Vichy Mineral 89 vs. Probiotic Fractions vs. Aqualia Thermal Serum: Differences and Reviews 2025

• About Vichy

As the brand recommended by 50,000 dermatologists worldwide, Vichy's products promise efficacy and safety, formulated with dermatologist-recommended ingredients backed by science.

A doctor-founded French Pharmacy skincare brand created in 1931, VICHY Laboratoires has a mission to empower people to maximize their skin health at every stage of life. VICHY Laboratoires is committed to understanding the science of healthy skin, pioneering research on the exposome (the cumulative impact of all aggressors across our lifetime) for over 40 years. At the core of every formulation is the 15 mineral-rich VICHY Volcanic Water, naturally sourced from French volcanoes and clinically proven to strengthen and protect the skin from exposome aggressors. As the #3 brand recommended by dermatologists worldwide, their products promise efficacy and safety, formulated with dermatologist-recommended ingredients backed by science.

The Shops: 

Vichy

CVS (up to 2% cashback from Extrabux)

Walgreens (up to 4% cashback from Extrabux)

Walmart (up to 4% cashback from Extrabux)

Dermstore (up to 5% cashback from Extrabux)

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• The Difference & Reviews

| Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum

Dermstore: $29.99/50ml (up to 5% cashback)

What Does It Do? 

Vichy Mineral 89 Daily Skin Booster is the ultimate solution for more nourished, hydrated skin. Made with 15 mineral-rich water and hyaluronic acid, this face moisturizer protects skin against environmental aggressors that can stress and fatigue its appearance. Free of fragrance and oil, this daily formula provides 24-hour hydration for softer, suppler skin.

Key Ingredients:

- Pure Hyaluronic Acid hydrates and visibly plumps skin.

- Plant Sugar delivers high performance hydration by strengthening the skin's moisture barrier to help prevent water loss, leaving skin radiant and plumped with moisture.

- Vichy Volcanic Water sourced from French volcanoes features 15 essential minerals to help strengthen the skin's barrier and protect skin from damaging environmental factors like pollution.

Best for: Most skin types, looking for basic hydration and barrier support. 

Texture & Fragrance: Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Serum is a clear, lightweight serum. It has no added fragrance, and the product itself has little scent—a feature a fragrance-sensitive person appreciates. 

The serum is slick and easy to apply all over in just a few seconds. It leaves the skin slightly tacky for the first couple of minutes, but this is the best time to follow up with a moisturizer if you're using it.

Review: This would be the perfect serum to take on your hols when you're feeling dehydrated from the sun, air conditioning or too many cocktails. With just 11 ingredients - including Vichy's own Thermal Mineralizing Water - this is definitely a product to love if you're into watching the amount of ingredients in your skincare.

It's also great for layering with other serums and creams, and won't affect your makeup in any way. So all in all, Vichy Mineral 89 Serum is good, it's solid and the gel-like texture feels lovely.

| Vichy Mineral 89 Probiotic Fractions Concentrate

Walgreens: $34.99/30ml (up to 4% cashback)

What Is It?

Restore skin to a healthier state with Vichy’s Mineral 89 Prebiotic Concentrate Serum. Formulated with mineral-rich Vichy volcanic water, vitreoscilla ferment and niacinamide, this concentrated serum helps fight the visible signs of aging brought on by stress accelerating skin barrier repair while protecting against future aggressors. 

Key ingredients: 

- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and Vitamin E: antioxidant properties known to help defend against environmental aggressors and help to visibly even skin tone.

- Vitreoscilla Ferment: a nutrient rich component of non-living bacteria grown in the presence of Vichy Volcanic Water, known to have skin barrier recovery properties.

- Vichy Volcanic Water sourced from French volcanoes features 15 essential minerals to help strengthen the skin's barrier and protect skin from damaging environmental factors like pollution.

Best for: Skin experiencing stress, irritation, or visible signs of damage, looking to repair the skin barrier.

Texture & Fragrance: The serum has a light liquid gel texture; it blends in and absorbs really quickly and easily so it doesn't feel sticky, heavy or greasy on the skin. Plus, it's so light, you'd easily forget you had it on!

The skin-reviving serum is fragrance-free to help minimise the risk of unwanted reactions or irritations that artificial scents can cause.

Review: This is like its sister above, but with the main difference of added Niacinamide and antioxidant vitamins. As well as hydrating, this serum focuses on repairing stressed out skin and guarding against stressors. It's a more classic serum consistency unlike the OG gel formula.

If you think that your lifestyle or environment is causing your skin to feel a little dull, lacklustre or damaged, you'll love this serum; it's the reparative recharge that stressed skin needs to leave it plump and radiant.

| Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum

Walmart: $14.00/30ml (up to 4% cashback)

What Does It Do? 

This moisturizing serum combines hyaluronic acid with supportive plant sugars. Hyaluronic acid is a substance with the ability to hydrate and visibly plump the skin. The plant sugars strengthen the skin's own moisture barrier, further helping it to stay well hydrated. Built into this serum is Vichy Mineralizing Thermal Water. This water comes from the heart fo French volcanoes and includes 15 essential minerals to support the moisture barrier and protect skin against environmental damage. 

Key Ingredients:

- Pure Hyaluronic Acid hydrates and visibly plumps skin.

- Plant Sugar delivers high performance hydration by strengthening the skin's moisture barrier to help prevent water loss, leaving skin radiant and plumped with moisture.

- Vichy Volcanic Water sourced from French volcanoes features 15 essential minerals to help strengthen the skin's barrier and protect skin from damaging environmental factors like pollution.

Best for: Dry, dehydrated skin needing intense moisture. 

Texture & Fragrance: The serum feels very hydrating, a bit cooling, and it absorbs immediately. It simply makes my skin bouncy and looking fresh and even. The thin texture makes it perfect for hot days, or for layering in the evenings. The product is unfortunately scented, but it's a nice scent, not too strong and not noticeable a lot once it absorbs.

Review: What's different between Mineral 89 and the Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Serum is that Mineral 89 is a step 0 serum, meant to be used as the first step to your skincare routine even before toning. Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Serum is a true hydrating serum, meant to be applied after toning and before moisturizer.

Mineral 89 is a great skincare product for all skintypes. You can be literally parched and enjoy this as equally as someone who has oily skin. Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Serum does a great job at hydrating the skin and creating a moisture barrier, but it can also be sticky if you apply too much. 

Conclusion

While all Vichy serums aim to hydrate, the key difference between Vichy Mineral 89, Probiotic Fractions, and Aqualia Thermal lies in their targeted skin concerns: Mineral 89 is a general hydrating serum for all skin types, Probiotic Fractions focuses on repairing and strengthening a compromised skin barrier (ideal for stressed skin), and Aqualia Thermal is specifically designed for deeply dehydrated skin, often with a focus on added moisture from ingredients like plant sugar;. 

Key points to consider:

Mineral 89:

Best for: Most skin types, looking for basic hydration and barrier support. 

Key ingredient: Hyaluronic acid. 

Benefit: Plumps skin, improves overall hydration. 

Probiotic Fractions:

Best for: Skin experiencing stress, irritation, or visible signs of damage, looking to repair the skin barrier. 

Key ingredients: Probiotics, niacinamide, Vichy volcanic water. 

Benefit: Soothes redness, strengthens skin resilience, improves texture. 

Aqualia Thermal Serum:

Best for: Dry, dehydrated skin needing intense moisture. 

Key ingredient: Hyaluronic acid, plant sugar 

Benefit: Provides long-lasting hydration, smooths fine lines.

I'm sure you have found the one that you want after seeing these reviews! Sign up at Extrabux, then you can enjoy up to 5% cashback on your order! 

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