Review: Biotherm Blue Therapy Serum-in-Oil Night

by PJ on Friday, October 4, 2013

in -Biotherm, skincare, skincare - moisturizing/others

Biotherm Blue Therapy Serum-in-Oil Night Fall 2013 Skincare 1

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Launched in 1952 and currently owned by L’Oréal, Biotherm is a French beauty brand that specializes in skincare and bodycare. (It used to carry makeup products.) The brand’s Blue Therapy range is positioned as an anti-aging range, and Serum-in-Oil Night is one of its latest releases.

Blue Therapy Serum-in-Oil Night (30ml, £44) has a gel consistency when dispensed and it turns into a half-serum-half-oil consistency when applied. The product spreads well on the skin but it can take some time for it to be absorbed into the skin.

Some of the main moisturizing ingredients in this product are glycerin, glycine soja oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, isononyl isononanoate, pentylene glycol, stearic acid, rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, ribes nigrum (blackcurrant) oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, and palmitic acid.

The product contains antioxidants such as glycine soja oil, algae, algae extract, rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, astaxanthin, ribes nigrum (blackcurrant) oil, haematococcus pluvialis (astaxanthin) extract, and tocopherol (vitamin E). (Blackcurrant oil contains gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which has antioxidant properties.)

It contains adenosine, which is an anti-irritant and a cell-communicating agent. Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in blackcurrant oil also functions as a cell-communicating agent.

It contains ceramide 3, which helps repair the skin’s barrier system.

It is paraben-free.

However, the product contains alcohol (denatured alcohol). It is sixth on the ingredient list and the amount is fairly large. (Alcohol can cause free radical damage.) It also contains benzyl alcohol, which in itself can be irritating, but the amount is very small.

It contains rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract. It can function as an antioxidant but its fragrant components can be potentially irritating.

It contains fragrance (parfum) and other scenting ingredients. The fragrance is quite pleasant but some people may find it to be on the strong side.

With a fairly large amount of alcohol, I hesitate to recommend this product to anyone. If formulated without alcohol or other problematic ingredients, this would be an outstanding product which contains a wealth of skin-benefiting ingredients.

(Some ingredient information is from Paula Begoun’s Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.)

(The product featured in this article is provided by Biotherm.)

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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

CedriCeCCentriC Saturday, October 5, 2013

I got quite a large sample of this but had to stop using it because I started to breakout. I don’t know if it was too rich (Estée Lauder Night Repair also gives me little bumps under the skin) or if I got irritated. The scent of the product is the same as in Aquasource cream-gel also from Biotherm wich my skin loves. I wanted to try Aquasource Nuit but it also contains alcohol as a main ingredient. Strangely the only night serum my skin seams to tolerate is Kiehls Midnight Recovery (also from the L’Oreal group). It’s not really a serum but rather an ultra fine oil.

Reply

PJ Monday, October 7, 2013

Hi CedriCeCCentriC,

It is great to hear from you again! :)

It can certainly be difficult to determine why a certain product might make one’s skin break out. It may be that it is too rich. Also, alcohol in skincare products can cause inflammation, which can cause the skin to produce more oil, which may then cause breakouts. I suppose, in the case of the Serum-in-Oil, it could be due to one or both of the two reasons.

Thank you very much for posting your comment again! :)

Reply

Steph Monday, October 7, 2013

Ooh. Good call on the alcohol. Thanks for the review.

Reply

PJ Monday, October 7, 2013

Hi Steph,

You are very welcome, and thank you very much for stopping by! :)

Reply

Jane L Sunday, October 13, 2013

I need a good skin cream for nighttime, but my skin is really sensitive. I haven’t tried this one yet, but I’m hesitant. Do you know if this would be okay for sensitive skin?

Reply

PJ Monday, October 14, 2013

Hi Jane,

Due to the alcohol in this product, I wouldn’t recommend this product to those with sensitive skin.

Thank you very much for your question! :)

Reply

Marie Friday, October 18, 2013

Hi PJ!

This is such a good post and nice review of the product. Anyways, it is so nice to know that it contains adenosine, which is an anti-irritant and a cell-communicating agent. I will definitely purchase one.

– Marie

Reply

PJ Saturday, October 19, 2013

Hi Marie,

I am glad that you enjoyed this review, and thank you very much for posting your comment! :)

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Marga Thursday, October 24, 2013

Great review! I am kinda hesitant to use this product for its alcohol content. I have noticed that everytime I use products with alcohol content it makes my skin dry. I guess i have to pass on this one though it seems like a great product to try out.

Reply

PJ Friday, October 25, 2013

Hi Marga,

Thank you very much! Skincare products with alcohol as one of the major ingredients can be potentially drying for the skin, and I generally don’t recommend them. (Alcohol can also have other adverse effects on the skin.)

Thank you very much for stopping by! :)

Reply

Brittany Thursday, October 31, 2013

Great post, Thanks for sharing!:)

Hugs, Brittany, xx

Reply

PJ Friday, November 1, 2013

Hi Brittany,

You are very welcome, and thank you for reading the post! :)

Reply

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