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11 Iconic French Pharmacy Skincare Brands (and the products we love)

By Carly Cochrane - 3 years ago | Updated
best french skincare brands

From A-beauty, to J-beauty and K-beauty, it seems like we can’t get enough of alphabet-inspired formulas. But, whilst the newbies enter the limelight, one letter remains at the forefront: F-beauty.

French beauty has been a pioneer in the industry for quite some time now, and trust us, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. French-born products have continuously been a backstage favourite at the likes of fashion week, with both makeup artists and hair stylists swearing by them.

Luckily, the goods have now made their way across the channel and are much more accessible to all beauty enthusiasts. Before now, you would have to splash out on a Eurostar ticket if you wanted to get your hands on the epic skin care and feel-good formulas.

To help you be the first to snap up the best of the bunch, we've rounded up a list of iconic French pharmacy products.

Avène

Avène's story began in 1763 in a small, rural village located in the South of France. Today, they are one of the biggest beauty brands across the globe, renowned for their iconic Thermal Spring Water. With each product specially designed to naturally soothe, comfort and protect sensitive and irritable skin, you can trust Avène to heal any skin concern.

Avène Thermal Spring Water - 150ml

Avène Thermal Spring Water

£7.00 £10.00 (30% off)

Ask a French girl if she's used the Thermal Water as part of a skin care routine and the answer will almost always be yes. It's Avène's famed formula, as it boasts a magnitude of beautifying benefits. Whether you use it to set makeup, calm redness or as a hydrating pick-me-up, you can guarantee skin looks and feels healthier.

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel

£9.97 £12.35 (20% off)

This cleansing gel flies off the shelves thanks to its ability to purify and regulate oil production without the use of soap. Ideal for blemish prone skin, it’s a gentle formula that’s good to use on both your face and body.


Embryolisse

The Embryolisse journey dates back to the 1950s, when a dermatologist in a Parisian hospital created a formula that would keep the patient's skin hydrated. Now, it's a staple name in not only French households, but homes across the world. Even the likes of Karlie Kloss, Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson are firm fans.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

£7.99

The Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentre is nothing but an all-rounder. Boasting a three-in-one formula, it can be used as a moisturising lotion, primer and makeup remover. No wonder it's a best-seller.

Embryolisse Radiant Eye

Embryolisse Radiant Eye

£19.91

The Radiant Eye is another fan-favourite of Embryolisse. The clever cool-effect stick gives tired peepers a genuine radiance boost, leaving them much brighter and more refreshed - perfect if you've had one too many late nights.


NUXE

Ahh, Nuxe. This is a French skin care brand that we are high-key obsessed with. From their eco-friendly ingredients to their innovative formulas and sweet-smelling scents, the French are really on to a winner with this one.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil

£22.08

It’s a cult-classic and the multitasker that French women swear by. Made from entirely natural ingredients, the NUXE dry oil laces hair, skin and body with an unmatched moisture and a scent that screams summer.

Don't believe us? Check out our NUXE Dry Oil Review and see how it transformed a temperamental complexion.

Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm

Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm

£13.23

Looking for a lip balm that actually works? Allow us to introduce you to the Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm. This hardworking formula can restore and revive dry, sore and chapped lips in no time at all.


Filorga

The secret behind French women's youthful looks has been revealed. Filorga is the line of products that kept signs of premature ageing and sagging skin in check, way before botox was a thing. With hyaluronic acid powering their formulas, it's your one-stop-shop to keeping a young and plump complexion.

Filorga Time-Filler Eyes

Filorga Time-Filler Eyes

£30.55 £47.20 (36% off)

Keep your peepers pretty, as anti-ageing experts Filorga bring you the ultimate formula. Inspired by the latest, innovative medical techniques, this eye correction cream smooths, plumps and lifts skin around the eye to reveal younger and wider looking peepers.

Filorga Global Repair Serum

Filorga Global Repair Serum

£55.00 £86.00 (37% off)

Whether its deep wrinkles, pigmentation, age spots, sun damage or expression lines, this high-powered, perfectly balanced serum has been expertly created to revive dull-looking skin. Inspired by renowned aesthetic medicine techniques, it delivers a visible and intense youth-enhancing effect.


Bioderma

Bioderma are one of the most popular and recognisable brands in the industry at the moment. Home to one of the best micellar water collections plus other skin-loving formulas, such as sunscreen, it's a French favourite that deserves a place in your every day routine.

Bioderma Hydrabio H2o Micelle Solution

Bioderma Hydrabio H2o Micelle Solution

£4.46 £6.00 (26% off)

It’s the veteran of all micellar waters and our favourite for makeup removal that’s mess-free. Its ability to dissolve all traces of build-up whilst soothing skin is what makes this a hit backstage at fashion week.

Bioderma Sensibio DS+ Cream

Bioderma Sensibio DS+ Cream

£15.00 £17.00 (12% off)

Give stressed out skin a break with a smothering of the Bioderma Sensibio DS+ Cream. Developed to calm and soothe red, dry and flaky skin, the cooling cream utilises gentle ingredients to provide ultimate comfort and care.


Erborian

When French luxury is combined with Korean innovation, the result can only be ground-breaking. Erborian is a skin care line that utilises both Korean technologies and high-end ingredients in order to create makeup and skin care hybrids that are truly unmatched.

Erborian CC Cream SPF 25

Erborian CC Cream SPF 25

£16.95 £20.50 (18% off)

Korean intelligence combines with French beauty to create this epic CC cream. A few swipes of this velvety-soft formula will leave you with skin that’s perfected and radiant. If you want to know more, check out our guide to CC cream.

Erborian Ginseng Elixir Serum

Erborian Ginseng Elixir Serum

£51.95

Supercharged with ginseng, a powerful antioxidant ingredient, this serum packs the ability to turn back the clock on ageing. Skin is given a 'shot' of youth, whilst the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles are improved for a radiant visage.


Vichy

Vichy is the French-born brand that caters to even the most sensitive skin types. For 80 years and counting, they've been providing formulas that are rich in minerals and help to soothe, calm and clarify skin.

Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Purifying Gel

Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Purifying Gel

£12.95 £16.50 (22% off)

Vichy's exclusive Mineralising Water is blended with BHA salicylic acid and zinc to create a daily gel cleanser that purifies and revitalises the appearance of oily, blemish-prone skin. Dirt, dust and pollutant particles are effortlessly removed from skin, leaving you with a fresher, clearer and mattified complexion.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Moisturising Day Cream

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Moisturising Day Cream

£21.50 £24.50 (13% off)

Follow up with the Aqualia Thermal Rich Moisturising Day Cream to target skin concerns and lock in 24 hour hydration. This moisturiser is a best-seller within the Vichy range as it tackles moisture loss by rehydrating dry and very dry skin. In fact, it's so hydrating, that it's the go-to for athletes as it consists of water, minerals and sugar which replenish a dehydrated body’s natural fluids.


La Roche-Posay

The French swear by their products, A-listers swear by their products and we swear by their products. La Roche-Posay has been offering highly effective skin care solutions for all concerns for the last 30 years. Whether it's redness, acne, oiliness, ageing or dryness, there is a formula here that will transform your skin for good.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Unifiant

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Unifiant

£16.50 £20.00 (18% off)

Calling all oily-skinned beauties, this is the moisturiser you never knew you needed until now. Once applied, the lightweight lotion works overtime to balance sebum production, shrink pores and minimise blackheads and blemishes. Skin is left purified, clarified and fresher than ever before.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Comfort Cream SPF 30

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Comfort Cream SPF 30

£16.50 £19.85 (17% off)

The Anthelios Ultra Comfort Cream SPF30 is one of La Roche-Posay's most sought-after products, especially amongst acne sufferers. Here's why: it protects skin from harmful UV rays, all whilst leaving the skin clear, calm and comfortable. Now you can break up with bad skin for good!


Darphin

Pierre Darphin was a Parisian kinesiotherapist that brought together some of the world's best cosmetologists, massage therapists, manicure experts and other professionals to create a line of never-seen-before skin treatments. Today, Darphin serves up everything from day creams to face oils and serums, all of which keep your skin in tip-top condition.

Darphin Intral Toner

Darphin Intral Toner

£20.95

This toner is the perfect pick-me-up for skin that has had a long day. Natural ingredients like chamomile and sage soothe, whilst makeup and impurities are removed. The result? A clearer, brighter, more energised complexion.

Darphin Essential Oil Elixirs 8 Flower Nectar

Darphin Essential Oil Elixirs 8 Flower Nectar

£99.00

Staying true to its name, this rejuvenating elixir blends the rare aromatic essences from eight precious flowers in order to visibly improve the appearance of your complexion. Expect skin to feel comfortable, nourished, renewed and full of life after just a few applications.


Institut Esthederm

The Parisians really do know a thing or two about skin care, don't they? Institut Esthederm is an innovative skin care and sun care brand that supplies nothing but skin-friendly formulas. Their products only ever work to boost your natural beauty and help to prolong it, so that you can flaunt youthful and healthy skin for years to come.

Institut Esthederm Intensive Propolis Serum

Institut Esthederm Intensive Propolis Serum

£50.00

Introducing a super serum that is nothing but a household favourite amongst the French. Working to balance and treat acne-prone skin, this high-potency formula unclogs pores, regulates excess sebum and stimulates cell production.

Institut Esthederm Bronz Impulse UV Incellium Face & Body Spray

Institut Esthederm Bronz Impulse UV Incellium Face & Body Spray

£43.36 £50.00 (14% off)

This luxury body spray from Institut Esthederm helps prepare your skin for sun exposure by activating your skin's pigmentation process. It's a great holiday companion to strengthen your skin and prevent photo-ageing.


Caudalie

Caudalie is the French brand that brings you spa treatments from the comfort of your own home. The skin care line was established in Bordeaux, France, and was the first to combine the revitalising effects of the hot springs water with homegrown vine and grape extracts. It soon found itself on the shelves of many French pharmacies, which then led to its global success today.

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Mask

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Mask

£17.99 £26.00 (31% off)

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Mask utilises the power of green and white clay and zinc to reduce the appearance of pores and give your skin a little pick-me-up.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Correcting Glycolic Night Cream

Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Correcting Glycolic Night Cream

£32.99

A best-seller and global favourite, Vinoperfect Dark Spot Correcting Glycolic Night Cream is loved by millions of women as it corrects dark spots with minimal effort required. Saturated with the Caudalie patented Viniferine (which is 62 times more effective than vit C), it effectively boosts radiance and evens skin tone and texture.


Now that you're fully stocked up with French pharmacy product favourites, why not check out The Best Hand Cream for Dry and Cracked Skin?

Carly Cochrane

Written by Carly Cochrane

As the Senior Content Editor for Cosmetify, Carly is the go-to for all the latest (and greatest) beauty tips, tricks and trends. With over six years of experience in the industry, she knows all the ins-and-outs when it comes to health, beauty and wellbeing. 

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