It’s no secret we’ve gleaned some of our very best beauty secrets and many beloved products from the chic French women we love to follow. While we already feel pretty well versed on the topic (or as well versed as non-French, stateside beauty editors can possibly be), we’re always on the lookout for the still-secret products French women swear by—aka the lesser-known French beauty heroes that sell like crazy in those famous Parisian pharmacies. Not surprisingly, TikTok has been an amazing resource for said sleuthing, especially when it comes to Parisian women’s notoriously magnetic scent.
So our ears pricked up when we saw TikTok user @uglyducklingskincare go on a mission on the streets of Paris to pinpoint the exact product that was responsible for everyone’s beautiful, subtle scent. After having no luck at Sephora, she stopped at a famous French pharmacy, where a clerk was finally able to enlighten her and share which scent was the most popular. The stealthy culprit? Nuxe’s multitasking dry oil, which you can use on your body, face, or hair! It’s a product that, the clerk said, happens to sell every single minute in France.
Lucky for us, you don’t have to book a trip across the pond to get your hands on a bottle. The 1.6-ounce size is available on Amazon for a very doable $26, which officially makes it the most affordable scent in our arsenal of French fragrance staples. What, exactly does the oil smell like, and why is it so special? Well, it has multitasking powers, for one. As a dry oil, it’s supremely hydrating, but it’s light enough to be used anywhere on the body—try it on your strands to make your next slicked-back style a snap.
Even though it soaks into the skin and leaves behind a noticeable satiny glow, it’s the opposite of greasy, and you’re also left with that now-famous scent featuring delicate notes of orange blossom, magnolia, and vanilla. Last but not least, there’s the 98% natural origin of the oil’s trademark ingredients. Seven precious botanical oils (tsubaki, argan, macadamia, borage, camelia, hazelnut, and sweet almond) team up to deliver an impressive host of benefits, such as anti-pollution protection, antioxidant-induced brightness, diminished stretch marks, and long-lasting moisture. Obviously, we’re buying about 10 bottles. Click below to get your own bottle and then keep scrolling to discover more best-selling French favorites from Nuxe and the other French pharmacy gems our editors go wild for.
If you’d prefer a floral take on the iconic French staple, reach for this iteration instead. (Or just snag them both so you’re covered no matter your mood.)
Formulated with precious cells of edelweiss and natural hyaluronic acid (obtained through unique botanical biotechnology) this potent anti-aging serum helps tighten the skin while simultaneously targeting wrinkles and dark spots.
We promise there’s no lip balm as decadent and highly reparative as this French favorite. It boasts a powerhouse blend of honey, botanical oils, and propolis—a rare, highly medicinal material made by bees to stave off germs and unwanted hive invaders. This lush, meltybalm smells like grapefruit (lightly zingy) and is the best anytime pick-me-up for dry, stressed-out lips.
Rich and velvety, this beloved anti-aging nighttime moisturizer drips with a dynamic foursome of natural-origin ingredients (saffron, bougainvillea bifloral cells, prickly pear, and organic poppy-petal extract), so you’ll wake up to plumper, more radiant skin. We also go nuts for the elevated sandalwood and white-floral scent.
If you’re on the drier side or have mature skin, you’ll want to try this skin-cocooning oil-balm hybrid. Rich in antioxidants, it uses key ingredients like jasmine flower and macadamia oil to soften and rebalance the skin. Apply it at night as the last step in your routine, and you’ll reap the visible benefits come morning.
People with combination skin swear by this gentle cleanser. Packed with skin-sloughing blue micro-beads, it lightly exfoliates without causing dryness or disturbing your delicate skin barrier.
Think of this as your fave ChapStick but way more sophisticated and transformative. The expert mix of honey, precious botanical oils (rice bran, macadamia, argan, and sweet almond), barley extract, shea butter, vitamin E, and sunflower couldn’t be more luxe and will become a day-to-day staple.
This soothing cleansing gel is the ultimate antidote for stubborn makeup removal and sensitive skin that’s craving an extra dose of TLC. Key ingredients include honey, sunflower, coconut, and allantoin.
This dark circle–erasing eye cream is so popular that it’s currently sold out on Nuxe’s USA website. However, fear not—we played detective and found an alternate retailer you can shop above.
Here it is—the most iconic micellar water in all the land. We love it because it’s affordable without sacrificing quality, it’s especially ideal for the most sensitive of skin (even those with rosacea), and it effectively cleans skin and removes stubborn makeup with no rinse necessary. The formula contains fatty acid esters—the constituent elements of micelles—that mimic the phospholipids of skin cell membranes, which help repair the skin’s hydrolipidic film. You’re getting so many skin benefits with just one buy, so don’t sleep on this French best seller.
Everyone and their mother (aka beauty lovers, editors celebrities, and makeup artists) hoard this iconic French face cream from Embryolisse. It might be a controversial statement, but we liken it to an actually affordable dupe for Augustinus Bader’s famed formula. If you’re after that ineffable dewy-yet-clean skin aesthetic, you’re looking at it, bottled.
Our editor is pretty much convinced their skin has become addicted to this best-selling French toner, only because it looks haggard when she forgets to dose her complexion with it. It’s alcohol-free, hydrating, and composed of 99% ingredients of natural origin, soaking skin with the solar-charged magic of five essential oils that help tone, detox, and re-energize lackluster skin.
Talika’s bio-enzymes masks are legend, and this brightening one is our extra-special favorite and personal secret weapon before events or big nights out. Saturated with luxe ingredients like vitamin C, aloe, grapefruit, and chamomile, it’s the perfect thing to pre-game your face with.
We hate having dry, cracked hands but also hate greasy fingers that oil up laptops, phones, and hair. Therefore, this French favorite has become our saving grace. It melts into the skin quickly, so you’re not left with any greasy aftermath, and it’s also one of the few formulas that keep the skin hydrated and soft through multiple hand washes. Glycerin and shea butter are the MVPs.
This top-rated vitamin C serum is an antioxidant powerhouse and a comparably affordable no-brainer for anyone who wants brighter, more even skin.
We’ve tried hundreds of face creams, from $15 to $900 (yep, they exist), and this is one of our all-time favorites, especially during the steamier months when we try to steer clear of ultra-heavy or rich formulas. This one from the French brand Avène has been a true miracle for our editors’ skin. It keeps the complexion balanced and dewy, and it has the added benefit of making makeup and foundation look absolutely stellar. We can’t recommend it enough.
Yes, you should be wearing sunscreen all 365 days a year, and yes, this is the one formula that wins award after award and is inside every single beauty editor’s skin kit.
We can count on our fingers the number of clean, naturally formulated dry shampoos we can actually depend on to refresh our strands sans off-putting smells or residues. This top-rated pick from beloved French brand Klorane easily gets the job done, leaving strands soft, detoxified, and fresh smelling, all while superstar ingredient oat milk encourages optimal hair nourishment.
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