You probably know Bioderma from their micellar water: one bottle’s sold every three seconds in the UK. (And small wonder.) One of those French pharmacy brands that we used to seek out on a trip to Paris, they’re now firmly established at Boots, where one of the key ranges is Sébium, targeted at problem and oily skins. This sets out to control sebum with a one-shade-suits-all, lightly tinted cream featuring AHA esters said to ‘biologically treat’ the causes and consequences of blemishes.

The lid flips open to reveal a green-tinted balm that calms the redness of a blemish while delivering its antibacterial cargo of ingredients. It’s matte without being at all flat-looking (actually, too-matte accentuates the lumpiness of breakouts), and it’s a great make-up base if you need a bit more coverage.

The bestselling status of this Sébium Global range points to its effectiveness and we are most certainly giving it to some young women with troubled complexions that we know.

Bioderma Sébium Global Intensive Purifying Care/£14.10 for 30 ml at boots.com