Biologique Recherche Skincare And Liberty Facial
Paris-based brand, Biologique Recherche, has been helping their French customers perfect their skin for over thirty-five years, and for the past few years us Brits have been able to see why this brand gets some serious adoration. They asked me if I'd like to try their Soin Lift facial at Liberty London - a brilliant opportunity to hear more about their products and take some away to try over a longer period. I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant to have things like placenta and colostrum rubbed into my face, but in the name of beauty blogging investigation, I went there.
As a vegetarian my first question was - these ingredients may be natural, but are they ethically sourced? And is that possible when we're talking about these specific bits of animals. Kelly, the brand trainer for Biologique Recherche, explained that it's only the cells that are extracted, so we're not talking about slabs of placenta in their lab being used, and no animals are harmed or bred for the purposes of making their products. These ingredients are extremely powerful in tackling free radicals in the skin, and are becoming much more widely used in skin treatments; colostrum is quite a popular beauty supplement and has been recommended to me by a couple of dermatologists in the past. I suppose this experience made me see that's it's just like using any other skincare, only better because it's not chock-full of nasty chemicals, unlike a lot of the products I use. As well as biological extracts, Biologique Recherche also use marine and botanical extracts, and pride themselves on formulating high concentrations, making their brand highly results-driven. They also use cold-pressing in the manufacturing processes to preserve natural ingredients, and don't use any artificial colours or fragrances, perfect for people with sensitive skin.
The jewel in the brand's crown is their Lotion P50 range (priced from £55), which I've heard a lot about. I've been using it for the past month and I'm blown away with the results, it's like having the after-effects of a really good facial, but every single day. This balancing exfoliating lotion is applied after cleansing and before serum or moisturiser, and comes in different strengths. It speeds up the skin's natural regenerating process to reveal renewed and softer, clearer skin. I recognise almost every ingredient on the label, including cider vinegar, horseradish, onion and myrtle - potent but effective in regulating sebum production, and exfoliating without drying out the skin. It needs to be applied with cotton pads soaked in water, and not used alongside any retinols, such is its power. If you try anything from the range, I really recommend the Lotion P50, an utter game changer.
A good place to try the brand is during one of their three facials at Liberty London (above). Each one costs £160 for an hour of utter bliss, which starts with an insanely good face, décolletage and scalp massage to centre you, and includes expert skin analysis, and a glow-getting hit of the items from the range that are best for your skin needs. All Biologique Recherche products are designed to work well together, and boy do they create some amazing results - I was glowing for days. The products have a scent that can only be described as interesting, sometimes yeasty, sometimes vinegary - but you get used to that, and it's totally worth it to see instant and awesome results. I really like that the brand has simple packaging, a low-key reputation (but is gushed about by beauty journalists and those in the know), and is all about getting to the heart of what you as a individual need. Talking to an expert at their Liberty counter could help you with a multitude of skin issues, everything from ageing to blemishes or rosacea. This is definitely a natural, hard-working brand that I will be trying more of.