Cult Classic - Bioderma Crealine

This has been a staple for models and makeup artists for years, and for good reason - it's a simple, no-frills micellaire cleanser that's hypoallergenic, unscented and gentle, but still wonderfully effective.

Micelle cleansers are basically soft water with teeny, tiny molecules of oil suspended within - when they touch anything that isn't water, they grab it and eat it up. Sort of. Hence why these cleansers are rinseless. They tend to have nice ingredients like glycerin and cucumber too. Does that kind of explain it, or can you tell I don't really have any idea what any of this means? I'm rubbish at science.


Regardless, Crealine is the old standby of Micelles - a quirt on a cotton ball or pad will swipe everything off your face without any dryness, stinging or tugging - I have incredibly sensitive, dry skin, and this doesn't bother me at all - it's fantastic as a simple makeup remover, a toner after cleansing to remove excess oil/residue, or as a daily cleanser for sensitive, hydrophobic skin. The fact that I can, if I'm feeling particularly slovenly, wipe my face with this, NOT apply any moisturizer, and wake up the next morning without my skin painfully parched, is more than enough reason for me to keep boxes of this in my cabinet.

It's everywhere in France, sold cheap in the drug stores, but unfortunately it's a little harder to get here, but worth it. I order mine through Amazon, or stock up when I'm in Canada, where they carry it at some Shopper's Drug stores. So if you live in Canada, think of that as one small consolation. Le Guide Sante, an online French store, has it super cheap, but you pay shipping from Europe, so I don't really know if it ends up evening out or not. I intend to find out one day.

The only rules to remember with Crealine are - super, heavy eye makeup will still need a heavy cream or oil cleanser to get off - this can only do so much for costume grade makeup - and that you HAVE to dry your face after you wipe on the cleanser - I have absolutely no idea why, no one seems to, but it says it on the package, and if you don't, your skin feels tighter and dryer. So I don't question, and do what I'm told. It seems to be some cosmic Micelle rule. It's also sometimes referred to as "Bioderma Sensibio". Ignore this - it's the same product.

Has anyone tried any of the other brands of Micelle cleansers? Nuxe and Caudalie both make lovely sounding ones as well, but I stick with what I like usually, and I certainly like Bioderma Crealine.