What This Bioderma Face Wash Does
This Bioderma face wash cleans skin that reacts to things, and leaves it comfortable rather than tight, stinging or flushed the way an ordinary soap or foaming cleanser so often does.
Sensibio Gel Moussant is the cleanser from Bioderma’s sensitive-skin range. It takes off the day — sweat, dust, sunscreen, light make-up — around the eyes as well as on the face, and rinses clean without a film. This is the 200 ml bottle, which is the size to buy when you are finding out whether it suits you, and the one that travels.
The 200 ml Is the Bottle to Start With
We would rather tell you how to buy this than simply sell it to you, because we stock it in two sizes and they are not equally good value.
Start here. Two hundred millilitres is six to eight weeks of morning-and-evening washing for one person — long enough to know properly whether your skin is happier on it, which is the only question that matters with a sensitive-skin cleanser. It also fits a wash bag and a hand luggage allowance, where the big one stays at home.
Then move up. Once you know it suits you, the 500 ml pump bottle holds two and a half times as much for only a fraction more money. Per millilitre it is less than half the price of this one, so anyone who settles on Sensibio and keeps buying the small bottle is paying twice over for the convenience. Buy this one to decide, that one to stay.
That is the whole of our advice on the two sizes, and our pharmacist will say the same thing at the counter.
What Is in It, and What Is Left Out
On a product bought specifically by people whose skin reacts, the ingredient list is the product. Bioderma publish theirs in full.
It cleans with mild surfactants rather than soap: sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate and coco-glucoside. Soap is alkaline and lifts out the skin’s own oils along with the dirt, and that stripping is what leaves a reactive face feeling drawn afterwards.
It holds water at the surface with mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose and fructo-oligosaccharides, which is why skin feels soft rather than squeaky once it is rinsed.
Plus vitamin E as tocopherol, with ascorbyl palmitate and lecithin.
And three things it leaves out, which on this product matter as much as anything in it. No soap. No fragrance of any kind — fragrance is the single commonest cause of a reaction to a cosmetic, so an unfragranced cleanser removes the likeliest culprit before you start. And no alkalinity: the pH is matched to skin. Bioderma also state it is non-comedogenic and has very good skin and eye tolerance, and they make it for adults and teenagers.
What Bioderma’s Testing Actually Showed
We give you the numbers with the number of people under them, because a percentage on its own tells you nothing.
A usage test on 22 people aged 21 to 48 with sensitive skin, washing with it two or three times daily for a week: 100% said their skin was cleansed, 95% that it felt comfortable, 91% that it felt moisturised and 86% that it felt soothed. Those are the users’ own judgements, and 22 people is a small group. Encouraging, not conclusive.
And one instrumented measurement: hydration up 13% after 14 days, still raised 24 hours after washing. That one is an instrument reading rather than an opinion, so it carries more weight than the percentages above it.
Fourteen days is also, conveniently, about the point at which you will know. Give the bottle a fortnight before you decide.
How to Use a Bioderma Face Wash on Reactive Skin
Bioderma’s instructions are four steps: apply on wet skin, work into a foam, rinse well with water, dry gently. Morning and evening, or either, and it is made for the eye area as well as the face.
Three things worth adding from the counter. Use lukewarm water — hot water undoes much of what a gentle cleanser is for. Do not scrub, because on reactive skin the rubbing causes more trouble than any cleanser, and this lifts light make-up without it. And keep the rest of your routine simple while you find out whether this suits you: one change at a time is the only way to know what is working.
Follow with your moisturiser. Our pharmacist will go through the whole routine with you if you are putting one together and will tell you which steps you can drop.
The Inside-Out Side of Skin
Some of what shows on a face comes from further in, and a few nutrients carry recognised benefits for skin rather than hopeful ones.
Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. An effervescent vitamin C tablet clears the amount that benefit is set at several times over and costs very little.
Zinc and biotin each contribute to the maintenance of normal skin. A collagen drink with biotin and zinc in it is the one customers ask us about most often, and our pharmacist will tell you plainly which part of it carries a recognised benefit.
Is This Bioderma Face Wash Right for You?
- Patch test first if you have reacted to a product before. A little on the inner forearm for a day or two. It is built to be low-risk and it carries no fragrance, which removes the commonest cause — but low risk is not no risk, and we would rather say so than let a label imply otherwise.
- If you came here about acne, please ask us first. Sensibio is the sensitive-skin range. Bioderma make a separate line for oily and blemish-prone skin, and our pharmacist will point you at it rather than let you buy the wrong one.
- If redness or flushing keeps coming back, see our doctor as well. Persistent facial redness deserves a proper look rather than a change of cleanser, and a gentle wash sits alongside treatment rather than replacing it.
- Teenagers yes, young children ask us. Bioderma make it for adults and teenagers; for a younger child our pharmacist will suggest something made for the age.
- Give it a fortnight before you judge it, and keep everything else in your routine the same while you do. Changing three products at once tells you nothing about any of them.
Where to Buy Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant 200 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 pump morning and evening 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 daily cleanser 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 Sensibio Gel Moussant 200 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 compare the two bottle sizes on price per millilitre, tell you whether Sensibio or Bioderma’s oily-skin line is the right one for your face, and go through the rest of your routine with you. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this Bioderma face wash do?
It cleans skin that reacts to things and leaves it comfortable rather than tight or stinging. Sensibio Gel Moussant is the cleanser from Bioderma’s sensitive-skin range: soap-free, completely unfragranced and at a pH matched to skin, for face and eyes.
Should I buy the 200 ml or the 500 ml?
Start with this one. Two hundred millilitres is six to eight weeks for one person washing twice a day, which is long enough to know whether your skin is happier on it, and it fits hand luggage. Once you know it suits you, the 500 ml bottle with the pump holds two and a half times as much for a fraction more money — per millilitre it is less than half the price of this bottle.
What is in it?
Mild surfactants instead of soap — sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate and coco-glucoside — with mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose and fructo-oligosaccharides to hold water at the surface, plus vitamin E as tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate and lecithin. Bioderma publish the full list and we will show it to you on request.
Is it really fragrance-free?
Yes, entirely unfragranced, and it is the most useful thing about it. Fragrance is the commonest cause of a reaction to a cosmetic, so a cleanser without any removes the likeliest culprit before you start.
Can I use it on my eyes?
Yes. Bioderma make it for face and eyes and report very good eye tolerance. It lifts light eye make-up without the rubbing that usually does the damage.
Is it good for acne?
Ask us before you buy it for acne. Sensibio is Bioderma’s sensitive-skin line and they make a different range for oily and blemish-prone skin. This one is non-comedogenic so it leaves pores clear, but if breakouts are your main reason for buying, our pharmacist will point you at the right line instead.
Will it stop my face going red?
Here is the honest answer. In Bioderma’s own usage test, 86% of 22 people with sensitive skin said their skin felt soothed after a week — their judgement, not a measurement, on a small group. What was measured is hydration, up 13% after 14 days. If facial redness or flushing keeps returning, please see our doctor rather than changing cleansers again.
How long does the 200 ml bottle last?
Six to eight weeks for one person washing morning and evening. Rather less if two of you use it, which is the point at which the larger bottle starts paying for itself.
Can teenagers use it?
Yes, Bioderma make it for adults and teenagers. For a younger child, ask our pharmacist and we will suggest something made for the age rather than guessing.
I have reacted to cleansers before. Is this safe for me?
Patch test it on the inner forearm for a day or two first, and come and talk to us. It is designed for low allergenic potential and it has no fragrance in it, but low risk is not no risk, and we prefer to tell you that rather than repeat a marketing word.
Do I need a moisturiser as well?
Most people do, and this is made to be followed by one. A gentle cleanser leaves your skin in a state where the moisturiser has less to put right. Our pharmacist will go through your routine and tell you which steps you can skip.
How soon will I know if it suits me?
Give it a fortnight, and keep the rest of your routine unchanged while you do. Fourteen days is also where Bioderma measured their hydration figure, so it is a fair point at which to judge. Changing three things at once tells you nothing about any of them.
Where can I buy Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant 200 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. The 200 ml covers six to eight weeks for one person, so tell us whether you are starting out or settling in and we will advise on the size.
