On Monday, devastating skin-care news broke that Biologique Recherche discontinued its widely loved product P50 1970. A refresher: It’s all because the FDA banned the use of phenol in cosmetic skin-care products. Phenol, for the uninitiated, when used for skin care is an antiseptic compound that exfoliates skin and eradicates blemishes fast and is used for this only in Biologique Recherche’s P50 1970 products. It’s also worth noting, the U.S. is one of the few countries that allowed this formula, since Europe has had a ban on phenol in cosmetic products for years. But still, the news was met with panic purchasing the remaining stock of the magical “facial in a bottle.”
Because this is such a huge deal, I turned to people who’ve relied on the formula themselves to see what they plan to do next. The first thing all of them have done is stockpiled. Folks I interviewed have bought anywhere from five to as many as 20 bottles in the last 48 hours. When I last checked, the 1970 formula had sold out at Bergdorf Goodman, but it’s still available at places like Rescue Spa and Joanna Czech (for now). And after that stock runs out, most of them are sticking with Biologique Recherche and switching over to the non-phenol products, while a couple others are turning to different acne-fighting, skin-calming ingredients.
“This is very hard to digest,” says Aida Bicaj, who’s been using P50 1970 nearly every day for the past 30 years. As a skin-care expert and spa owner, she’s turning to the OG P50 formula once her stock of 1970 runs out, because it uses vinegar to balance skin. “It’s a really great substitute, but people need to use it twice a day,” she says. She noted that breakouts might occur, even if your skin is used to a Biologique Recherche product, but to stick with it. “After four or five weeks, everything should clear up. That redness, the tingling sensation stops, and it means the skin is balanced now.”
PIGM 400 has been another popular formula, especially among those with darker skin tones, since it’s great for brightening and exfoliating. Longtime 1970 fan Monica McGrath (“It was my personality for years,” she says) plans on incorporating this and the regular P50 formula, both of which she’s used in the past. Another person looking at PIGM 400 is interior designer William Graper, who’s been using 1970 for almost 20 years and started incorporating PIGM 400 in the past two years as a morning toner. Both Graper and McGrath echoed similar sentiments: “I think it’s good enough,” Graper says. “But nothing really has the antibacterial quality of the phenol.”
Bisma Rais, a licensed aesthetician who’s been using P50V 1970 for the past decade and carries Biologique Recherche products at her spa aqueous. skin + scent, says she’s planning to switch her clients over to the brand’s non-1970 counterparts. “The main thing people are going to miss is that phenol feeling,” she says of the 1970 formula’s tingling sensation. “That experience people love is being like, ‘Oh my God, it’s working.’ But I think we have to remember what P50 was created for, what its intended use is, and all those little details that we tend to skip.” For anyone who’s wary of the non-phenol versions, she says that they’re just as effective and packed with actives, but the main thing is making sure you’re picking the correct formula.
Danielle Prescod was a Biologique Recherche user back in its heyday (about a decade ago) but has since turned to gentler exfoliators. The change was partly due to her testing different products as a beauty editor at the time and also just a change in her skin. Now that she no longer has hormonal acne, she’s found that her winning combo for resurfacing her skin is Sophie Pavitt’s mandelic-acid serum and Shani Darden’s azelaic-acid serum. “Neither have any smell, and my skin texture afterward is incredible,” she says.
I also emailed chef Andy Baraghani, who I saw commented on the Cut’s Instagram post announcing the news. He’s stocked up on P50 1970, after being tipped off by his dermatologist, but will likely switch to a prescription-grade azelaic-acid gel after. Not a complete solution, but if you’re wanting a budget way that won’t cost you a doctor’s appointment, we’ve recommended the Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension time and time again.
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