Vichy Mineral 89 Booster VS Probiotic Fractions Concentrate VS Prebiotic Concentrate: Review, Which one is better? How to use it?

Yes, Vichy has 3 different products with similar names in similar packaging. If you have been feeling confused about which one you should get, then you are in the right place. Today I will break down the differences between Vichy Mineral 89 Booster and Vichy Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions Concentrate, and Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic concentrate.

I must emphasize that I only used Mineral 89 Booster and Mineral 89 Probiotic Concentrate because those 2 are available in Serbia and in Europe in general. The third product, the Mineral 89 Prebiotic is present on the USA market, and I discovered that one when I was preparing this blog post and a matching Youtube video.

Anyway, there is this third product called Mineral 89 Prebiotic Concentrate and that one is on the USA market. So we have PRObiotic in Europe and PREbiotic in the USA.

ARE THESE TWO PRODUCTS DIFFERENT?

Before we dive deeper, let me define Probiotics and Prebiotics.

Probiotics: Living strains of bacteria that add to the population of good bacteria in your digestive system.

Prebiotics: Specialized plant fiber that acts as food for good bacteria. This stimulates growth among the preexisting good bacteria.

So it’s not the same. BUT when I compare the ingredients of the USA version and EU version, they have exactly the same ingredients. Now I don’t have the USA version here so I cannot compare them side by side, but based on the ingredients they should be the same.

I’m not sure why they decided to go for different names, maybe it’s something regarding cosmetic regulations that I don’t know, if you have more information than I do, feel free to share it in the comments.

Bottom line is that it’s not really important how they call it in the USA vs. how they call it in the EU, these are the same products.

From now on whenever I say Probiotic Fractions, I am talking about both USA and EU versions. And when I say Mineral 89 Booster I am also talking about both USA and EU versions of the Booster, because those are the same too, I checked.

INGREDIENTS

As always let’s first start with ingredients.

Vichy Mineral 89 Booster

Ingredients that are emphasized on Vichy’s website for Mineral 89 are Vichy Volcanic Water and Hyaluronic Acid. That is high molecular Hyaluronic Acid that just hydrates the skin and has no anti-aging effect.

Vichy Volcanic Water strengthens the skin barrier. This is good if you have sensitive skin or if you are using ingredients that are making your skin sensitive, like Retinoids, AHAs, BHAs, etc.

Another ingredient worth mentioning is Glycerin, another humectant that binds water and hydrates the skin, and that’s pretty much it.

I already did a video review on Vichy Mineral 89, you can watch it here.

Vichy Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions

On the other hand, ingredients emphasized on Vichy’s website for Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions are Niacinamide (Vitamin B), Vichy Volcanic Water, and Vitreoscilla Ferment.

Niacinamide is a great anti-aging ingredient that can also fade dark spots, and also increases Ceramide synthesis resulting in a stronger, healthier skin barrier and better skin hydration.

Vitreoscilla Ferment is a nutrient-rich component of non-living bacteria that has skin barrier recovery properties.

Two more ingredients that I would like to emphasize that Vichy didn’t, are high molecular Hyaluronic Acid and Glycerin. Same two humectants that were included in Mineral 89 Booster.

Based on the ingredients I can say that both serums are great for sensitive skin, because they are both Fragrance-free, Alcohol-free, and contain ingredients that can strengthen your skin barrier. Also, you can use these when using ingredients that increase your skin’s sensitivity, like Retinoids, AHAs, BHAs, etc.

Another thing that I can say based on the ingredients is that Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions is a more serious product if I can say so. It’s an anti-aging serum because it does have Niacinamide.

EFFECT ON THE SKIN + HOW TO USE

When I started using Vichy Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions Concentrate, I immediately felt as if this one was giving me more moisture than Mineral 89 Booster. But I wanted to be 100% sure, so I compared them side by side.

You can watch the demo application in this video.

I applied the Booster to one side of my face and followed it with Cerave Moisturizing Lotion right away, and to the other side of my face, I applied Probiotic Fractions Concentratenand followed it with the same moisturizer.

The best way to use both of these products is to apply them to slightly damp skin, after cleansing your face and to follow it with a moisturizer on top to lock all the moisture in.

Back to side by side comparison, after performing the touching test, I noticed that I was right from the beginning; the Probiotic Fractions Concentrate was more moisturizing on the skin.

FINAL VERDICT

When I take everything into consideration, both of these products are great for sensitive skin, for strengthening the skin barrier, and great to be used in combination with other skincare products that increase your skin’s sensitivity, like Retinoids, AHAs, BHAs, etc.

Probiotic Concentrate has better ingredients and is a genuine anti-aging serum. Because of Niacinamide.

Mineral 89 Booster, on the other hand, is just there to give you a little bit of hydration and that’s it.

They are both great products for sensitive skin, it just comes down to what exactly are you looking for?

Are you looking for a product that will give you a little bit of hydration, strengthen your skin barrier, and won’t irritate your sensitive skin? Go for the Mineral 89 Booster.

Or if you are looking for something with a more nourishing effect on the skin, something that will again strengthen your skin barrier, and will give you an anti-aging effect at the same time? Go for the Mineral 89 Probiotic Concentrate.

Which one am I choosing, well at the moment I am leaning more towards Probiotic Concentrate because it nourishes my skin really well and I have dry skin. So for now, I am choosing the Probiotic Concentrate.

Let me know if this was helpful!

Thanks for reading!