I have been talking about and recommending the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 on this blog for many years. I first discovered it in France when I would wander around the pharmacies for hours, picking up bottles and tubes and buying anything that said ‘soothing’, ‘cooling’ or ‘for sensitive skin’. Recently La Roche-Posay released Cicaplast Gel B5 and I have been trying it out for a few months, wanting to gather my thoughts before I shared them with you.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 is a thick white cream that I use on intensely dry skin patches and on the sensitive and angry skin after bad rosacea flare ups as it reduces burning and calms my skin very quickly. One of the hero ingredients is Panthenol, which is derived from vitamin B5. It’s a humectant (which means that it draws water from the second layer of your skin – and even the air around you – to the top layer which hydrates the skin), it’s also an emollient (which means that it brings moisture through the application of the product) and it soothes dry and irritated skin.
La Roche-Posay say that Panthenol “in combination with zinc and madecassosside, [is] present in Cicaplast Baume B5 …which can be used on cases of nappy rash or minor burns to form a protective barrier.” Personally I use this on my dermatitis, any (very rare) sunburn, scrapes, dry elbows and knees… anywhere and everywhere basically!
However, whenever I mentioned this product on the blog in the past, I would always make a point of explaining that the formula of this product is so thick and heavy that I would only wear it at specific times and on specific areas of my face: I would only put it on in the evening because it would not work well under make up; and I wouldn’t apply it all over my face as my skin does not react well to feeling smothered.
Which is why the release of La Roche-Posay Gel B5* is such a big deal for me. It takes all of the things I love about the Baume B5 (alcohol-free, fragrance-free, calming, soothing, suitable for both adults and children) but puts them into a lightweight, easily absorbed formula. It’s so gentle and repairing that it can even be used after stitches, cosmetic peels, or lasers and on closed scars – which shows how great it will be on sensitive or reactive skin like mine.
In the photo above you can see the formula of the products: the Cicaplast Baume B5 on the left has (what I always refer to as) a ‘sturdy’ texture, whereas the Cicaplast Gel B5 has more of a silicone-like silky feel.
I still use both versions of the Cicaplast product for different reasons: I see the Cicaplast Gel B5 as an every day, maintenance product to keep my skin happy, while the Cicaplast Baume B5 is a treatment when my skin is kicking off and needs some extra TLC.
Have you tried either of these products? Which one appeals most to you?
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Lex
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I like the look of the gel! I had already written off the cream when you said that it is thick, since those types of product often make my skin sweat. The gel seems a nice alternative
I use the cicaplast gel b5 about 5 yrs although it was called cicaplast pro recovery then they reformulated it slightly I still love it though , I’ve used the baume b5 but found it too heavy for my skin but use it on smaller areas, live la roche posay
I love this cream but I actually use it on my face indee makeup. It works amazing and balance my oily skin so that it is not shiny just has a lovely glow.
I use the baume…never seen the gel actually. Next time I hope over to France to hit up the pharmacy, I will look out for it. I love the baume…I use it if I see a red spot coming on or on this dry patch I get randomly on my left eyelid for the last 25 years. The US doc told me to put OTC hydrocortisone on it which worked (I also used this on pimples) but when I moved to Europe, people were horrified at how freely I used it and my doc husband tells me not to use it…so I had to find a replacement and this has been the most effective so far!