Gallinée is a new skincare range to me. As a pharmacist as well as a skincare addict, I find the concept and the ingredients to be very relevant and credible. I was very eager to find out more about the brand and their capsule products.
A little about Gallinée
Founded by Marie Drago, a French Doctor in Pharmacy and a member of the French Society of Cosmetic Science, with over 15 years’ experience in successful and innovative skincare brands. Marie is a skin specialist, particularly on the skin’s microbiome.
Marie discovered how a prebiotic and probiotic diet could improve the symptoms of her gluten intolerance. This gave her the idea of applying this science to skin. Gallinée was created to harness the enormous benefits from good bacteria.
The concept
The microbiome is the name for all good bacteria and micro-organisms that live in harmony on and in your body. They play a protective role and are an integral part of the barrier function of our skin. When these good bacteria are damaged, this could be due to pollution and overuse of antibacterial products and detergents. Consequently, this lead to dry, irritated and stressed sensitive skin. Gallinée products take care of our precious microbiome, help nourishing the sensitive skin back to health.
Below are some definitions that I find useful.
- Probiotic: any micro-organism that is beneficial to us.
- Prebiotic: a natural nutrient that helps the growth of probiotics
- Postbiotic (Lactic acid): naturally produced by some of our good bacteria, it helps your microbiome thrive while fending off the bad bacteria
I had the pleasure to meet with Maria at the launch of her Face Vinegar. I truly felt her knowledge and passion! I also admired her beautiful skin. Eagerly, I started using Face Vinegar the very same night. Coincidentally, my skin was in desperate need of some calming as I seemed to have woken up with an army of spots that day. My skin was in overdrive due to various reasons, namely stress, tiredness, hormonal fluctuations and over chemical exfoliation.
What is Face Vinegar
Gallinée Face Vinegar acts as a toner that refreshes and rebalances the microbiome in preparation to receiving all the actives you’d like to introduce to your cleansed skin.
Ingredients:
- HIBISCUS VINEGAR: Known for its astringent, exfoliating and soothing properties.
- ALGAE PREBIOTICS: A brand new ingredient using extracts from green and brown algae, sea water and marine polysaccharides. Together they act against signs of stress on the skin.
- PREBIOTICS: A mix of ultra-gentle fibres and sugars that feed your skin’s good bacteria and help support the skin’s barrier, with an antibacterial action against bad ones.
- LACTIC ACID: helps the skin to stay at its optimal pH level and has hydrating and softening properties. Gallinée uses a slow-release form to suit even sensitive skin.
All Gallinée products are made to match the optimal pH of the skin and the microbiome. They don’t contain soap, colourants, parabens, mineral oils, silicones, microbeads, phenoxyethanol or methylisothiazolinone.
My experience
I find the flick open/close dispensing system easy to use. The liquid has a mild sweet scent that doesn’t bother me. It’s very cooling and soothing upon application. The liquid absorbs well and doesn’t leave any residue.
I started using Face Vinegar 10 days ago. The morning after the first use, my skin was amazingly calmer. The redness, the angriness seemed to subside. My complexion was visibly brighter and smoother. Using it twice daily for the last 10 days, I’m happy with the results I’ve seen. Overall, my skin is less irritated with a healthier complexion. With further use, I hope my enlarged pores will improve in appearance too.
I have come to appreciate that balance is key to good skin health. I’ve learned to listen to my skin, recognise when it has become sensitised so I can ease off certain skincare actives and introduce calming ingredients.
Final thoughts
I’m so glad I’ve discovered Gallinée. Face Vinegar makes a perfect toner to soothe, protect and rebalance my skin environment.
Gallinée Face Vinegar (£23/200ml) is available at Gallinee.com, Look Fantastic, Beauty Bay and other retailers.
Have you tried probiotic skincare?
Thank you for being here today!
Much love always,
Sandyxo
This post featured products that were generously provided for review consideration. As always, opinions are my own and unbiased.
