Flow Oily Sensitive Light Moisturiser
Nourishing face moisturiser for oily, sensitive skin
The lightest of the three textures, made for facial skin that produces plenty of its own oil and still reacts easily. Around nine percent of the formula is plant oil, chosen from the lighter, calmer end. Every ingredient and every percentage is published below.
Formulated to limit the potential to react with your skin. No ingredients hidden under catch-all terms like fragrance or parfum. Always patch test first if your skin can be reactive.
What it is, and who it’s for
Flow is our face texture, and this is the version for skin that is oily and reactive at the same time, which is a combination the market tends to ignore. It carries around nine percent plant oils, all from the light end: pomegranate and grape seed in equal measure, dragon fruit, and a little argan.
Around those sits the same supporting cast that runs through every Biotaderm formula. A postbiotic ferment, a prebiotic, plant squalane, allantoin, vitamin E. The formula is built at skin pH and held there by sodium citrate, which is the plainest thing we do for the skin microbiome and the best evidenced.
It suits skin that shines and stings, often after whatever was supposed to fix the shine.
Warm a small amount between your fingertips and press it into clean skin, once or twice a day, before any cosmetics or sunscreen. Only a little is needed.
How it feels
A light cream that spreads smoothly and easily. A pea-sized amount will cover the whole face, and it spreads thin without dragging.
Rapidly absorbed with little working. The skin is left with a satin finish and ready to take on any additional products such as make-up or sunscreen.
A balance between the natural cold-pressed organic oils and the earthy, slightly citrus tones of the vetiver. Noticeable for a few minutes and then gone.
Key ingredients
Four oils do the work here, all from the lighter and calmer end. Skin that is oily and reactive at once gets stripped by the products aimed at the first problem, which makes the second one worse. Each has its own entry in the ingredient library, with the evidence and its limits set out in full.
Pomegranate Seed Oil Punica Granatum
Unusual among plant oils for its punicic acid content, a conjugated fatty acid with antioxidant activity. It is a calm oil, which is why it leads this blend rather than rose hip.
Grape Seed Oil Vitis Vinifera
One of the lightest oils we use, high in linoleic acid and quick to absorb. It is the reason this formula can carry nearly a tenth of its weight in oil without feeling like it.
Dragon Fruit Seed Oil Hylocereus Undatus
A light seed oil, rich in linoleic acid, with antioxidant activity from its tocopherol content. It sits well on skin that finds heavier oils uncomfortable. Organic and cold-pressed.
Argan Kernel Oil Argania Spinosa
High in vitamin E and used here in a small amount, for its emollient character rather than for the reputation that precedes it. Organic and cold-pressed.
Bladderwrack Fucus Vesiculosus, our signature Atlantic seaweed
The same species you will find on the rocks below Welcombe at low tide. Ours is a cold, solvent-free infusion in sunflower oil, made in the UK, and we would rather be plain about what that form carries. The fucoidans and phlorotannins the seaweed is famous for are water-soluble and largely stay behind. What crosses into the oil is fucoxanthin, the golden pigment, which gives a modest antioxidant note. That, and a real kinship with the coast this brand comes from, is why it is here. It is in every formula we make.
Beyond these, every Biotaderm moisturiser shares the same quiet supporting cast: squalane, a postbiotic ferment upcycled from gin distilling, prebiotic inulin, allantoin, vitamin E and chlorella.
There is one essential oil in this formula. Vetiver root oil, chosen for the antioxidant properties the research credits it with and for the quiet earthy note it gives the blend. It is named on the label under its own name, never folded into a "parfum" catch-all.
That means the honest description of this product is "no synthetic fragrance" rather than "fragrance-free". One is true. The other would not be. A concentrated aromatic can still be a lot for a fragile barrier, which is why the level is kept low and why a patch test is worth the trouble if your skin runs reactive.
What it comes in
What it comes in, and how long it lasts.
| Volume | 150ml ℮ |
|---|---|
| How long it lasts | Four to six weeks when used once a day on the face. |
| Bottle | Aluminium, with a bamboo and plastic pump. The bottle is refillable, and can be recycled. |
| Once opened | Six months. |
| Batch | Batch number and best-before are printed on the label. |
Full formulation
Every ingredient in strict descending order by mass, carried below the one percent mark where the rules stop requiring it.
| Ingredient (INCI) | % | Skin function |
|---|---|---|
| Aqua | 70.55 | Hydrating base carrying water-soluble actives |
| Glycerin* | 6.00 | Humectant that draws and holds moisture |
| Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil*^ | 2.52 | Punicic acid; antioxidant and calming |
| Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*^ | 2.52 | Light, quickly absorbed antioxidant oil |
| Sodium Citrate | 2.25 | Holds the formula at skin pH |
| Cetearyl Olivate | 2.25 | Olive-derived emulsifier; skin-friendly, lipid-like texture |
| Hylocereus Undatus (Dragon Fruit) Seed Oil*^ | 2.10 | Linoleic-rich seed oil with antioxidant activity |
| Sorbitan Olivate | 1.50 | Olive emulsifier supporting skin-like structure |
| Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil*^ | 1.26 | Vitamin E-rich emollient that supports the skin barrier |
| Gluconolactone | 1.13 | Part of the preservative system; keeps the formula safe |
| Squalane | 1.00 | Lightweight emollient that reduces moisture loss |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | 1.00 | Fatty alcohol; emollient and thickener |
| Saccharomyces/Barley Seed Ferment Filtrate# | 1.00 | Postbiotic that supports the barrier and calms skin |
| Propanediol | 0.89 | Plant humectant that also aids absorption |
| Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil | 0.85 | Linoleic-rich oil that supports the skin barrier |
| Tocopherol (Vitamin E) | 0.51 | Antioxidant protecting skin lipids and oils |
| Glyceryl Caprylate | 0.50 | Coconut-derived emollient that aids preservation |
| Allantoin | 0.50 | Soothes skin and supports natural repair |
| Inulin | 0.50 | Prebiotic humectant that feeds skin microbes |
| Caesalpinia Spinosa (Tara) Gum | 0.45 | Forms a film that helps hold in moisture |
| Sodium Benzoate | 0.38 | Gentle preservative keeping the product safe |
| Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Extract | 0.14 | Atlantic seaweed with a modest antioxidant note |
| Vetiveria Zizanioides (Vetiver) Root Oil* | 0.10 | Aromatic root oil with antioxidant properties |
| Chlorella Vulgaris (Microalga) Extract | 0.10 | Antioxidant, soothing microalga |
| Lactic Acid | 0.002 | Adjusts pH; present at trace level |
* Organic ^ Cold-pressed # Upcycled
Common questions
Flow, Core or Deep? How do I choose?
By where you are putting it rather than by how dry your skin feels. Flow is the lightest of the three and is built for the face, at around nine percent plant oils. Core carries more and suits the body. Deep carries most and is for hands, elbows and feet, the places that take a battering.
The skin type is the second choice, and that one is about how your skin behaves. This is the Dry Sensitive formulation, for skin that feels tight after washing and tends to object to new products.
Can I use Flow on my body as well as my face?
You can, though you will get through it quickly. Flow is formulated light enough for facial skin, so on arms and legs you end up using rather a lot of a 150ml bottle to cover ground that Core would handle with less. If you want one product for both, Core is the more sensible buy.
My skin reacts to essential oils. Is this one safe for me?
There is one essential oil in here, vetiver root oil, at a tenth of a percent. It is named on the label under its own name rather than hidden inside a parfum listing, so you can see exactly what you are dealing with.
Whether that suits you is something only your skin can answer. If you have reacted to aromatics before, patch test on the inside of your forearm and leave it a couple of days before putting it near your face.
Gentle, skin friendly
Microbiome friendly
Natural
Formulation Clear
Cruelty free
Handmade in small batches in Welcombe, north Devon.
Low tide below Welcombe, where the bladderwrack grows
