Two Months With Bioclarity
I like to think I'm rather picky about my sponsored posts. In my 5 years of blogging, I can count the number of sponsorships I've accepted with both hands. Usually, I only work with brands that I've tried and tested and enjoyed beforehand. But things are a little different with this post as it's sponsored by a brand that I tried for the first time, for this post!
The first time Bioclarity reached out to me I had to pass, mostly because I already had a full content calendar. But the second time they reached out I decided to say yes. Partly because some of my favorite bloggers have worked with them in the past (Jenn, Cindy, and Camilla to name a few.) And partly because their prompt was simple: try their one month kit and share my honest thoughts on the products. So here we are.
Because of my personal testing schedule, it took me about 2.5 months to get around to testing all three of their products.
A quick intro to Bioclarity: they're a relatively new skincare brand that offers a three-step skincare routine for acne prone skin. A cleanser, a treatment gel, and a moisturizer. They're sold as a set that you can purchase via a monthly subscription. Personally, I think the products would definitely last longer than a month, but perhaps if you're generously using everything 2x a day they'll go faster.
They're also cruelty-free, vegan, and made in the USA!
If you are interested in giving their system a go, they were kind enough to give me a 50% off code for a one month supply-- code "SHARM". I don't make any commission if you choose to use it 😇
Available here
This was the last product I tried, but it's definitely my favorite of the bunch. I like the consistency, I like how it makes my skin feel, and I like the scent!
It sort of feels sticky at first but it easily spreads out. It doesn't get too foamy and has quite a soft lather, which I realllly like. I find most cleansers that foam up like crazy dry me out and sometimes leave a soapy residue behind. This does neither! It rinses right off and doesn't leave any sort of film or residue behind.
I used this as my morning cleanser every day for 2.5 weeks and it didn't dry my skin out! It was a bit of a risky choice because my skin is usually a lot drier in the morning than it is at night. I also enjoyed using it as my second cleanser a few times at night. It isn't advertised as a makeup remover, but I decided to try it out as one anyway. Like every other non-oil based cleanser I've tried, it doesn't remove all my makeup. I also did not like using it to remove eye makeup because, again like almost every other non-oil based cleanser, it stung my eyes.
In her review, Camilla pH tested the cleanser and got a 5.5. I also pH tested it with my own pH strips and got a 6. So the cleanser is slightly acidic and pretty close to the natural pH of our skin.
Available here
Aaaand this was my least favorite product of the set. I might sound like a broken record at this point but for people who don't remember reading everything I have ever published on my blog and social media (how dare you), my skin does not get on with salicylic acid. At best, it does nothing. At worst, it dries the hell out of my skin.
Surprisingly, this did help a bit with some hormonal breakouts I had! I was shocked at first but at a second look at the ingredient list, I noticed that it contained lactic acid-- a chemical exfoliant that my skin does get along with. This isn't an overnight zit zapper but after consistently using it on the same spots for a week, they did reduce in size. It's a gentle but effective method.
Thanks to the addition of hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, oat kernel extract, and squalane, this didn't cause my skin to immediately start burning and peeling. But if I'm being honest I prefer using something harsher and potentially drying because I want to instantly zap zits to hell.
My biggest beef with this spot treatment was the smell. It has a strong alcohol-y scent that lingers for a minute or two. That said, I continued using it cause it worked. Most of the time I stop noticing stinky scents when I use a product long enough. For instance, Drunk Elephant's C-firma serum smells like rotting bananas to me (I have a burning hatred of bananas) yet it became a staple because it helped my skin out.
Available here
The last product in their 3 step line includes Floralux which is their registered star ingredient. According to their ingredient list it's a chlorophyllin-copper complex. The brand claims it is clinically proven to reduce redness and irritation. I'm not familiar with the ingredient but I did do a little googling on it and found that it's long been topically used in wound healing, so I'm inclined to believe it can help calm down skin.
Asides from the floralux it contains a whole host of other beneficial ingredients like niacinamide (shown to help acne and brighten skin), squalane (my fav hydrating oil), licorice root extract (another brightening ingredient), and centella asiatica (an anti-inflammatory and acne fighting superstar.)
First things first, this moisturizer is green!! I was afraid it would come off as ashy on my skintone (the main reason I'm hesitant to try other green moisturizers like Dr. Jart's cicapair sunscreen) but the color is a rich forest green that blends in easily so there's no ashiness in sight.
It has a very lightweight texture and an almost watery consistency. It blends easily and does not pill. I'm happy to report that it does not have a siliconey texture! So many moisturizers, especially more affordable ones, are loaded with silicone. Not that silicone is evil or anything, but there are people (like me) who don't get along with it in high doses. In addition, products with large amounts of silicone are also prone to pilling when worn with oil based products.
Another thing I like is that it sinks in incredibly fast. My skin just drinks it up! Unfortunately it's not moisturizing enough for me to use it as my sole moisturizer in the fall. With how cold and dry it's been lately, I've been reaching for my thickest creams and this has taken a backseat. I think this would make a nice, lightweight daytime moisturizer for the summer though. Or if you have oily skin I think you could easily use this in the winter by pairing it with a SPF in the daytime and with an oil or sleeping pack at night.
That said, if you're the kind of person that likes one and done sets and don't want to invest a lot of money and time in it, this is a nice set to try out. It's infinitely gentler than other similar 3 step systems from brands like Clinique and Proactive. In addition, it's also a lot cheaper. I wish it were available when I were a teen cause it's something I would have been hooked to.
One of the main issues I faced as a teen was drying the hell out of my skin because I thought it would solve all my acne woes. My face wash, treatments, and moisturizers (if I even used one) all included benozyl peroxide or salicylic acid. And yes, it was just as drying as it sounds.
I do have a few criticisms of the line. First off I wish the products were also sold individually. There are definitely people who love using an all in one kit, but there are also people (like me) that like picking and choosing their skincare products. Tbh if the products were sold individually, I might pick up the cleanser because I really liked it!
Like I mentioned in my intro, I think the products are generously sized, but I think the sizes could be adjusted a bit. The cleanser is the perfect size IMO. It's the largest of the 3 and that makes sense because I know I go through cleanser way quicker than moisturizers. Buuuut I would prefer the spot treatment being smaller and the moisturizer being larger.
From my own experience with other spot treatments, I know that it would take me anywhere from 6 months to 12 months to go through a 1 fl. oz spot treatment. On the other hand, the moisturizer could be a bit larger. Personally I love slathering on moisturizer so I go through them quickly when I stick to one. Basically, I would rather have a larger moisturizer and a smaller spot treatment.
Last but not least, I wish they included a sunscreen! From what I know, the research on whether salicylic acid makes your skin more photosensitive or not is a bit murky, but it's better safe than sorry. Plus it also contains lactic acid which 100% makes your skin more prone to sun damage. As someone who has dealt with acne for at least a decade, the scars are the hardest parts of dealing with acne. And sunscreen is key in making sure they fade. And even if you don't have acne, sunscreen is still key as it helps in preventing photoaging!
Thanks to Bioclarity for sponsoring this post and letting me share my honest opinions on their one month kit 😊
The first time Bioclarity reached out to me I had to pass, mostly because I already had a full content calendar. But the second time they reached out I decided to say yes. Partly because some of my favorite bloggers have worked with them in the past (Jenn, Cindy, and Camilla to name a few.) And partly because their prompt was simple: try their one month kit and share my honest thoughts on the products. So here we are.
Because of my personal testing schedule, it took me about 2.5 months to get around to testing all three of their products.
A quick intro to Bioclarity: they're a relatively new skincare brand that offers a three-step skincare routine for acne prone skin. A cleanser, a treatment gel, and a moisturizer. They're sold as a set that you can purchase via a monthly subscription. Personally, I think the products would definitely last longer than a month, but perhaps if you're generously using everything 2x a day they'll go faster.
They're also cruelty-free, vegan, and made in the USA!
If you are interested in giving their system a go, they were kind enough to give me a 50% off code for a one month supply-- code "SHARM". I don't make any commission if you choose to use it 😇
Keeping it Clean: Cucumber + Green Tea + Chamomile Cleanser
Ingredients: Water (aqua), sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, acrylates copolymer, glycereth-2 cocoate, glycerin, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, camellia oleifera (green tea) leaf extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, phenoxyethanol, sodium chloride, benzoic acid, sodium hydroxide, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoateAvailable here
This was the last product I tried, but it's definitely my favorite of the bunch. I like the consistency, I like how it makes my skin feel, and I like the scent!
It sort of feels sticky at first but it easily spreads out. It doesn't get too foamy and has quite a soft lather, which I realllly like. I find most cleansers that foam up like crazy dry me out and sometimes leave a soapy residue behind. This does neither! It rinses right off and doesn't leave any sort of film or residue behind.
I used this as my morning cleanser every day for 2.5 weeks and it didn't dry my skin out! It was a bit of a risky choice because my skin is usually a lot drier in the morning than it is at night. I also enjoyed using it as my second cleanser a few times at night. It isn't advertised as a makeup remover, but I decided to try it out as one anyway. Like every other non-oil based cleanser I've tried, it doesn't remove all my makeup. I also did not like using it to remove eye makeup because, again like almost every other non-oil based cleanser, it stung my eyes.
In her review, Camilla pH tested the cleanser and got a 5.5. I also pH tested it with my own pH strips and got a 6. So the cleanser is slightly acidic and pretty close to the natural pH of our skin.
Complexion Perfect: 2% Salicylic Acid + Oat Kernel + Acne Treatment Gel
Active Ingredients: Salicylic Acid 2% Other ingredients: Water, butylene glycol, glycerin, ethoxydiglycol, neopentyl glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, lactic acid, sodium lactate, hyaluronic acid - sodium salt, oat kernel extract, squalane, bisabolol, panthenol, lauryl lactate, methyl glucose sesquistearate, ergothioneine, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, phenoxyethanol, polysorbate 60, disodium edta, xanthan gum, carbomer, sodium hydroxide, potassium sorbateAvailable here
Aaaand this was my least favorite product of the set. I might sound like a broken record at this point but for people who don't remember reading everything I have ever published on my blog and social media (how dare you), my skin does not get on with salicylic acid. At best, it does nothing. At worst, it dries the hell out of my skin.
Surprisingly, this did help a bit with some hormonal breakouts I had! I was shocked at first but at a second look at the ingredient list, I noticed that it contained lactic acid-- a chemical exfoliant that my skin does get along with. This isn't an overnight zit zapper but after consistently using it on the same spots for a week, they did reduce in size. It's a gentle but effective method.
Thanks to the addition of hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, oat kernel extract, and squalane, this didn't cause my skin to immediately start burning and peeling. But if I'm being honest I prefer using something harsher and potentially drying because I want to instantly zap zits to hell.
My biggest beef with this spot treatment was the smell. It has a strong alcohol-y scent that lingers for a minute or two. That said, I continued using it cause it worked. Most of the time I stop noticing stinky scents when I use a product long enough. For instance, Drunk Elephant's C-firma serum smells like rotting bananas to me (I have a burning hatred of bananas) yet it became a staple because it helped my skin out.
Power of Green: Floralux
Ingredients: Water, isopentyldiol, witch hazel water, ethoxydiglycol, niacinamide, butylene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, chlorophyllin-copper complex (Floralux), bisabolol, squalane, ergothioneine, glycerin, cetearyl glucoside, licorice root extract, pentylene glycol, centella asiatica extract, micrococcus lysate, lecithin, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, caprylyl glycol, allantoin, ceteth-20 phosphate, hexylene glycol, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, phosphatidylcholine, polysorbate 60, decylene glycol, sodium ascorbate, carbomer, polysorbate 20, xanthan gum, dicetyl phosphate, phenoxyethanol, aminomethyl propanol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, simethiconeAvailable here
The last product in their 3 step line includes Floralux which is their registered star ingredient. According to their ingredient list it's a chlorophyllin-copper complex. The brand claims it is clinically proven to reduce redness and irritation. I'm not familiar with the ingredient but I did do a little googling on it and found that it's long been topically used in wound healing, so I'm inclined to believe it can help calm down skin.
Asides from the floralux it contains a whole host of other beneficial ingredients like niacinamide (shown to help acne and brighten skin), squalane (my fav hydrating oil), licorice root extract (another brightening ingredient), and centella asiatica (an anti-inflammatory and acne fighting superstar.)
First things first, this moisturizer is green!! I was afraid it would come off as ashy on my skintone (the main reason I'm hesitant to try other green moisturizers like Dr. Jart's cicapair sunscreen) but the color is a rich forest green that blends in easily so there's no ashiness in sight.
It has a very lightweight texture and an almost watery consistency. It blends easily and does not pill. I'm happy to report that it does not have a siliconey texture! So many moisturizers, especially more affordable ones, are loaded with silicone. Not that silicone is evil or anything, but there are people (like me) who don't get along with it in high doses. In addition, products with large amounts of silicone are also prone to pilling when worn with oil based products.
Another thing I like is that it sinks in incredibly fast. My skin just drinks it up! Unfortunately it's not moisturizing enough for me to use it as my sole moisturizer in the fall. With how cold and dry it's been lately, I've been reaching for my thickest creams and this has taken a backseat. I think this would make a nice, lightweight daytime moisturizer for the summer though. Or if you have oily skin I think you could easily use this in the winter by pairing it with a SPF in the daytime and with an oil or sleeping pack at night.
Bottom Line
Bottom line-- would I repurchase this set for myself? Most probably not. I'm not the target audience for this line. I like spending time trying out a bunch of different products and wasting all my moneys on skincare.That said, if you're the kind of person that likes one and done sets and don't want to invest a lot of money and time in it, this is a nice set to try out. It's infinitely gentler than other similar 3 step systems from brands like Clinique and Proactive. In addition, it's also a lot cheaper. I wish it were available when I were a teen cause it's something I would have been hooked to.
One of the main issues I faced as a teen was drying the hell out of my skin because I thought it would solve all my acne woes. My face wash, treatments, and moisturizers (if I even used one) all included benozyl peroxide or salicylic acid. And yes, it was just as drying as it sounds.
I do have a few criticisms of the line. First off I wish the products were also sold individually. There are definitely people who love using an all in one kit, but there are also people (like me) that like picking and choosing their skincare products. Tbh if the products were sold individually, I might pick up the cleanser because I really liked it!
Like I mentioned in my intro, I think the products are generously sized, but I think the sizes could be adjusted a bit. The cleanser is the perfect size IMO. It's the largest of the 3 and that makes sense because I know I go through cleanser way quicker than moisturizers. Buuuut I would prefer the spot treatment being smaller and the moisturizer being larger.
From my own experience with other spot treatments, I know that it would take me anywhere from 6 months to 12 months to go through a 1 fl. oz spot treatment. On the other hand, the moisturizer could be a bit larger. Personally I love slathering on moisturizer so I go through them quickly when I stick to one. Basically, I would rather have a larger moisturizer and a smaller spot treatment.
Last but not least, I wish they included a sunscreen! From what I know, the research on whether salicylic acid makes your skin more photosensitive or not is a bit murky, but it's better safe than sorry. Plus it also contains lactic acid which 100% makes your skin more prone to sun damage. As someone who has dealt with acne for at least a decade, the scars are the hardest parts of dealing with acne. And sunscreen is key in making sure they fade. And even if you don't have acne, sunscreen is still key as it helps in preventing photoaging!
Thanks to Bioclarity for sponsoring this post and letting me share my honest opinions on their one month kit 😊
