France is known for having amazing pharmacies filled with quality skin care products. So, before I went to Paris, I did my researched on skincare products I had to get.If you don’t go to Paris prepared with a list of products, then you will get very overwhelmed with all the products inside the pharmacies. I made a list of my 10 best french pharmacy skin care products I found on a recent trip.
Looking back I wish I would have researched more the products that I could have only found in France. Why? Because all the products I ended up buying in Paris I found I could buy in the US from online stores to CVS. I did find some items I purchased in the US to be slightly more expensive than the ones I got from Paris.
Where to Go: City Pharma Paris
Everyone says that the best place to come for skincare is the City Pharma in Paris (at 26 rue du Four,75006 Paris, France). So, of course, I had to come and stock up on my skincare wish list.
I feel like no matter what time of day you go this place is busy because everyone and their mom thinks this is the best place to buy skin care items. But, that’s not true. You can find the same skin care items in many of the other of hundreds of pharmacies located in Paris and France. Although, people say that City Pharma has the cheapest prices in the city ( I didn’t go around comparing prices at different stores, so who knows how true that is). I do think this store is over-hyped. Although, I do believe that City Pharma has the best selection of items all under one roof. They have a massive variety of items, and I could have easily ended up with many bagfuls of items I didn’t need ( I can only use so many products on my small face at one time).
I would recommend screenshotting all the products you are interested in getting, so in case you can’t locate yourself you can ask one of the store employees too. For opening times of City Pharma visit their website at https://pharmacie-citypharma.fr/
Products I Bought
Avène Thermal Spring Water
This thermal spring water is used to calm and soften the skin. I do like this spray, but I don’t use it every day. I loved having this in the fridge and spraying it on my face during a hot summer day. But, I find because it’s pure water it ends up drying out my face when I use it often. It does have a nice fine mist. I think it’s a great product if your skin is sunburned or irritated and you need something cooling. Also, if you don’t have time to refresh your makeup when you are out you can spray this on your face to freshen up.
Avène Hydrance Optimale UV Light Hydrating Cream SPF 20
I am always on the lookout for an SPF cream that is ultra hydrating. Their Hydrance Optimale line is for dry skin. For this Avène cream, I picked up their SPF cream by accident, instead of their non-SPF cream. It does feel nice, and moisturizing on the skin. But, an SPF of 30+ is the only thing that truly protects your skin. I usually wear it on days when I am going out on a very short errand.
La Roche-Posay Redermic R Eye Intensive Cream
This eye cream has their highest concentration of pure retinol which is supposed to help reduce wrinkles and diminishes premature sun damage. Its retinol is mildly formulated and sinks right in my skin. I am young, so I was looking for something to prevent wrinkles and keep my under eyes looking fresh. The pharmacy workers thought this was the best one so I decided to try a tube. I used it for three months and thought it was a gentle hydrating eye cream. It doesn’t burn or sting underneath my eyes. I guess because I am young it’s hard to judge how great of a job it’s doing at anti-aging.
Caudalie Grape Water Spray
Caudalie’s Grape Water claims to hydrate the skin, and soothe skin irritations. I think this is magical. Now, this spray was my favorite facial spray. It’s made with 100% grapes water. It has a lovely light grape scent without smelling fake. And, it’s great at keeping my face hydrated and didn’t dry out my skin.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O Wipes
Bioderma’s Sensibio line claims to be ideal for rosacea and hypersensitive skin. The key ingredient in these wipes is Vitamin E. Before coming to France all I ever heard from Youtube was how amazing Bioderma Micellar Water was, so I thought to try the wipes of them. In general, though I am not a fan of makeup wipes, and have yet found one I love. I didn’t find to be heavily soaked in micellar water. But, I did find these wipes to be useful to correct/clean up my eye makeup.
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellaire Water
Bioderma Sensibio to me is currently one of the best Micellar Water’s out there that I have tried. According to Bioderma’s website, this product has, ” Fatty Acid Esters: the constituent elements of micelles, are similar to the phospholipids of the skin cell membranes and naturally help rebuild the skin’s hydrolipidic film.” It feels ultra gentle on my skin, and I haven’t had any bad reactions from using the cleanser. I bought the small travel sized bottles from City Pharma, and when I returned to the states and found out I loved it, I bought the bigger bottles from an online beauty store. I think it is the best micellar water on the market.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
Another winner I found in Paris, and continue to use was this amazing balm. This product is supposed to be a soothing multipurpose balm for dry skin irritations. It has panthenol, shea butter, glycerin, and La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water.
I use a tretinoin/Retin-a cream and I use Sunday Riley’s Good Genes on alternating days which sometimes leads to my forehead being as dry as sandpaper if I put too much tretinoin on one night. Now, at first, when this whole dry forehead situation occurred, I would slather on a cortisone cream to heal the skin. But, then I found out it’s terrible to use cortisone cream for more than a few days. Who knew. Not me. So, when I went to Paris, I picked up this lovely balm and fell in love. It’s a thicker kind of cream, so I only use it at night. Luckily, it heals my dry skin issues within two days of use.
Avène Cicalfate Restorative Skin Cream
Avène Cicalfate cream claims to accelerate the skin’s recovery process. It is a cream meant to be used for post surgery( laser treatments), sunburns, and even ideal for people who have eczema. The ingredients include Sulcralfate( which helps restore/protect damaged skin), and Copper-Zinc Sulfate Complex( which promotes a healthy skin environment for optimal recovery).
I found for the dry spots I had on my face and body it did the job of healing them. I can see this cream working well for anyone who has any burn on their skin or is recovering from any kind of skin surgery.
NUXE Reve de Miel Stick Levres Hydratant Lip Moisturizing Stick
NUXE has a potted version of this lip balm which I meant to get, but I thought this would be just as good. I thought this was a good regular moisturizing lip balm. Next time though I will get the potted lip balm.
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre
The key ingredients in this cream are shea butter and aloe vera. The Lait-Creme Concentre is a cream that makeup artists claim to love using as a moisturizer/primer, and it does go on well underneath my makeup. It is a very simple cream that is great for sensitive skin. The Lait-Creme has a creamy consistency and sinks into the skin. I bought a travel size tube of it to try, and it’s my go-to product to use under makeup when my face is dry. In addition, I do think it’s an excellent daytime moisturizer.
Check out my blog post on the best things to do in Paris. https://ceciliasluxelife.com9-best-things-to-do-in-paris/
What are your favorite French pharmacy products? Would you try any of these?
The 10 Best French Pharmacy Skin Care Products.The 10 Best French Pharmacy Skin Care Products.
