What This Bioderma Hand Cream Does
This Bioderma hand cream repairs hands that have been washed, scrubbed and dried out until the skin splits, and it leaves a protective film behind that holds up through the next few washes rather than disappearing with the first one. It absorbs fast and leaves no greasy film, so you can put it on and pick up a phone, a pen or a steering wheel straight away. It works on the nails at the same time.
Who This Is Really For
Frequent hand washing, harsh weather and detergents are the obvious answer, and they are right as far as they go. But Atoderm is the range Bioderma built for dry, very dry and eczema-prone skin rather than for merely thirsty skin, and once you know that, it points at two groups of people who are served badly everywhere else and who between them are probably most of the market for this tube in Kenya. Both of them are already walking past your counter.
The first is anybody whose job destroys their hands. Nurses, clinicians, lab staff, cleaners, cooks, hairdressers, mechanics, people who wash and sanitise their hands twenty or thirty times a shift. Alcohol gel and repeated washing strip the skin’s own oils faster than it can rebuild them, and the result is the cracked, stinging, sometimes bleeding hands that a great many people simply put up with because they assume it comes with the work.
The second is parents. Bioderma make this one for adults and children, and the Atoderm line exists for exactly the skin that cracks on the backs of the hands and around the knuckles in dry weather. If your child’s hands are raw and they have been scratching them, our pharmacist will look at it with you, and our doctor is here if it turns out to be more than dryness.
What Bioderma Measured, and What We Are Choosing Not to Repeat
Bioderma publish real figures for this cream with the groups attached, and in one respect their own page is inconsistent, so here is how we are handling it.
In a usage test on 24 volunteers aged 26 to 67 with dry to very dry skin, using it twice daily for 7 days: 92% reported the glove effect, 96% instant comfort, 96% that it repaired damaged hands, and 100% that the texture was not sticky. In a separate corneometry study on 11 volunteers aged 21 to 62 with dry to very dry hands in winter, hydration rose 75% after 21 days.
Where their page disagrees with itself, we have taken the lower number. One part of Bioderma’s page heads the comfort result at 100% and another reports 96%; one says 8 hours of hydration and another says 24. We have used 96% and 8 hours throughout, because when a maker publishes two versions of the same claim the conservative one is the one that will still be true at your counter.
How to Use It, and the Habit That Decides Whether It Works
Bioderma’s instruction is simple: apply morning and evening, or as often as needed, and massage gently into the hands until it absorbs.
Here is the part that actually matters, which no page says. A hand cream’s enemy is the next hand wash. So keep the tube where the washing happens rather than in a drawer, put it on after every wash you can manage, and above all put it on last thing at night, because that is the one stretch of hours when nothing is going to rinse it off again. People who do that get a different result from people who use the same cream twice a day at random.
Work the cuticles and nails deliberately, since this is a hand and nail cream and the nails only benefit if the cream reaches them. Bioderma’s claim is that it strengthens nails in a lasting way, and lasting means weeks rather than days: a nail grows out slowly, so judge it over a couple of months.
What Is in It, and the Honest Gap
The active idea is Bioderma’s patented D.A.F. complex, which they describe as raising the skin’s tolerance threshold — the reason the Atoderm range is built for skin that reacts as well as skin that is merely dry.
Beyond that we would rather tell you what we do not yet have than make something up. Bioderma do not publish the full ingredient list for this cream online, and we have asked for it off the carton. When we have it, it goes on this listing in full, as we have done everywhere else that Bioderma publish theirs. If you need to check a specific ingredient before buying, ring us and we will read the tube to you.
One thing we can tell you plainly: Bioderma do not state that this cream is fragrance-free, and they make no hypoallergenic claim for it. If you avoid fragrance, ask us before you buy rather than after, and we will check the carton and suggest an alternative if it matters to you. The Sensibio range is the completely unfragranced side of Bioderma’s shelf.
Where a 50 ml Tube Fits
Fifty millilitres is a handbag, pocket and desk-drawer size, which is the right size for this product rather than a compromise. A hand cream that lives in the bathroom gets used twice a day; one that lives in your pocket gets used eight times, and eight times is what repairs hands.
If your hands are cracked because of work rather than weather, buy two: one for the bag and one for wherever you wash. Tell our pharmacist how your hands got like this and how many months you want covered, and we will work the order out with you. If the skin on the rest of you is also dry or prone to eczema, ask about the wider Atoderm range — the shower oil and the body cream are the two that change how the whole problem behaves — and a daily sunscreen is worth a word too, because the backs of the hands take more sun than any other skin you own.
Is This Bioderma Hand Cream Right for You?
It suits dry, cracked, hard-worked hands and fragile nails, in adults and children. A few things worth settling first.
- Bioderma make no fragrance-free or hypoallergenic claim for it. Please ask us to check the carton before you buy if scented products have reacted on you.
- If the skin is broken, weeping, bleeding or infected, see our doctor before putting anything on it. Cracked hands can become infected and that needs treating rather than moisturising.
- If your hands itch, blister or flare in patches rather than simply feeling dry, that may be eczema or a contact reaction and our doctor can tell the difference. A good cream helps either way, but only one of the two is a skincare problem.
- Nails take months, not days. A nail grows out slowly, so give the nail claim a couple of months before judging it.
- If you are diabetic, please mention it, because hand and foot skin needs watching more closely and our pharmacist will want to know.
Where to Buy Bioderma Atoderm Mains & Ongles Hand and Nail Cream 50 ml in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At a few applications a day a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A repair cream like this one taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your Bioderma Atoderm Mains & Ongles Hand and Nail Cream 50 ml from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will tell you whether cracked hands need a cream or our doctor, read you the carton if you need to avoid an ingredient, and work out how many tubes your job actually needs. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Bioderma Hand Cream: Your Questions Answered
What does this Bioderma hand cream do?
It repairs hands dried out and cracked by washing, weather or detergents, and leaves a protective film behind that lasts through the next few washes. Bioderma call that the glove effect, and 92% of volunteers in their usage test reported it. It works on the nails at the same time and absorbs without leaving a greasy film.
How often should I use it?
Bioderma say morning and evening or as often as needed. In practice, as often as you can after washing your hands, and above all last thing at night, because that is the only stretch of hours when nothing will rinse it off again.
My hands are destroyed by washing and sanitiser at work. Will it help?
This is exactly what the Atoderm range is built for. Alcohol gel and repeated washing strip the skin’s own oils faster than it rebuilds them, which is what produces the cracking and stinging. Keep a tube where you wash rather than in a drawer, and buy two if you work shifts — one for the bag, one for the sink. Our pharmacist will talk it through with you.
Can children use it?
Yes. Bioderma list this one for adults and children, and the Atoderm range exists for the skin that cracks across the knuckles and the backs of the hands. If your child’s hands are raw and being scratched, bring them in and our doctor will have a look, because that may be eczema rather than dryness.
Is it fragrance-free?
Bioderma do not state that it is, and they make no hypoallergenic claim for it either. If you avoid fragrance, ask us before you buy and we will read the carton to you and suggest an alternative if it matters. The Sensibio range is the completely unfragranced side of Bioderma’s shelf.
Will it really strengthen my nails?
Bioderma’s claim is that it strengthens nails in a lasting way, and they publish no nail-specific test figures, so we will not put a number on it. What we will say is that a nail grows out slowly, so work the cream into the cuticles deliberately and judge it over a couple of months rather than a couple of weeks.
Is it greasy?
No. Ultra-fast absorption and a non-oily texture are Bioderma’s own description, and 100% of the volunteers in their usage test said the texture was not sticky. You can put it on and pick up a phone.
How long does hydration last?
We quote 8 hours, which is the conservative figure. Bioderma’s own page gives 8 hours in one place and 24 in another, and where a maker publishes two versions of a claim we would rather use the one that will still be true at our counter.
What is the D.A.F. complex?
Bioderma’s patented complex, which they describe as raising the skin’s tolerance threshold. It is the reason the Atoderm line is made for skin that reacts as well as skin that is simply dry, and it appears across the range rather than only in this tube.
What is in it?
Bioderma do not publish the full ingredient list for this cream online, so we have asked for it off the carton rather than guess. When we have it we will publish it in full. If you need to check one specific ingredient before buying, ring us and we will read the tube to you.
How long will a 50 ml tube last?
Used a few times a day on two hands, roughly a month. Used properly after every wash, less — which is the point at which two tubes rather than one is the sensible order.
My hands are cracked and bleeding. Should I just use this?
Please see our doctor first. Broken skin on the hands can become infected, and an infection needs treating rather than moisturising. Once it is settled, this is a good cream to keep it from coming back.
Is this the same as an ordinary hand lotion?
It is doing more than most. The difference is the long-lasting protective film Bioderma call the glove effect, which is what survives the next hand wash, plus the D.A.F. complex for skin that reacts. For hands that are cracked rather than just dry, that distinction is the whole reason to pay more than supermarket prices.
Where can I buy Bioderma Atoderm Mains & Ongles Hand and Nail Cream 50 ml in Kenya, and what does it cost?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. The current price is shown at the top of this listing. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request. If your hands are like this because of your work rather than the weather, ask us about buying two tubes, and tell us how many months you want covered.
