My Essential French Skincare

I could not, and when I mean could not, I absolutely could not leave France without parading around the pharmacies and buying some skincare. French skincare is renowned worldwide. In fact, celebrities are known to ship it from France to their doorstep. What’s more, Europe’s skincare laws are known to be quite strict. I used to be that girl who’d stick to her face wash, scrub and moisturizer (and sunscreen!), but now guess who follows a multiple step skincare routine a couple times a week?

In this post, I’ll review some of my best loved French skincare. I’ll try to do it in the order that I use the products. I’ll also be sure to mention where in Paris, in particular, you can find some of them.

Face Wash and Scrub

To be fair, the Egg Mouse Soap face cleanser is from the Korean brand Too Cool for School, but you can find it at all the Sephoras in France. It’s one of the best face washes that I’ve come across. It doesn’t dry out the skin one bit. It also is a foaming cleanser, which looks kind of like shaving cream, so it’s really satisfying to apply. Most other face washes I’ve used always leave the skin feeling stretched out and parched, but not this one.

Le Petit Marseillais is a god-sent French skincare brand which can be found at all the supermarkets in France. It’s affordable, made in France, and a joy to have around. The apricot scrub really helped me out when I first moved there. My skin was crying for help and breaking out with the alien water that it wasn’t used to. This gel scrub nursed it back to health. It’s not coarse and quite mild.

Toner

Okay, this is my absolute holy grail French skincare item. To be honest, I wasn’t a big believer of toners until I started using the Sanoflore Veritable Eau Florale. I use the organic chamomile one, which is suitable for easily irritated skin. I religiously use this before moisturizing now. Just spray it on a cotton pad and apply all over your face. It leaves the skin feeling fresh, and it really does work. I’m prone to acne only when I’m PMSing, and this has been a reality for as long as I can remember. Ever since I’ve started using this toner, my period acne either completely disappears for the month or is not as bad. If that isn’t results, I don’t know what is.

Serum

Avril is a new up and coming organic French skincare brand, which aims to provide the best products at the most affordable prices. It’s true, because the serum I use was only € 9 in-store. You can find the Avril store in Paris near Place de Vosges and close to the Saint-Paul metro. Compared to other French skincare brands with popular serums, this was about one-third the price. It’s a lightweight serum that’s perfect for the summer months, and goes on the skin smoothly before it turns a little bit tacky.

Face Oil

You would not have caught me dead recommending face oils before I actually had a chance of trying them. Melvita is one of the famous French skincare companies out there. It was brought to my attention by a favourite French YouTuber of mine, EnjoyPhoenix. Their apricot oil is meant for tired skin, and man, does it leave the skin feeling super hydrated. I take a few drops on the palms of my hand and pat it on. I like to massage it in a little bit, and it sinks right in.

Moisturizer

I have a couple of choices for this one. For one, my best friend is a huge fan of the Le Petit Marseillais moisturizers, so if you’re ever in a Monoprix, just pick some of them up. They’re € 3 a piece.

For daytime moisturizers, I love the Yves Rocher Hydra Vegetale Creme. A little goes a long way as it’s extremely hydrating, but it isn’t to thick and greasy. I’d also highly recommend getting a Yves Rocher loyalty card if you’re in France, because discounts and gifts are endless with it. They have stores all over big and small cities and are great with their seasonal sales. I also really love their bath gels, they smell phenomenal.

La Roche-Posay is a pharmacy favourite. Like the name suggests, the “hydraphase legere” cream is a light, hydrating moisturizer, that keeps the skin soft throughout the day and can be easily worn under makeup. It’s one of the more costlier French skincare brands, so go to the pharmacy which prices it a bit on the lower side to save a few euros. Local French pharmacies all price the same products differently even if they’re only a block apart from each other, so just keep your eyes open!

For a night moisturizer, I’m a fan of the All in One Egg Mellow Cream. They say you can use this as a mask as well, but I don’t believe it. One pump of this is enough to apply all over your face. It works amazingly over the Melvita face oil, and keeps my skin hydrated and happy through the night.

Under Eyes

Okay, so I’m not sure what the Melvita avocado oil is doing for my under eyes, but it claims to get rid of dark circles and puffiness. I like using an oil instead of a cream because it’s more natural and doesn’t tug on the delicate under eyes too much. I’ve also heard that it’s great to use a natural oil under the eyes before applying concealer so that the makeup doesn’t dry the skin out – and it also prevents creases. I’m yet to try that trick, and I’ll be sure to update.

There is a Melvita store near the Opera in Paris, but it’s much less expensive to buy it from a local French pharmacy.

Sunscreen

Let me share a little secret: I bought this Biotherm sunscreen in Berlin – I should confess my sins on some holy ground. Biotherm is a great French skincare brand that sometimes sells its products in bundles, which is perfect for gifting or sampling. This sunscreen is both non-oily and non-drying, which is honestly all that I look for in a sunscreen. It isn’t organic, but it’s a good product. It doesn’t leave a white cast so you don’t look like the ghost of Christmas past every time you step out with it.

Makeup Friendly Skincare

Which French skincare post is complete without Bioderma? None. There is one Bioderma micellar water sold every 3 seconds in the world. And it lives up to its hype – it removes makeup easily, without the need to rub and tug. It doesn’t leave the skin dry and washed out. It works its magic on the deepest layers of makeup. It’s such an excellent product that I bought a half a litre of it.

There’s also the coveted Caudalie Beauty Elixir, that I like to spray on my face before applying foundation for smooth application. It’s supposed to be a great pick-me-up for your skin, and I agree. My only regret is that I didn’t buy a bigger bottle. Here, you can see the lie that is my “photo set up” for the pictures on the blog: it’s a white tee on the floor. But I liked how the picture came out, so here it is.

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