Versus

Bioderma Sébium Gel Moussant - France Versus Vichy Normaderm Phytoaction Cleansing Gel

Face Cleanser
Face Cleanser
French Brand France
French Brand France

Updated on February 01, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin and reducing pores

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Masking

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.

This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.

The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.

Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.

Learn more about Sodium Chloride
Buffering

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

When to use

546 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
153 Routines
43% use in am
57% use in pm
93% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Bioderma Sébium Gel Moussant 18 ingredients

3.6 /5
from 11 ratings
Works Well (6) Drying (4) Light (2)
yutaxk's avatar

Yuta Xk

5 months ago
Review

The first time I used it was on August 28, and now it's the best thing I have. It removed my acne from my face. I use it daily during the daytime and nighttime. My skin is combination to normal, and it doesn't dry out my skin 10/10

#light
#works well
AdibaAlim's avatar

AdibaAlim

5 months ago
Review

Very effective cleanser for my oily acne prone skin. In winter, my cheeks tend to get a little bit dry. So I wouldn't recommend it to dry-combo skin people to use it in winter. But for summer, this is the best cleanser for me.

#great value
#light scent
#works well

Vichy Normaderm Phytoaction Cleansing Gel 17 ingredients

4.8 /5
from 5 ratings
Light (2) Light Scent (2) Works Well (2)
AllyF.'s avatar

AllyF.

11 months ago
Review

I've tried a numerous amount of cleansers for my acne prone skin, but I always come back to this one! If you have acne prone skin that reacts well to salicylic acid - you should definitely give Vichy a try!

#great value
#light scent
#works well
SanaAttar_461's avatar

SanaAttar_461

3 years ago
Review

This cleanser is magic
If you have oily acne prone skin, it’s your best friend ... cleaning pores and make it really smooth over 1~2 weeks it reduce acne scares as well