There are so many skincare lines out there that in order for a new brand to find its niche, they have to be about a specific ingredient. Glow Recipe is about fruit, Verso is about Retinol, Caudelie is about grapes, Biossance is about squalane. Out of everything that Biossance could be about, squalane is not bad at all. It’s a great ingredient.
Squalane is an oil that is very effective at moisturizing, and it’s innocuous enough to be used on oily and acne-prone skin types. So we are starting off well with Biossance.
Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum (58,00€ for 50 ml)
This is a thicker (but not oily) type of fluid that is easy enough to spread on the face. It has a natural blue tint that comes from the copper peptide. I can wear it comfortable beneath other skincare products or makeup, since it’s not heavy nor occlusive at all.
There are a few peptides in this serum (Copper Tripeptide-1, Tetrapeptide-30, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-52) which are great at communicating to skin cells what they need to produce to remain firm and young (collagen, elastin, etc). Copper Tripeptide-1 specifically helps with wound healing and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The serum also has a few soothing ingredients (aloe vera, turmeric, green tea leaf extract, ectoin), some of which are also antioxidants, hyaluronic acid which is a good humectant, and obviously, squalane.
This is a very well rounded, soothing serum, and peptides seem to be the next best thing after retinol to keep skin tight and young. This is hydrating, feels nice and is easy to use, and I also trust its long term effects. I can see why this is one of their more popular products.
Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Propanediol, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Ectoin, Tetrapeptide-30, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-52, Copper PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Polyglutamate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol.
Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil (33,30€ for 12 ml)
This is a thin, oily serum that has a very short ingredients list. It’s mainly squalane (no water here), the promised vitamin C and rose extract. Although squalane is not a heavy oil, it will leave an oily feeling on the skin that never quite dries down, specially in a combination skin type like mine.
The rose isn’t really doing much (this is rose flower extract, not to be confused with rosehip oil), and beyond that, we have a couple of unnecessary perfuming ingredients. The scent of rose is strong, and I’m personally not a fan of it, but the worst about it is the irritating potential this much fragrance could have. So unnecessary.
Unlike with other vitamin C serums, I don’t notice much of a brightening effect with this, but that could be due either to a low concentration, or that my skin isn’t that sensitive to this particular derivative of the vitamin.
Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil: Squalane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride , Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Geraniol, Citronellol.
Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum (56,00€ for 30 ml)
As you can see from the picture, this is a very watery, fluid serum. It’s easy to spread and does not leave the skin feeling sticky. The packaging is one of those air tight pumps which I love because not only does it not allow for the more sensitive ingredients to break down from air exposure, but it also ensures you use up everything in the bottle.
The interesting thing about this ingredients list is that there are more skin brightening ingredients beyond the classic vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid): fermented white shiitake (or Lentinus Edodes Mycelium Extract in the list) and licorice root extract that not only brightens but it is anti-inflammatory as well. I like when brightening serums have soothing ingredients as well, I feel that helps with the potential redness you can get from a higher concentration of vitamin C.
I have to be honest, for such a well formulated brightening serum, I wish I could notice a bigger difference on my skin. I usually can tell an instant effect in brightness with vitamin C (and my husband usually notices as well), but not with this one. And this is made up of 10% vitamin C, which is not a negligible amount by any means! But again, I’m guessing it’s because the vitamin C derivative used in this formula (3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid) might not be the one my skin responds to the most.
Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Squalane, Lentinus Edodes Mycelium Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.
Biossance Squalane + Elderberry Jelly Cleanser (24,00€ for 150 ml)
This cleaner comes out as a firm gel that emulsifies once in contact with water. As per instructions, you should apply it on a dry face, massage it in and remove with water. After removing, it leaves a thin greasy film on the skin that is probably great for dry skin types but annoys me to no end. Particularly because this doesn’t remove eyeshadow and mascara completely by itself, so having leftover makeup under a greasy film after cleansing is just not a pleasant feeling. If you are using makeup, you can’t use just this to remove it, although that’s true for most cleansers – you almost always need to double cleanse.
Ingredients wise, there’s a lot of good stuff here. Elderberry is a skin-soothing antioxidant, and in fact there are quite a few antioxidant extracts in this cleanser. There are also a lot of emollient ingredients, which explains the “film” that I notice, and the probiotic Lactobacillus and the rosemary leaf extract present here can also be soothing for the skin. All in all, this sounds perfect for dry and sensitive or reactive skin types (not necessarily me, but I acknowledge its benefits).
Squalane + Elderberry Jelly Cleanser Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Water/Aqua/Eau, Squalane, Hydrogenated Farnesene, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sucrose Laurate, Sucrose Stearate, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus, Ipomoea Batatas Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Acacia Senegal Gum, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Sucrose Palmitate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Maltodextrin, Tocopherol, Citric Acid.
Final Thoughts
This can really be a hit or miss brand – actually, miss is too strong of a word, “meh” would be more appropriate. This is a hit or “meh” brand. I think a bit of research on the ingredients list is warranted before purchasing, particularly because this is pricey (not excessively so, but still). Some of these products are not ideal for my skin type specifically but the ones that are, are really good, and I’ll want to keep in rotation.
I got all of these products in Christmas kits and advent calendars, so they were among many other things, and it took me awhile to pay attention to this brand. I regret that. That copper peptide serum would have been my best friend during my pregnancy when I had to stop with the retinol. Well, better late than never. And I’ll be looking into getting more of their stuff.
