My ultimate French shopping experience? Pharmacy. No couture for me thanks, I’ll take chemist-worthy skincare any day. So chic! So simple. So darn a-la natural! Here are the products that simply fell of the shelves during a recent trip to Paris, in the hope of becoming my hand luggage.
La Roche-Posay
I have much love for La Roche-Posay, with my day bookended by their most brilliant Micellar water – with lots of Lipikar love in between for limbs, lips and beyond. Today the brand flourishes within Australian pharmacy too – and is perennially the one I point friends towards in times of epidermal unease.
Pictured: Anthelios XL Tinted SPF 50+, $27.95
Caudalie
Behind every French skincare brand, is a fine story. Caudalie was founded by a French couple within a Bordeaux vineyard that were advised that the good stuff from their grapes – aside from the wine of course – could do amazing things for the skin. This now iconic brand brings together the benefits of grape seed polyphenols and environmentally ethical packaging and manufacturing.
Avene
No desk I’ve ever worked at is dressed without an Avene product strewn across it – whether it is lip balm, hand crème or face mist. So I stocked up in Paris. Back on home soil and staring down deadlines, I use a spritz of the thermal spring water spray every hour or so to wake up the senses and settle makeup for that looming afternoon meeting.
Nuxe
The name evokes it all with this ‘Nature meets Luxury’ range that works on five principals including Nature, innovation, Evaluation, Accessibility and Sensory Experience. My personal principal aim when in Paris was to make like the city of lights and glow! Therefor, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR, (pictured) proved the essential skin illuminator for an evening out.
Roger & Gallet
Viscerally pleasurable from the packaging to the lather, Roger & Gallet soaps proved a perfect gift for this savvy traveller. No longer available in Australia, I brought up big to bring home as presents for mum and many friends. Putting pump action soaps in the shade, I love the R&G mix of old school packaging and androgynous, modern typeface and scent combinations.
Klorane
Anyone worth his or her weight in sustainable hairstyles has dabbled in a little Klorane. Dense in plant properties and other natural niceties – including chamomile, pomegranate, citrus and oat milk – the Klorane range has been around since the mid-1960s, and constantly evolves thanks to the teams of ethno-botanists, agronomists and pharmacists observing and cultivating plants to produce the unique innovative ingredients.
Pictured: Klorane Mango Oil, $22.95
Bioderma
BIoderma products jostle for space amidst the French couture and finery backstage at many a fashion show. For my flight, this brand proved an essential as – even though I don’t wear makeup in transit – I cant stand the feeling of artificial air settling on my skin over hours of plane travel. So a little swipe of this with a cotton pad prevented dehydration and restored resilience across several time zones.
Pictured: Bioderma Sensibio H20 Reverse Pump, $44.95
Closer To Home-Chic-Home:
Absolution
This organic skincare winner allows you to mix and match your perfect product to suit your skin, and the range only consists of a sharply edited array of products so that the guesswork and the brain pain is taken out of choosing your next Euro-inspired epidermal adventure. Available at I Am Natural Store
Odacite
Odacite Founder and CEO Valerie Grandury began blending freshly made skincare when she was diagnosed with breast cancer just over a decade ago. Today, her brand retains its core essence of fresh blends and ultra-clean, human-friendly skincare. Available at I Am Natural Store
Uriage
Again, thermal spring water comes to the fore within Uriage products, offering a completely hypoallergenic range of skin solutions that are rich in minerals to enhance moisture levels all day. If it’s an ‘entry-level’ affordable French beauty brand you are after – for all over skin health – this is it. Available at Priceline
