March Skin Care Haul: Neutrogena, Vichy, Bioderma, La Roche-Posay & Eucerin

Back before the global pandemic, around the time of International Women's Day, lot's of companies were having sales on beauty products. I'm only human, so I used the opportunity to stock up on old favourites and new (to me) products I'd been curious about.

Some of these products are already used up, never to be repurchased again, and others I'm planning to get more of, if I haven't already. I've definitely used these long enough to form an opinion. As there's quite a few things to discuss, let's do this brand by brand.

NEUTROGENA

I was inspired to try the Nuetrogena Hydro Boost line after some extensive research into hyaluronic acid and other humectants. Dr. Dray raves about the fragrance free gel-cream, and it happened to be on offer at one of the supermarkets, so I saw no harm in trying it. The reason it intrigued me was because of the way she used it.

My problem with lightweight gel-creams is that they're not moisturizing enough for me (even though I have combo oily skin). They feel nice after initial application, but then my skin feels quite dry after the product has absorbed. This happens even if I apply a thicker layer, so I usually end up using some other moisturizer on top. I'd do this out of necessity, not on purpose, but Dr. Dray uses the Neutrogena gel-cream in this manner intentionally. The idea is to lock in moisture immediately after cleansing, which a moisturizer rich in humectants can do, because unlike serums it also has occlusive properties. Basically, think of the Neutrogena gel-cream as a thick, hydrating serum with some moisturizing qualities.

There are two ways I like to use it. In my night time routine - after a long, hot shower to stop my skin losing water, and in my morning routine, under SPF (because I've yet to find an SPF 30 or higher product that is also a decent moisturizer). I've used up one jar and re-purchased two more, because they were on sale again. I like the product, but I wouldn't buy it without a discount.

I'm less impressed by the Hydro Boost body gel cream. Dr. Dray mentions using this moisturizer on the face without any issues. I think they must have a fragrance-free version in the US, because the one I have has a fairly potent, synthetic smell and pale blue colour. I like the lightweight texture and how easy it is to apply, but there's something in it that's a bit irritating. I'm not sure what it is, and it doesn't bother me after every use, but sometimes my skin will feel itchy and have red dots after application. This may well be caused by something else, but for this reason, I don't think I'll be buying the body gel cream again.

VICHY

Staying on the subject of hydration, I was super curious about the Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster. I'd used their Aqualia Thermal serum before and wasn't impressed, but back then I didn't know that you're supposed to apply a moisturizer within 30 seconds to stop your skin from losing water, after the hyaluronic acid attracts it to the skin. I'd asked for a sample so I could try the product first, and liked it enough to buy a full size.

The Minéral 89 has a light, viscous texture and no fragrance as far as I can tell. It absorbs without leaving a tacky film and I've really enjoyed using it. I use it in place of the Neutrogena gel-cream, morning and night, based on what I'm in the mood for. I can't tell the effect it has by looking at my skin, but it feels like my skin is more supple and soft when I use this serum.

I also tried two Vichy masks – Soothing Aloe Vera and Quenching Mineral Mask. I wouldn't buy either of them again. They're both heavily fragranced and quite a nuisance to wash off. The Aloe mask feels tingly, borderline irritating and the Mineral mask feels very sticky. For me, they don't feel nice on and I don't see or feel the effect of what they're supposed to deliver.

BIODERMA

My scalp was having an existential crisis after I tried to use up a backlog of L'Occitane shampoo that used to work for me, but now causes irritation. I thought I could work through it if I spaced out the times I use it far enough apart, but no luck. My scalp felt super itchy and irritated so I just passed the remainder of the product on to my mom, and started to research ways to heal my scalp.

The Bioderma Nodé K shampoo seemed to tick all the boxes. Fragrance-free, detergent-free, itch relief, oil control... Long story short, I love it! My scalp has never felt so simultaneously clean and calm (because “clean” can often feel overly dry and tight, which is not the case here). I've basically stopped using styling products and avoid anything with fragrance and alcohol (as best I can). I also no longer put my hair up in a towel, because I was seeing lots of breakage, and instead pat my hair dry and only comb it the following morning after a wash. I think all of the above has had a positive effect on my hair and scalp health.

I intended to re-purchase the Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Gel Moussant, which I love and have used for years as a cleanser, but was accidentally sold the Atoderm Shower Oil instead. I amended this with a later purchase but decided to keep the oil as well and see if it could be used as an oil cleanser. I can now report back and say no, it doesn't work as a first cleans. It's much more similar in texture to a shower gel than a cleansing oil. What it would be a good dupe for is the L'Occitane shower oil, which lots of people love to use for shaving. I don't dislike it, but I'm also not sure if I'd buy it again. At any rate, it will be a long time before I run out of it.

LA ROCHE-POSAY

The La Roche-Posay Lipikar Body Lotion was a long overdue re-purchase for me. I'd used it before, and it seemed to calm my skin down, when some other product had irritated and made it overly reactive. It's only my second time using it, but so far so good.

A lipstick I'd tried back in November had wreaked havoc on my lips. I'm talking peeling to the point of bleeding every day for almost two months. None of my previous go to balms and ointments were helping, and I was getting desperate. Unfortunately, the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Lip Balm didn't work for me. By the time I started using it, I'd found something else that was helping and thought the skin barrier on my lips was on the road to recovery, but when I used the Cicaplast balm, they started to peel and bleed again. So, I stopped, passed it on and have been sticking to the products that do work for me.

EUCERIN

I'd never tried anything from Eucerin, as their product line is quite extensive, confusing and expensive. I did some research, came up with a list of things I wanted to try and edited it down to five products. The Eucerin Aquaphor Ointment and Acute Lip Balm are quite similar. My first impression was that they're both very good, but almost identical to vaseline, which is much cheaper. Aquaphor is a little better than plain vaseline, and the lip balm a little better than Aquaphor. Each considerably more expensive than the previous, per volume. The products were good, but felt like bad value.

After using them for over two months now, I've changed my mind, because the additional humectants, emollients and occlusives in Eucerin's products make a huge difference. Compared to vaseline, I need to reapply Aquaphor far less frequently, and the lip balm even less still. These two products have made a massive difference in the health of the skin barrier on my lips. I still get some peeling here and there, but nothing like it was a few months ago. I'd re-purchase both in a heartbeat!

Another Eucerin product I've been blown away by is their UreaRepair PLUS 5% Urea Hand Cream. I wash my hands a lot and live in a cold climate, so they're often dry. Not only is this the best hand cream I've ever used, it did something I had not expected. I have a dry patch in one of the corners of the nail bed on my right thumb. It's always dry, hard and peeling. The instant the dead skin peels off, the process starts again. It's a never ending cycle that I'd just resigned to living with forever. After about a week of using the Eucerin hand cream, I noticed that the dry corner was not becoming hard anymore and it's gotten better over time. I've still got an urge to scratch it, whereas there's no such feeling on my left thumb, but to the naked eye it looks perfectly healthy. I've already re-purchased this hand cream and will continue to do so!

I wanted to try one of Eucerin's SPF products, specifically an SPF 30 sun block, but didn't want to buy before trying. I asked for a sample, but they only had samples of a different product – the Oil Control Sun Gel-Cream Dry Touch. Ideally, I would have liked to have found a non irritating sun block that isn't specifically marketed for the face, as they tend to be much cheaper, but after trying this one, I decided I liked it well enough to buy a full size.

People with normal or dry skin will hate this gel-cream! It really does control oil production very effectively. I'd never tried a product that felt that way and knowing how oily I get in the summer, I thought it would be nice to have something that helped deal with that. On its own, even I find it too drying. I either apply a moisturizer or hydrating serum underneath. In a hotter climate, there may not be a need for that, but I've yet to try it in such conditions. The texture is light and spreadable and after it absorbs, it feels like you've already applied a translucent powder. I personally enjoy the finish, but I know I'm in the minority, because most people want a glow instead.

The final product I got was the Eucerin pH5 Light Lotion. This product was just okay. I liked the texture, but not the fragrance. It didn't feel like it did anything special and to be honest, I only got it because the Urea body lotions were too expensive. Seeing as I love their hand cream so much, next time I'll just get the 5% or 10% urea body lotion, odds are it'll be worth it.

So that was my biggest skin care haul to date. Some disappointments, but lots of great finds as well. My lips, hands and scalp are doing much better, and my hydration game is getting pretty good as well!

OR