Biologique Recherche is one of those brands that I think a lot of beauty bloggers and beauty blog readers will have heard of but not be able to place, until they make the connection between the brand name and the name of the infamous product, P50. Therefore I was extremely excited when the people behind the brand got in touch and asked me to come in for a consultation to find me a suitable skincare prescription from the range. How could anyone possibly turn down an offer like that? So off I trundled to EF Medispa in Kensington for my consultation and facial, both of which were fab, but I’ll be reviewing the facial in a separate post soon.
A couple of things need mentioning about Biologique Recherche (BR) before I crack on with my product rundown; firstly, this is a serious, serious, SERIOUS skincare range that is only really designed for those who are extremely committed to good skincare practices and have the funds to back it up. It’s performance driven, meaning in parts it’s both tingly (but not burny) and smelly (but not rancid) and there are no lovely perfumes or pretty, pink potions in my prescription; instead I have a selection of hard-working, skin-suitable products that are designed to give my skin a complete overall in as little time as possible.
BR don’t agree with facial washes, so you’ll only find a milk cleanser in your prescription. The cleanser I was given is called the Oxygenating Cleansing Milk which is a rich yet surprisingly purifying milk that I work into my skin, before removing with a damp cotton pad that I dampen with a water spray. I wear quite a bit of make-up so I tend to do a double cleanse. Straight afterwards I use my beloved Lotion P50. I have the P50W which is kind of like the access lotion that helps your skin adjust to the acids before you move up to the standard P50 which is considerably stronger. People, believe everything you have read about the P50 as it is AMAZING.
You kind of use the P50 like a toner, in that you apply it with a cotton pad (extra on your spots if you think your skin can tolerate it) but it isn’t designed to remove dirt or finish up the cleansers role, it’s instead a treatment that you apply to the skin. Once it’s dry, you then move on to the next step which are the serums, although to confuse things I’m going to talk about the Purifying Facial Cream which is the final step of the routine. The reason I’m going in this order is because, as I said previously, the range is rather expensive and therefore I tried just these three products for a week or so to see how they performed independently of the serums.
The combination of these three products is a really good, solid and easy to follow routine that isn’t stupidly expensive, yet you will see a great improvement in your skin as long as you’re using the products that you’ve prescribed. Plus, they do some introductory sizes of these products, meaning that the most expensive would be 50ml of the Facial Cream at £59, whereas 30ml of the Cleansing Milk would be £13.50 and 50ml of the P50W would be £22, meaning you could try all three products for less than a £100 and see if they work for you. The Purifying Facial Cream is the weirdest facial moisturiser I have ever tried! It stinks, it’s kind of gritty and straight out of the tub it does not feel like it’ll moisturise at all, yet on the skin it melts down to a really lovely almost balm-like finish that my skin responds well to…although it still stinks and I can smell it the following morning, so if you’re planning to try this then you might want to pre-warn any bed companions! This is a dream product for combination skin types as it’s definitely settling my oily areas without making any dry areas worse.
Now! On to the rather alarmingly named serums: Complex Iribiol, Extraits Tissulaires and Placenta, and no, the irony of the last one is not lost on my pregnant self. The CI is designed for spot-treating spots and works really well at pulling them forward so they heal quickly, whilst the latter two are designed to address the rest of my skin issues; mainly hydration/dullness and the pigmentation. Sadly, I’ve only managed to break into the CI so far as I cannot for the life of me get the other two open, so I’m currently reserving my judgement on those two until I’ve managed to actually get them open!
Over the next few months I’ll be sporadically reporting back with how I’m getting on with the new routine. So far I’m really happy with it as I’ve seen very quick results and my skin appears smoother, plumper and definitely fresher looking. The most significant difference for me so far is on the pigmentation and spot scars which seem to be fading remarkably fast. It’s too soon to tell if my spots are generally improved or not, but I’m certainly not purging and the spots I do get are quite easy to deal with; meaning they’re not nasty, hormonal cysts that hang around forever. I’m definitely keen to stick with the line and see where it takes me, as so far there are no downsides for me other than the price, so I’ll keep you updated on how I get on. I’ll be reviewing the facial soon and giving you guys an opportunity to win your own facial, so definitely keep an eye out for that! More info on Biologique Recherche can be found here, and EF Medispa can be found here and for a rather lovely introduction to the range, check out Caroline Hiron’s post here.
*PR Samples
Hi Dear,
Very nice article about a really great brand! 🙂
Just wanted to notice to your readers that our Spa is the only one that works with Biologique Recherche in Belgium so if some belgian girls (or boys! those treatments are great also on men) stand around here, feel free to contact us at info@spasiba.be for further informations about treatments & products (as P50 lotion, Masque Vivant etc.)
We’re based in Brussels.
Kind regards,
SPASIBA
http://www.spasiba.be
Dear all,
Please i wanted to ask if there s any suppliers in vitrolles france.
Awaiting ur prompt reply
Thank u and kind regards,
Do you know does BR uses ingredients of animal orign ( embrio,placenta..)?
Thanks
Does BR uses ingredients of animal orign (embrio,placenta..)?
Thanks
I used to the use the P50 but then it became more difficult to get hold when I moved away from London and somehow I just forgot about it. I never forayed into their other products because it just seems a bit impossible to self prescribe a routine. Am definitely going to track down some more P50 and possibly the Lait VIP O2 too, do you find that you can remove the cleansing milk well enough with just wet cotton pads? Thanks for the great review! 🙂
I love P50 so much! I’m currently on a new routine that’s very gentle and free from any exfoliants so I’ve had to stop using it for a short time and I really miss it!
The Lait doesn’t even need wet pads, I just used them dry and it worked a treat xx
Better to rince completely with cold water (less aggressive for the skin than cotton pad) 😉
I have been told that recently funnily enough 🙂 thanks for the tip! xx
Thanks for the replys and tips! So excited to remember about the P50 thanks to your review, Im sure my skin will be thanking me soon!
Hi! Just came across your blog. I’ve been trying to determine whether Biologique Recherche is safe for pregnant ladies. It seems like you were pregnant while using this? Did you discuss this with the B.R team before they prescribed you your regimen? I spoke with consultants about the line but am interested to hear your take.
I absolutely did and it was completely fine. There’s an element to the facial they couldn’t do due to my pregnancy, but all the products I was prescribed were fine to use. Are you pregnant yourself? If so then congratulations; I loved being pregnant! xx
Yes I am pregnant! Exciting but also frustrating due to all the limitations we have to observe for skincare. Good to know that BR is pregnancy-safe. I read somewhere the phenol-free toner has salicylic acid which is confusing since I’ve been told by 2 separate BR consultants that it’s safe for pregnancy. I’ve also emailed the BR team directly, hoping to get a response. Thank you for the response!
I think you can use salicylic in small doses – such as in toners etc – just not in high concentrations like in peels etc. Obviously it’s better to err on the side of caution so if you’re unhappy using it whilst pregnant then I wouldn’t put yourself through the worry. Congratulations on your pregnancy! Do you know what you’re having? How far along are you?
I use the milk cleanse, p50, and creme placenta…are al of these product safe to use pregnant?
I *think* I used all three of those when I was pregnant – it’s worth getting in touch with them (concierge@br-uk.co.uk – just mention I recommended you got in touch directly) just to clarify but I’m sure it’s fine.
Hi! What is the best product for treating hyper-pigmentation in your opinion? My skin is finally clearing up – I’ve struggled with acne for a long time – but I have bright red spots that just won’t go away. I’ve been using a product that contains hydroquinone, which is supposedly very effective, but I’ve yet to see noticeable results. I’d love to know what you think – your blog is great. Thanks!!
Hi Shannon,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment and I’m really glad you like my blog! I would say it very much depends on your budget as if you can afford to spend a bit, I’d recommend using an at-home laser device like the ReAura from Philips. However, if you’d prefer to keep it at skincare then your best bet is to include more acids into your routine, such as an acid toner or one of the acid pad kits you can buy pre-soaked. Or if you’re feeling brave, even an at-home peel kit to speed up the exfoliation.
I can’t say for sure, but I believe Hydroquinone is a bit of a controversial ingredient due to risks and side-effects; I also believe it’s banned in certain countries so I’d recommend treading carefully!
Really glad to hear your skin is clearing up and hopefully you’ll be able to start shifting the remaining marks soon! If you buy just one thing, make it a good exfoliating toner such as the P50 in this post, or if you don’t want to spend so much then Pixi do a great product called Glow Tonic that is quite similar xx
loved your review on the BR product line! I want to try them–Do you happen to know the prices for the full size applications that you used?
So sorry for the delay – how do you mean full sized applications? As in the individual products?
Sascha. When applying the p50 how much should I be using. Should my cotton pad be completely soaked or are just a few drops all that is necessary? Thanks.
Hi Gemma,
I tend to just use the same amount as I would with any other toner, so around 3-4 drops – just enough to make about a quarter of the pad wet – then I gently pat it all around the face…or at least, that’s what you’re supposed to do as it’s a very strong product! If I’m in a hurry I might rub it around my face in the same way I would any other toner (rather than pat) but if you overdo it, you’ll definitely feel it – even after several years of use, I still feel the burn if I overdo it, so I would really advise treading carefully and starting slowly xx
I started using BR products about three months ago and was blessed with the opportunity to have a facial at the BR Institute in Paris! About a month or a bit after using BR products, I totally stopped using make up in my face!!! Only sunscreen (not tinted) and a bit of blusher. Not even face powder. I find BR products to be THAT fantastic that they leave my skin clear and translucent and most of all, give me the confidence not to wear make up! I totally love BR!!!
They are my favourite skincare brand of all time – I absolutely love them and I’m so pleased to hear that their products are doing such good things for your skin! xx
is purifying cream same as cream dermopurifiant?
thank you
Hi Sascha,
I know this post is a bit old but being pregnant and using biologique recherche myself I did not get any consistent answer from anyone regarding the amount of salicylic acid in the products.
If I may, which was the element in the facial that you could not do back then?
Thank you so much,
Cheers
Hi Lola,
It was basically the gadget they use in standard facials that wasn’t suited to use in pregnancy; I think, if I understand correctly, that the majority of salicylic acid skincare products don’t penetrate deep enough to cause an issue during pregnancy, but I’m not 100% sure of the details; it’s either on the Caroline Hirons site or Paula’s Choice, both of which are worth checking out for more info.
Hope that helps and I hope the pregnancy is going well! xx
Thanks a lot! My doc does not believe in all these cosmetics warnings and he is very experienced, but after reading the internet (bad idea I know) I got confused!
Best wishes to you 🙂
No probs – it’s a scary time for all things cosmetic as you go online and half the people say avoid, and the others say go for it! I think Retinol is the one to avoid but I think Salicylic Acid is pretty gentle in the grand scale of things xx