What can be done about excess sebum?

Excess sebum is a common problem for women of all ages. While it's often associated with adolescence and bouts of acne, 25% of adults complain of shiny, oily skin, which is often the target of skin imperfections they could happily do without! Fortunately, there are solutions and skincare products adapted to regulate this overproduction of sebum and restore clear, uncluttered skin in just a few simple steps.

What is excess sebum?

Sebum is naturally present on your skin. It's a fatty secretion produced by the sebaceous glands, which together with other substances (mainly water and sweat) form the skin's hydrolipidic film. This acts as a barrier to protect the epidermis from drying out, UV aggression, cell ageing, etc. If sebum production goes into overdrive (this phenomenon is known as hyperseborrhea), the skin becomes shiny and prone to imperfections: acne, clogged pores, uneven skin texture, blackheads and even micro-cysts are usually the result. Make-up, often used to conceal shine and pimples, doesn't hold up well or at all.

Where does excess sebum come from?

Contrary to popular belief, excess sebum does not only affect teenagers. It can certainly be caused by hormonal upheaval or imbalance: pregnant women or women approaching menopause can experience hyperseborrhea. But other factors, such as stress, smoking, climatic conditions or poor beauty habits (e.g. skincare products unsuited to your skin type) can lead to excessive sebum production.

Don't worry, all you need to do is adopt the right facial care products to regulate this excess oil, and quickly regain beautiful, healthy, matte skin!

What are the solutions to excess sebum?

Revisiting your beauty routine and adopting specific skincare products is essential to combat sebum and reduce shine and imperfections. It can be tempting to use harsh exfoliating scrubs to cleanse the skin and rid it of that "oil" once and for all! But don't, as over-exfoliation will have the opposite effect: the aggressed epidermis will defend itself by producing even more sebum. The same applies if you use a cream that's too rich: it will suffocate the pores, accentuating shine and imperfections.

To care for skin that's too oily, it's best to adopt light-textured (but no less effective!) skin care products that will gently pamper your skin.

Start by thoroughly cleansing your face with a gentle cleanser, like BoréalL Radiance Micro-Peeling Foam. It contains the magic ingredientSiberian Olive, which protects and regenerates the skin, and 100% plant-based salicylic acid, which exfoliates with infinite gentleness to free the epidermis of impurities in a single step. Day after day, your skin's texture is refined!

The NORTHERN LIGHT Smoothing Fluid is ideal for moisturising your face afterwards: it is a real skin perfector, designed to tighten pores, reduce imperfections and boost the radiance of normal to combination skin.

The second option for combating hyperseborrhea is Moisturizing Jelly Ice Source! This ultra-fluid cream melts instantly into the skin to deeply rehydrate and tighten dilated pores. Based on plumping Iceberg Water, it also contains a micro-algae capable of restoring up to 1/3 of the skin's natural moisture: Thalassiosira Antartica, ideal for reconstituting the hydrolipidic film.

Before bedtime, apply Polar Night Revitalizing Cream to regenerate your skin while you sleep. Rich in Boreal Algae, this matte-finish night facial eliminates toxins, smoothes skin and recharges it with oxygen.

To complete this "anti-sebum" routine, remember to gently exfoliate your face once or twice a week. Gentle Scrub ICEPURE is perfect for this! Its two star ingredients, arctic cotton and volcanic lava powder, smooth, exfoliate, moisturize and soothe in a single step. The watchword for this treatment? Gentleness, and more gentleness, as the name suggests! Its ultra-fine micro-beads remove dead skin cells to improve the quality of your skin in a single step, and regenerate it without damaging it.

Excess sebum doesn't have to be a fatality: targeted skin care products can help you eliminate the greasy look that dulls your complexion. Gently cleanse your face, opt for sebum-regulating creams with fluid, non-greasy textures that penetrate quickly, and ultra-gentle scrubs that exfoliate without stripping... perfect for rebalancing the epidermis, restoring a clear complexion and lovely skin texture!