrrh, which have purifying, toning, and antiseptic properties. It penetrates the epidermis quickly and so is only suitable for thicker Skin Instants® with seborrheic tendency.

Actions:
Removes dead cells and impurities on a daily basis.
Improves the strength and quality of the epidermis.
Enhances epidermal renewal.
Helps to purify and regulate sebum secretion.
Hydrates the top layers of the epidermis due to its keratolytic action.
Balances the surface pH of the skin.
Improves the efficacy of the other Biologique Recherche products used after it.

How To Use:
For the first two weeks of use, apply a few drops to dampened cotton pads with cold water, and press and release over each area once, patting the product all over face, neck and décolleté, morning and evening. Please do not rub and only pass over each area once. After two weeks of use, if the skin is not sensitive to the product, switch to dry cotton pads.

Main Ingredients:
Exfoliating, moisturising and reconditioning agents: Poly, Alpha, and Beta-Hydroxy-Acids, Cider Vinegar, Phytic Acid, Sulphur.  Purifying and sebum-regulating agents: Horseradish, Magnesium Chloride, Vitamin B3, Burdock, Sorrel, Onion, Myrrh and Myrtle Extracts.

Price:
INR 5715 for 250 ml – available through JCKRC Spa.

My Experience with Biologique Recherche Lotion P50:

First things first – this product is a toner – an acid toner. Yes, it says “lotion” on the bottle. But, if you check online, you would realize most of the toners are listed as “lotions.” I do not know the reason for that. However, the funny side of it is that I have seen a lot of these toners getting bad reviews by customers who used them as lotions – instead of toners and felt that they didn’t work. Well…

The P50 Lotion is probably the most sought after product in the Biologique Recherché line. It actually has 6 variants – this one being reviewed – P50, P50V – which is for sensitive skin, P50W – which is for more mature skin and tall three formulas in the P50 version from before 1970 – which is supposed to be the original, most potent version of this product but is banned from a number of countries due to it having phenol in its ingredient list. I understand that the phenol version is now available only in USA and Russia.

Coming back to the product in hand, it’s available in a 250 ml and a 500 ml variant. I picked the 250 ml one. It has a simple packaging – white translucent plastic bottle. The good thing about the packaging is that one – it came with a seal – which was extremely reassuring. And not just a sticker or bopp one which can be tampered with. It has a tamper-proof seal, once broken, it will not realign, so it’s easy to make out if the product has been tampered with.

The second good thing about the product packaging is that it has a screw-on lid which houses the spout from which the watery liquid dispenses. It’s extremely easy to control the flow of the liquid. I probably would not have paid much attention to this aspect had it not been for the fact that I picked up another toner recently, which is a pain to control the amount out of.

I have oily to combination skin which gets dull and dehydrated very easily – due to my lousy eating habits and my horrid sleeping patterns. I am constantly on the look out for something to improve radiance and increase hydration. Also, being on the wrong side of 30s, has set me thinking about bolstering my skincare regime – address the acne spots, sun damage, etc. Hence, the foray into skin care and the numerous reviews lined up for you gals.

And another thing about me – I have used toners in my life! I always thought they were useless. Even when I bought rose water bottles to use as toner, they died a slow death in the depths of my fridge because I just would not come around to using them.

Why acid toner? Well, honestly, what I wanted to start using was retinol, but was too scared of the initial purging process. So, just couldn’t get around to starting off. So, thought of initiating with chemical exfoliation instead. Hence, the acid toner.

The first two things which hit out about the product are the texture and the fragrance. The texture is just like water – extremely runny. And the fragrance is just like vinegar – extremely pungent and repulsive. Honestly, it does take getting used to. If I had not knows about the fragrance before hand – I would probably have assumed that the product is expired or spoiled or something. So – Beware!

So, I procured this product and was super kicked, but it took me all of one week before I could get myself to try it. One, I was new to the whole chemical exfoliation thing, plus I had heard and read so much about the potency of this product. I was literally petrified to use it, but finally I did. So, the recommended way to use this product is to take it on a damp sponge and wipe your entire face with it, but when have we ever bothered to read instructions. So, obviously, I took it on a dry sponge and wiped my whole face with it. Though I was petrified that my whole face will probably burn down with “acid” – it didn’t. Yes, there was a bit of a burn and an acid tingle – which lasted for a few seconds, it wasn’t too bad. To begin with, I used it only once in 3 days and then moved up to alternate days. It is apparently safe to use it twice daily – morning and evening, but I stick to using it only once a day, in the night, that too preferably alternate nights. Maybe in a couple of months, I will bolster put the courage to use it daily.

So, the toner gets applied post face cleansing and prior to applying any serum/moisturizer/oil, etc.

So, what does the product do? The product is designed to strengthen the epidermal shield, exfoliate skin, regulate excessive sebum secretion, hydrate skin, maintain the skin’s pH, as well as prevent and treat ingrown hair. And guess what? It delivers. Not only do I barely have blackheads on my nose now, the pigmentation from sun damage has reduced – not gone completely yet, but definitely reduced. My skin is baby soft and is getting clearer and brighter. Yes, a point for me to consider is that this is not the only skin care product in my regime. However, when I started with things about a month and a half back, this was the only new thing in my routine – apart from the Foreo Luna. The fact that it has a pH of 3.0 – really helps in the exfoliating acids to work and the turnover of the skin.

It is advised by the brand not to use any Retinol products in conjunction with this. Honestly, considering how strong this is, I don’t even apply any other AHA/BHA post using this – at least not for now. Not even the Kiehl’s Nightly Refining Micro Peel. Post applying this, I wait for a couple of minutes and then follow it up with a face serum and then a moisturizer/oil/combo.

My skin is literally at its best right now – except for the hormonal breakouts – over which it has no control. The pores look smaller and the makeup goes on so much more smoothly.

To sum this up for you:

Pros of Biologique Recherche Lotion P50:

• Lightweight texture.
• Absorbs easily.
• Hydrates skin.
• Maintains the skin’s pH.
• Regulates excessive sebum secretion.
• Strengthens the epidermal shield.
• Skin feels soft, supple, clearer and brighter.
• Did not break me out.
• Non-comedogenic.
• Helps improve skin texture and radiance.
• Excellent tamper-proof packaging.

Cons of Biologique Recherche Lotion P50:

• The fragrance – vinegar!!
• Accessibility.

IMBB Rating:
5/5
This is straight forward Holy Grail stuff! I’m so glad it’s easily available in India – it would be a pain having to figure how to procure my next bottle. Yes, the pricing is fairly high – but you do get a decent 250 ml salon-sized bottle. I, for one, will definitely be picking the 500 ml one next…or maybe keep it already as a back up! Hmmmm….Decisions! Decisions!

If you are on the flip side of 30, do check this product out. Having tried it, I am able to clearly understand why this product has such a cult following because I just joined the cult!

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