Today’s review is about an amazing product I am going to say it up front. It’s packed with powerful ingredients, and don’t let the advertising to mislead you. You can use whether you’ve got acne or not. 

Sebiaclear Serum was developed for adults with acne-prone skin and it has ‘a triple action: anti-blemishes, marks, and wrinkles.’ Moreover, SVR promise us that our skin will be ‘smoother, plumper, and protected against external aggression.’ All thanks to the unique formula combining 14% gluconolactone and 4% niacinamide, a retinoid-like ingredient, hyaluronic acid, botanical antioxidants, and antipollution sugar. If sugar could fight pollution from the inside, it would be even better. SVR advertise the serum for adults and they promise results in 7 days (labo-svr.com). Let’s crack those claims and see what we’ve got.

Overall, it’s a nice hydrating serum packed with a lot of antioxidants, I agree with SVR on this one. There’s 4% niacinamide, plant extracts, vitamin E, and lovely hydrating ingredients such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid. Moreover, the serum contains 14% gluconolactone which is a PHA (polyhydroxy acid) same family as azelaic and mandalic acids, so it provides gentle and effective exfoliation. This PHA combined with niacinamide (great for fighting hyperpigmentation and blemishes) gives us an excellent base for anti-acne serum. Then there are also the extracts containing antioxidants making it a perfect serum both for adults and teens and not only for acne sufferers. SVR, however, have decided to target it as a serum for adults with acne-prone skin, and I understand why. 

Of course, if you are a teen you can use this serum, as it isn’t truly an ‘anti-wrinkle’ product, but it will not do much for teenage acne. Teenage acne in most cases is bacterial, there are also hormones involved, and the ingredients here are not suitable for fighting bacteria. Also, if you suffer from fungal acne (Malassezia), it will not be helpful. It will moisturise your skin, and you will get the benefits of an antioxidant serum, but this serum will not do much for bacterial or fungal acne. You need more specific products for either of these cases. For example, SVR’s treatment products like Sebiaclear Active or Cicapeel will more helpful in fighting bacteria causing acne as they contain salicylic acid (BHA). You could use both the serum and the aforementioned products if you are keen on trying it.  You could also incorporate the serum with actives of your choice.

Let’s talk about the ‘retinoid-like’ ingredient. I have reached out to SVR to ask which ingredient it is, as I couldn’t identify it myself in the list. The word ‘retinoid’ sounds quite intriguing, especially now with all the hype for using retinoids. SVR responded saying, it’s crithmum maritimum extract (sea fennel extract), which supposedly works like a retinoid aka it has keratolytic properties minus the irritation and all the fuss involved with using retinoids. From my research, the plant contains antioxidants, here’s one paper that I’ve found about this ingredient (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). But the claims that SVR make about this plant seem to come from the supplier. I would take SVR’s claims about this extract with a grain of salt. If it was such an incredible plant, I am sure other companies would be hooked on it as well. I am not trying to say it isn’t a good extract to use in skin care, but comparing it to retinoids is an exaggeration.

So the bottom line is, this is a good hydrating, anti-acne, anti-oxidant serum that will work for adults and teens. Perfect for anyone whose acne is triggered by the environment and lifestyle changes, diet, etc. And how does it work?

So here’s my story and why I started using this serum. When I moved to Italy (mentioned in my update) in October, I adopted the Italian lifestyle and mainly the cuisine. The Italian way of eating involves a lot of sweets, especially in my version when I want to try them all at once (I have a sweet tooth). A typical Italian breakfast involves coffee and sweets – how lovely; then you also grab something sweet throughout the day. Back in October, there were 30 degrees in Milan, so it would be nice to have ice cream once in a while to cool down, right? In short, the sugar was adding up, without me even realising how much sugar I was consuming in a day. On top of that, there were other changes in my life like the environment. Let’s be honest, the air in Milan is poor. It’s a huge industrial city, there’s smog, and it affects the skin. Also, the water is quite hard here. My skin is still trying to get used to it. Another thing, the stress involved with moving, it was a total nightmare for me during the first few weeks. All of these showed up on my face, quite quickly. Normally, I would apply some Skinoren in this kind situations and fight the blemishes with whatever else I have in my collection. However, when I moved here, I didn’t have much as most of my belongings would arrive a couple of weeks after me, so I need to rely on what I can get locally.

I went to a local pharmacy, and I started browsing through the shelves, looking for something that could help me. Probably many people would go for LRP Effeclar, but it’s just too harsh for my skin. I had to find something gentle and effective. Then I came across this serum, and I read the label. I wasn’t fully convinced, but I thought it’s SVR so it should work. With a leap of faith, I invested 20 euros in this serum. I must admit that it was well worth it. Within a short period of time, I noticed a change. The number of spots decreased, pigmentation started to fade, and I regained my confidence and happiness. After I’d moved here my face went crazy, and this serum worked its magic on me. I just used the serum alongside with my salicylic acid wash from Sylveco, and it helped me to get control over my face. Obviously, I also cut down on sugar to the minimum, but this serum has done an incredible job. I am usually not into serums specifically targeting acne, but this one is really good. It’s hydrating, packed with wonderful ingredients, and it’s relatively affordable. Lastly, as I usually comment on the fragrance, it’s barely there, so no worries about that.

I highly recommend this serum to someone who struggles with acne triggered by lifestyle and environmental changes. Also, to someone who has acne-prone skin and wants a good product that will hydrate the skin and keep blemishes at bay, in a gentle way. It can be used on its own or as a supportive treatment, which would be the case with bacterial, fungal acne. However, I believe it’s worth a shot. If you use other products to battle acne, this can help you both to hydrate the skin and to fight against blemishes and hyperpigmentation, as it contains niacinamide and a PHA. It’s suitable for all skin types, though people with skins prone to allergic reactions and sensitivities should be careful, as always.

Folks without acne-prone skin or acne, if you live in urban or industrialised areas or lead a stressful life, I would say give this serum a try. It’s a great serum packed with antioxidants that will help your skin to cope with air contamination to which we all are exposed. If you live in a pristine environment – lucky you! Antipollution or antioxidant skincare is on the trend, now. Understandably, the air gets worse and worse in cities, and we want to protect our skin. But for some reason, antipollution or antioxidant skincare seems to be quite pricey, but this one isn’t. The price of this serum is another reason, why I think it’s worth giving a shot, even if you don’t have acne. 

INGREDIENTS: AQUA (PURIFIED WATER), GLUCONOLACTONE, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, NIACINAMIDE, PROPANEDIOL, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERIN, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PSEUDOALTEROMONAS FERMENT EXTRACT, BIOSACCHARIDE GUM-4, CAMELLIA JAPONICA FLOWER EXTRACT, CETEARYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, CRITHMUM MARITIMUM EXTRACT, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, SCLEROTIUM GUM, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHEROL, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, PEG-100 STEARATE, COCO-GLUCOSIDE, SODIUM SALICYLATE, FRAGRANCE. (labo-svr.com)