Two Cult Cleansers…now in the UK

Cetaphil & Bioderma use to be two brands that were simply unobtainable here in the UK, & yet they were names that constantly kept popping up in the bloggosphere whenever anyone spoke about “cult cleansers”.

I am of course talking about Cetaphil “Gentle Skin Cleanser”Bioderma’s “Crealine H20 Micelliare Water”.

Both drugstore/pharmacy products have a devoted following, particularly from fans with sensitive skin & both are now available to buy in the UK with Boots stocking Cetaphil & Bioderma available in several pharmacies across London (Zest in Soho, Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden & John Bell & Croyden near Selfridges to name a few).

So are the products worth all the hype?

Cetaphil

This is a cleanser that many of my US work colleagues use & love. It’s always a product I mean to pick up on the rare trips to the US; but one I’ve always failed to bring home.
I finally picked one up in Boots last year & have been using it on & off for the last 2 months.

So far my first impressions is that it is a really basic cleanser, no scent, no foam…just a simple gel like texture. It gets the job done, removing foundation easily but again struggles with my eye makeup (my eye makeup is all waterproof!). I like the fact that it has a pump which makes it easy to reach for & use. I’m not generally a fan of wash off cleansers; but this one doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight afterwards so I’m quite happy to keep using this until it finishes.

Price wise it costs £8.99 for 236ml, not really drugstore prices but Boots currently has a 3 for 2 offer on with the range also including a shower gel & moisturiser.

Bioderma is a French skincare brand & I’ve been a regular user of the micelliare water for many years; stocking up whenever I went to Paris which lucky is about 3 times a year.
Available in 3 sizes (travel 100ml, 250ml & 500ml), the cleanser looks like water hence the name “micelliare” & is available fragrance-free or with a delicate scent. I opt for the fragrance-free option.

Formulated to gently remove makeup & cleanse the skin; I generally don’t find it very effective at removing my eye makeup, mostly because it’s all waterproof! Because of this I tend to just use this cleanser in the morning when I don’t have a face full of makeup & just want to quickly cleanse my skin.
The cleanser is super simple to use; all you need to do is to apply a bit of the product to a cotton pad & just wipe all over your face until clean. No water is necessary so this is great to take with you if you’re traveling.
Unlike some wipe off cleansers; there is no tingle or sting & the product doesn’t feel harsh on the skin at all.

Prices on the Zest Pharmacy website are as follows:
£4.50 100ml, £9.99 250ml, £14.99 500ml

I would definitely class my skin as sensitive & have had no problems using either of these products. Whilst they work for me they might not for everyone, but I do know how frustrating it can be to find skincare that agrees with sensitive skin. If you fall into this category I would definitely check these brands out. I think I favour more to the Bioderma range though; simply because the range is much bigger & you will hopefully find a product to suit your needs.

So yes!
No more plane trips, ferry rides or Eurostar trips.
No more asking nicely/begging relatives and/or friends to kindly bring back a bottle or three of any of these cleansers because they are both available to buy in the UK