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Home » Skincare » Moisturiser » Review: Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care – for problem skin

Review: Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care – for problem skin

September 10, 2009 Paris B 34 Comments

I’d been wrestling with some minor breakouts recently along the sides of my face. I’m going to attribute it to the Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser – I’ve tried all 6 versions of it now and every single one breaks me out – yes including the new Anti-Inflammation one – it must be something I’m sensitive to.

Anyway I complained to a friend who told me to try the Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care on top of my Vichy Pore Refining Essence. According to my friend, it helps correct problem skin. I’ll try anything once so I put this one to the test.

vichy normaderm hydrating care

The Vichy Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care is essentially a moisturizer. It contains our old friend salicylic acid to help combat spots and also Zincadone+ a mattifying and refining agent.

On application, my skin feels very smooth. I checked the ingredient list and yes, there’s silicone in there so those sensitive to silicone might want to take note. I am not so I was fine.

It is also mattifying – I cannot fault that. But the question – did it help soothe and reduce my spots and clogged pores?

Answer: Yes it did!

I was sceptical but I was pleasantly surprised that after a week of using this moisturizer day and night, the minor spots are all but gone. There is a stubborn one that persists still, but its not getting more inflammed or red and I’m very sure its going away soon. Its gradual though so don’t expect a miracle.

I use it on top of the Vichy Pore Refining Essence which I’m keeping as a staple in my skincare wardrobe. Its seriously made my skin look finer and feel smoother. Combined with the Anti-Imperfection moisturizer, its wonderful!

There is one fly in the ointment however. If you have normal or drier skin, you may find that the Vichy Normaderm Anti-imperfection moisturizer does not offer sufficient hydration. That’s my experience with it.

If you have oily skin or acne-prone skin, this may be a good choice for you. It certainly helped clear up my mild breakout and unclogged my pores and kept me looking matte in the day. But at night, I had to either use something like H20+ Face Oasis over this moisturizer or use something else richer.

A 50ml bottle retails for RM100 at most leading pharmacies that carry Vichy. I like how it feels and how it’s helped smoothen my skin so I’d say its pretty decent stuff!


Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, C12-13 Alkyl Lactate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Methylsilanol/Silicate Crosspolymer, Silica, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Totarol, Zinc PA, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Poloxamer 338, Nylon-12, Disodium EDTA, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Laureth-7, Eperua Falcata / Eprua Falcata Bark Extract, Dextrin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyacrylamide, Mica, CI77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI42090/ Blue 1, Parfum/Fragrance

Pros: Helps clear up problem skin, Skin feels matte and smooth

Cons: Insufficient hydration for drier skins

I know Vichy isn’t a line of products that’s very popular but thus far, I’ve been happy with the products I’ve tried. The Normaderm line (green packaging) is targeted at those with oily and acne-prone skin, the blue line for hydration and the Bi-White for whitening.

Have you tried anything from Vichy that you’d like to share?

Stay beautiful,

Paris B

34 Insightful comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. When not blogging about beauty or life beyond 40 find her talking about feeding dogs real, wholesome food. Connect with us on social media at Instagram.

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34 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Stephanie says

    September 10, 2009 at 10:46 am

    Ooooh. You might be sensitive to the mineral oil in Shu Uemura’s cleansers, like me. They break me out too.

    I shall give this a try, though, because the sides of my face and T-zone have been breaking out and refuse to go away too!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:39 pm

      Hi Stephanie

      I reckon I am sensitive to the mineral oil but still it works for lots of other people 🙂

      Reply
  2. Reese says

    September 10, 2009 at 11:41 am

    I bought this in twin pack with the Night pore refining care, I also got the essence after you reviewed it. I was desperate because when the I tried the new Eucerin whitening 30SPF my skin broke out terribly. I think I was practically praying these products would work. I saw the results in less than 1 week, my skin calmed down and went back to normal.Yay!
    Now if only Vichy works as well for blackheads.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:39 pm

      Hi Reese

      Glad to know it worked for you! That Eucerin doesn’t work for everyone unfortunately.

      Reply
      • Reese says

        September 11, 2009 at 6:42 pm

        How do you incorporate Vichy’s UV Active daily to your regime? My sunscreen been giving break out even with the Normaderm range.

        Reply
  3. sesame says

    September 10, 2009 at 11:45 am

    Although I’m more into natural and organic skin care products but I always recommend Vichy and La Roche-Posay’s products anytime to people who do not mind chemical synthetics. I think their products are superior, compared to the other commercial brands.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Sesame

      Thanks for your input. I’m only starting to be introduced to Vichy and thus far, its been all good for me.

      Reply
  4. prettybeautiful says

    September 10, 2009 at 11:47 am

    allergy is indeed an ouch! i considered to buy this to try too! but now that im glad i didnt after reading your review 😀 because silicon is a bitch to me 😀

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:40 pm

      Hey prettybeautiful

      Oh so you’re allergic to silicone too? Aw… boo!

      Reply
  5. germaine says

    September 10, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    I had a few sample and i tried it for bout 2 weeks. I don know i myself perasan or something but my acne scars and small bumps on my face seems to have either disappear or improve but i admit it dry out my skin. I combine this with the essence and the effect shows real quick but I am not sure if it this product that help but I know for sure after running out of sample my bumps appeared again. now I am just using the essence but i don see much improvement anymore. sob 🙁
    can i ask something? i have dry combination skin but i still have acne problems on my drier area instead of having it on the oily area of the face. is it usual? my forehead don have any acne except for very huge pores opening. its my cheeks that are bugging me. I just wan them to go away.

    Reply
    • abby says

      September 10, 2009 at 2:37 pm

      germaine,

      i think i can help with that. i too have dry combi skin and very recently, had a huge painful zit right there on my chin, one place i don’t use a lot of moisturizer on. thus, i attacked said zit for days with several types of pimple gels but all of them didn’t work. then i realized, maybe it is because that area is undermoisturized. so i tried using more moisturizer on it and what do you know, it got smaller every day. and now it is gone.

      the skin probably was excreting more sebum to try and moisturize the area thus the zit popping out. so do try using more moisturizer on it?

      hope it helps!

      Reply
      • ParisB says

        September 11, 2009 at 3:42 pm

        Thanks for the input Abby!

        Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:41 pm

      Hi Germaine

      Yes you can have acne with dry skin. As Abby has pointed out, sometimes dry skin gets acne because the sebum compensates for the driness. Try a more hydrating moisturizer and see if it works better. As for pores, it can be attributed both to oil or driness. I find that if my skin is feeling too dry, the pores show too.

      Reply
  6. Synaesthesia says

    September 10, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    Recently, don’t know why my skin always popping out some zits but not pimple. I’ve tried to stop using my regular products as it seems useless. I have no idea which product causing the zits and which one I should continue use.The zits just keep on coming after one healed. Annoying!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:42 pm

      Hi Synaesthesia

      It might be hormonal or the weather. In my case, I’m experiencing the same too – little zits all over bug me to death

      Reply
  7. pinkcloud says

    September 10, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    i had tried this in sample size before, however i think it is not hydrating my skin enough probably because my skin tend to be on the drier side… However i do like the texture which are light and absorb quickly into the skin… i think it might be suitable for those with oily skin… i personally think that their products are good but had nv bought any of it yet…. i also tried the cream from vichy aqua thermalia which is quite good but never did buy it though, not really sure why is that.. hehe…

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:43 pm

      Hi pinkcloud

      This is more suitable for those with oily skin, I find. Its not moisturizing enough for me too for prolonged use. However, if I use it only in the day or only for a few days I’m ok

      Reply
  8. yuki says

    September 10, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    Ah… My sister used this and her pimples were still there… No effect what-so-ever… So I decided to give it a go and IT CLOGGED MY PORES! =(

    I really like the fact that it makes my skin feel matte! hmmm…

    p/s: they gave my sister a huge bottle of the mist spray and the mini one plus the facial wash as compensation… lol…

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:44 pm

      Hi Yuki

      Aww… so sorry that it did not work for you and your sister 🙁 Glad they compensated her anyway!

      Reply
  9. Min Luo says

    September 11, 2009 at 3:11 am

    Could you please recommand a make-up remover and a follow-up cleanser to me for my acne-prone,yet dry face?
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      September 11, 2009 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Min Luo

      I have dry skin and I like the Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleansing Lotion because it does not dry my skin out further. It does not need a follow up cleanser but if you need one, try a cream cleanser. I prefer using something with tea tree oil when treating acne prone skin but it can be a little drying. So I alternate between my Body Shop tea tree oil cleanser and my Garnier Aqua Defense Cleansing Foam.

      Reply
  10. abby says

    September 14, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Vichy is having discounts for the Normaderm range in Guardian just so you know.

    My new blog is up. Hope you will lend your support. Thanks!

    Reply
  11. tata says

    January 16, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    hello..
    I have problem with my oily and acne face. I m planning to buy Vichy to use, would u recomand it for me? or u think something else would work better?
    thx
    Tata
    P.S. I’m 18 years old

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 16, 2010 at 7:08 pm

      This item worked for me and my friend who had some acne problems. I can’t quite tell you if it will work for you – you might want to try it and see if it helps. If its a very serious case of acne then you might want to consult a dermatologist.

      Reply
  12. Lala says

    April 10, 2010 at 9:51 am

    Okay literally, the people who use skin care products should be aware that it has to take 30 days until your skin can adjust to the new product. Its not just one day you will see a difference. I used the Vichy Normaderm Hydrating Care for about 2 months and still continuing. The first few days obviously my skin was not use to the product. After 2 weeks my pimples were getting smaller and became less red and noticeable. After a month and present my skin is clear. I still do have breakouts, but with continued use of this product, it keeps my skin stable.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply
  13. Natalie says

    February 14, 2011 at 7:02 pm

    Dear ParisB,
    i notice that the 3rd ingredient for this is alcohol denat.
    Im not very educated with skincare’s ingredient but i have seen really bad comments regarding this alcohol denat. on the internet.
    Could you kindly clear my doubt? Am desperately in need of your advices.
    thanks.

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      February 14, 2011 at 7:29 pm

      I’m not too good with ingredients as I use whichever works for me so long as it doesn’t disrupt my skin. If it does then I start paying attention.I don’t think any one ingredient is very bad in general unless it is present in very high concentrations. That said if your skin is sensitive or sensitive to alcohol then you might want to avoid it.

      Reply
      • Natalie says

        February 15, 2011 at 2:53 am

        thank you. Your kind assistance is much appreciated 🙂

        Reply
  14. maddieK says

    March 14, 2011 at 5:50 am

    where can you buy it from? i looked in superdrugs and boots but its not there.

    Reply
  15. miss lola says

    May 19, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    i would like to know wether vichy is suitable for asian people??

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      May 19, 2011 at 10:11 pm

      I’m asian so I guess it is.

      Reply
  16. CloverLemon says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    I am currently using VICHY TRI-ACTIV ANTI-IMPERFECTION HYDRATING CARE.
    This is the second day i’m using it. It calms the redness on my face & my skin felt smooth. So far so good, i hope it will bring more improvements 😀

    Reply

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Welcome to My Women Stuff, a beauty blog based in Malaysia, written by veteran blogger, Paris B. We now write for women of 40 and above because that's how old I am! What you can expect is honesty, critical views & a healthy dose of shared life lessons sprinkled amongst beauty product reviews. Settle in for a read. Read More about us

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