| Category | Sensitive-Skin Cleansing |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | Lyon, France (NAOS) |
| Listing | Private (NAOS, France) |
| Latest revenue | Not disclosed |
| Hero SKUs | Sensibio H2O Micellar Water |
Brand History
Bioderma was founded in 1977 by French biologist and pharmacist Jean-Noël Thorel, under the NAOS group he later built. The starting point was not 'better looking' but 'more respectful of skin' — Thorel argued skincare should mimic skin's own biology, an idea later formalised in NAOS's ecobiology framework.
What made Bioderma globally known was Sensibio H2O in 1995: a no-rinse micellar water whose surfactant molecules encapsulate makeup and oil, removed with a cotton pad. Its rise in China was textbook category education — the very concept of 'makeup-removing water' was popularised by this pink liquid. The logic is minimal: one bottle for removal, cleansing and soothing, safe for sensitive skin, 500ml, RMB 100-200. The challenge comes from the same simplicity: when domestic micellar waters arrive at a third of the price, Bioderma must prove gentleness is a felt difference rather than a claim.
Hero Products
Three-Year Financials
Neither the brand nor its parent publishes audited annual financials; no estimates are provided.
Brand-level：Revenue is not public. Sensibio H2O was one of the products that taught China the micellar-water category, and it ranks consistently near the top of Tmall and JD cleansing sales at RMB 100-200 for 500ml, mainly through cross-border and pharmacy channels.
Source：NAOS and brand materials; trade press
Company Coverage
- 2025-08Micellar price war
Domestic products launch at RMB 30-50, eroding the import price advantage.
Source：E-commerce trade media - 2025-04Gentle cleansing rises
Shoppers shift from 'removes everything' to 'removes gently', reviving the micellar category.
Source：Trade media - 2024-12Cross-border compliance costs
Tighter filing and labelling rules weigh on smaller imported brands.
Source：Trade media
Editor's note: Bioderma faces the common problem of category creators — it taught the market, and the market need not repay it. Once micellar water is a commodity, Bioderma must either make gentleness verifiable through ingredient lists, clinical tests and sensitive-skin data, or accept becoming one option rather than the option.