Biotaderm Flow Oily Sensitive Face 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. Over nine percent of the formula is plant oil, chosen from the lighter, milder end. Every ingredient and every percentage is published below.
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. It carries over nine percent plant oils, all from the light end: pomegranate and grape seed in equal measure, dragon fruit, and a little argan.
Around those are the ingredients every Biotaderm formula shares, including a postbiotic barley ferment, the plant prebiotic inulin, plant squalane, allantoin and 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. Avoid the immediate eye area.
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.
Absorbs quickly with little rubbing, leaving a satin finish that sits well under make-up or sunscreen.
The plant oils, with the earthy, slightly citrus note of the vetiver. You notice it for a few minutes, then it fades.
Key ingredients
Four oils do the work here, all from the lighter, milder end. Skin that is oily and reactive at once is often stripped by products aimed at the oil, and that can leave it more reactive. 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. Mild and light, it leads this blend for skin that is both oily and reactive.
Grape Seed Oil Vitis Vinifera
One of the lightest oils we use, high in linoleic acid and quick to absorb. It lets the formula carry a generous share of oil without feeling heavy.
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. 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. The infusion carries fucoxanthin, the seaweed's golden pigment, which gives it a modest antioxidant character, helped by the vitamin E in the sunflower oil that carries it. That, and the brand's ties to this coast, is why it is in every formula we make.
Every Biotaderm moisturiser also contains squalane, a postbiotic barley ferment upcycled from gin distilling, the plant prebiotic inulin, allantoin, vitamin E and chlorella.
Every ingredient is named on the label, with nothing hidden under "fragrance" or "parfum", so you can check the formula against anything your skin dislikes. If your skin reacts easily, patch test on the inside of your forearm before first use.
This formula contains one essential oil, vetiver root oil, at a tenth of a percent. Vetiver root oil is rich in antioxidant compounds, chiefly the vetivones, and the research that identified them tested the same steam-distilled root oil we use. It also gives the cream its quiet, earthy scent and softens the sharper notes of the cold-pressed oils.
It appears on the label under its own name, never inside a "parfum" catch-all. That is why we describe the range as having no synthetic fragrance rather than as fragrance-free.
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 can be recycled. |
| Once opened | Six months. |
| Batch | Batch number and best-before are printed on the label. |
Full formulation
Every ingredient in descending order by weight, including those below one percent, where the rules allow any order.
| Ingredient (INCI) | % | Skin function |
|---|---|---|
| Aqua | 71.23 | Base of the cream, carrying everything that dissolves in water |
| Glycerin | 6.00 | Humectant that draws and holds moisture |
| Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil*^ | 2.52 | Conditioning oil, rich in punicic acid |
| Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*^# | 2.52 | Light, quickly absorbed oil, high in linoleic acid |
| Sodium Citrate | 2.25 | Holds the formula at skin pH |
| Cetearyl Olivate | 2.25 | Olive-derived emulsifier; forms layers like the skin's own lipids |
| Hylocereus Undatus (Dragon Fruit) Seed Oil^ | 2.10 | Linoleic-rich seed oil with antioxidant activity |
| Sorbitan Olivate | 1.50 | Olive-derived emulsifier, paired with cetearyl olivate |
| Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil*^# | 1.26 | Vitamin E-rich conditioning oil |
| Gluconolactone | 1.13 | Part of the preservative system |
| Squalane | 1.00 | Lightweight emollient that helps slow water loss |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | 1.00 | Fatty alcohol; emollient and thickener |
| Saccharomyces/Barley Seed Ferment Filtrate# | 1.00 | Barley ferment that helps skin hold moisture |
| Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil | 0.85 | Linoleic-rich oil that supports the skin barrier |
| Tocopherol (Vitamin E) | 0.51 | Antioxidant that protects the oils in the formula |
| Glyceryl Caprylate | 0.50 | Plant-derived emollient that supports the preservative |
| Allantoin | 0.50 | Soothes and softens skin |
| Inulin | 0.50 | Humectant and plant prebiotic; feeds beneficial skin bacteria in lab studies |
| Caesalpinia Spinosa (Tara) Gum | 0.45 | Thickens the cream and steadies the emulsion |
| Sodium Benzoate | 0.38 | Preservative that stops microbes growing in the bottle |
| Propanediol | 0.30 | Carries the chlorella extract; also a humectant |
| Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack) Extract | 0.14 | Atlantic seaweed with a modest antioxidant note |
| Vetiveria Zizanioides (Vetiver) Root Oil* | 0.10 | The only essential oil in the range; a faint earthy scent |
| Chlorella Vulgaris (Microalga) Extract | 0.008 | Microalgal extract; its maker's laboratory work suggests it favours helpful skin bacteria |
| Lactic Acid | 0.002 | Holds the chlorella active at its acidity; a trace |
* 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. The skin type finder sorts it in two questions.
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. Should I try this one?
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.
Made to be gentle on skin
Microbiome-friendly
Naturally derived
Every formulation published
Vegan and cruelty-free
Handmade in small batches in Welcombe, north Devon.
Low tide below Welcombe, where the bladderwrack grows
