French women have a "skin first" beauty philosophy, prioritizing quality creams and serums over heavy makeup. (Getty)
In the mid-2000s, when I was a magazine editor, most every publication I worked for wrote stories on the "French girl" look. Our readers couldn't get enough about how Gallic girls put themselves together — everything from scarf tying to eyeliner techniques. But the most popular topic was French skin care and the "secret" finds that make French faces look youthful and chic. In America, women often focus on covering their flaws with makeup, but French women have a skin-first philosophy. They wear less makeup and focus on their skin, spending on quality serums and creams from trusted pharmacy brands.
Over the years, I've become familiar with many of these stellar French pharmacy products. I have Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre and Avène Recovery Cream in heavy rotation (and you should too!). But I was curious about the French pharmacy skin care I had yet to discover — lesser-known finds my 52-year-old skin could certainly use. I spent a week scrolling Reddit threads, noting recommendations from French women and studying reviews. Et voila: Here are some affordable, face-saving French skin-care products that you can pick up stateside.
This famous cream helps hydrate, repair and calm skin that's weakened by barrier damage or thinning (due to loss of collagen), or irritated by certain in-office procedures. Its potent ingredient mix accelerates skin's natural healing process, and some users say it even reduces the appearance of light scars and marks. You can use it anywhere on your body — I like it for lessening the crepey texture on my arms and strengthening the thin, discolored skin on my chest.
If your skin is extremely dry like mine (thanks, perimenopause) but also sensitive and finicky, this gorgeous evening-primrose-oil moisturizer might be for you. Though many of Mixa's products receive mixed reviews in Reddit's Euro skin care channels, this one is near-universally praised.
"This is the only thing so far which saved my dry skin," said one user. "It has a very light structure and is easy to use in the morning."
Five-star reviewers on Amazon simply call it "amazing, very moisturizing."
Uriage is frequently mentioned in the wilds of French skin-care forums, and this anti-redness lotion gets plenty of praise. While not a redness color corrector (you need a green-tinted makeup for that), the cooling, non-greasy formula aims to soothe inflamed skin and target redness at its source.
"Just get it," said one five-star Amazon reviewer. "If your skin is chronically red, tender, hyper-sensitive and everything you apply burns, it's amazing. Gives all-day softness, skin is supple, the redness is so much better — not gone, but you feel so much relief — it even works under my makeup. So happy and highly recommend. It will be the best 20 bucks you spend."
Yes, I know. This is not an anti-aging product, but it's made from 100% natural organic ingredients like honey, shea butter and vitamin E. It melts into your lips for instant softening and is seriously the best lip balm I've tested in ages, especially for just $10.
Though not an official Reddit pick, I tried this overnight water mask last week and woke up with surprisingly dewy and plumped-up skin — an effect that lasted several hours and was more impressive than that of other "water" moisturizers I've tested that cost twice as much.
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
