In today’s article, I’m sharing my brutally honest Biossance review, a line of clean, sustainable skincare focused around Squalane. I tested out eight Biossance products (Squalane Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser, Marine Algae Eye Cream, Squalane Vitamin C Rose Oil, Omega Repair Cream, Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum, Peptide Eye Gel, Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Gel, sunscreen and lip balm). Which Biossance products are worth it and which aren’t? Keep reading to find out.

Founded in 2016, Biossance is an award-winning line of  squalane skincare products. I like that they’re easily accessible at Sephora, so you can go into a store and test out Biossance products before buying. While Biossance is considered clean beauty, please note that Biossance is not 100% natural nor organic. This isn’t one of my favorite skincare lines, but they are widely accessible and offer better formulas than most. If you’re trying to decide between Caudalie and Biossance, both clean beauty brands at Sephora at similar price points, then I much prefer Biossance.

Here’s my detailed review of eight Biossance products, and what I think are the brand’s hits and misses.

Check out: 40 Best Clean Moisturizers Guide

Biossance Squalane Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser

The Biossance Gentle Cleanser is one of my few favorites from the Biossance line. It feels so incredibly hydrating and amazing on the skin. I expected more a thick gel type cleanser, but it’s actually a light jelly-like gel. I really love its unusual scent. There’s this faint natural scent that I can’t quite place my finger on, but it smells unique and therapeutic. The pump dispenser bottle is also very convenient. The pump itself isn’t clunky or difficult to press down, so it makes my cleansing routine a breeze.  I find the Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser to be hydrating, soothing and takes off sunscreen and makeup easily while having the added benefits of an amino acid complex and moringa extract.

Biossance Marine Algae Eye Cream

I think the Biossance Marine Algae Eye Cream is overpriced at $54, for what honestly feels like a glorified moisturizer to me.

I tested the Biossance eye cream as a judge for the eye cream category in the CertClean Beauty Awards. Biossance’s peach colored eye cream contains Squalane, Paracress extract and Pink Marine Algae and is a rich yet hydrating eye cream that begins in a water base. I personally know some who love this eye cream and others who don’t care for it – and unfortunately I’m siding with the latter. I personally prefer the Biossance Eye Gel over their Eye Cream if you must have an eye product from them.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Panthenol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Palmitate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Citric Acid

Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil

For $60 I feel like the Biossance Rose Oil is expensive for containing just Squalane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Rosa Damascena Flower Extract. You can find an affordable du[e with the same exact Vitamin C ingredient (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) inside budget organic skincare brand Sky Organics Vitamin C Bright Glow Oil Serum. And theirs costs under $20!

If you love the lightweight consistency of squalane the Biossance Rose Oil may still appeal for you. Squalane is much loved for being a very hydrating and lightweight oil and this face oil has the additional benefits of shelf stable and oil-soluble Vitamin C (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) and Damascus Rose Petal. Biossance Rose Oil is a relatively simple yet thoughtfully formulated face oil that might appeal to people who are new to using face oils. It has the subtlest barely there rose scent.

Biossance Squalane Lactic Acid Night Serum

The Biossance Last Acid Resurfacing Night Serum is a miss for me. It contains 10% vegan lactic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that effectively exfoliates and resurfaces skin. But besides the addition of clover and squalane, there’s nothing else in this serum that actually does anything for your skin. If you need resurfacing results, it makes a lot more sense to use a serum with lactic acid than a cream with lactic acid. So to me, this Biossance product isn’t very useful.

Biossance Squalane Omega Repair Cream

I like that the Biossance Omega Repair Cream is arich, perfectly silky smooth cream that absorbs rapidly. Omega Repair Cream is simple and straightforward for those looking for a standard rich cream, but at nearly $60 I think it’s overpriced for what it has to offer.

There’s plenty of Squalane content as it’s 2nd on the ingredients list after water. It also has Ceramides, Fatty Acids and Hyaluronic Acid, but beyond that there’s nothing *particularly* special about this cream. While the Repair Cream is unscented, it still has a slightly odd scent to me. I can name a dozen other affordable clean moisturizers that have a very similar formula, texture and feel to the Biossance Omega Repair Cream for half the price.

Ingredients: Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isoamyl Laurate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Ceramide NP, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Euterpe Oleracea Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Ethyl Linoleate, Tocopherol, Isoamyl Cocoate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Gluconate.

Biossance Lip Balm

I absolutely love the Biossance lip balm! It’s luxuriously rich and petroleum jelly-like but without the petroleum. There’s no real detectable scent either. I would actually categorize this lip balm as a lip mask as it reminds me more of a treatment than a casual balm.

The vegan formula contains a blend of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and sugarcane-derived squalane along with luxurious Rose wax and Wakame algae. Plus it’s not crazy overpriced at just $14.

Biossance Squalane Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum

I liked the Biossance Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum even though it didn’t do much for my dark spots. I consider this more of an antioxidant serum than a dark spot serum. It has 10% Vitamin C and proprietary white shiitake mushroom extract to address discoloration and blended in amounts that won’t cause irritation.

The Biossance Vitamin C serum is a milky water-based consistency that feels very hydrating and not at all sticky or oily. I feel that it does have a brightening effect even after just a few days of use, but as for dark spots, those can’t be faded if they’re genetic. I do think it could help with newly formed dark spots from recent sun damage for instance, but not with dark spots that have been present for many years. Only something more invasive like a peel or laser can help, and even then, the results are always only temporary.

 

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 100% Squalane Oil

Biossance has a product that’s just a single ingredient oil of 100% squalane oil. I really don’t think you need to get such a simple product from a fancy line. Biossance’s squalane is derived from sustainable sugarcane, a purer, vegan, more ethical, and more effective version than other forms of squalane. Unless you’re a squalane oil aficionado, I think you’d be just fine using squalane oil from cheaper brands on Amazon.

Squalane instantly hydrates and locks in essential moisture, helps other active ingredients penetrate more deeply and work more effectively and promotes microbiome diversity for healthier-looking skin. Biossance’s convenient pump bottle allows you to use it as a body oil, hair oil and face oil.