french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

These Are the Pharmacy Products French Women Swear By

Dispatches from Paris’s most famous pharmacie

Art enthusiasts visit the Louvre, beauty buffs go to CityPharma. The Saint-Germain-des-Prés institution brims with toiletries and tourists eager to get in on French skincare secrets. Sharing in the mission, we asked a few locals if we could peek into their carts.

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Camille

“I’m studying Chinese medicine and aromatherapy, so I’m all about using natural oils and ingredients. One of my favourite tricks is to make ice cubes with blueberry water and apply them around my eyes to depuff. Today, I’m getting carrot oil because it makes my skin more glowy, and macadamia oil because it’s great to massage on the body.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Morgane

“I was looking for a moisturizer to protect my skin against pollution. I get little bumps because of the air in Paris, but as soon as I go on holiday in the South of France, my skin clears up. I’m also getting the LaRoche Posay thermal water—two of those, actually. I spritz it on after I cleanse with micellar water, and then I moisturize. I think French women are more and more concerned about what they put on their skin. My friends and I always look at the ingredient list before buying a product.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Marie

“I got a Uriage face mist, which I spray in the morning; this honey shower gel, because I get dry patches on my legs; and argan oil to moisturize my body. I think beauty starts with feeling good within, and then it’s quite simple: Clean your skin, moisturize and maybe do a mask now and then when you feel like it. I had a bit too much white wine last night [laughs], but when you have fun and you smile, that’s beautiful, too.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Corinne and daughter Caroline, 15

Corinne: “We often shop for cosmetics together. I teach her to take good care of her skin. I’m very much a minimalist when it comes to my routine. I wash my face, moisturize and use very little makeup.”

Caroline: “My mom’s taught me to use gentle products that don’t aggravate the skin. We really like Avène, Uriage and LaRoche Posay.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Gaëlle

“I can never seem to walk out of here without spending €200 [laughs]! In my 20s and 30s, it was more about wearing the latest makeup and standing out. I’ll be 40 next week, and I feel much more comfortable in my skin now. I take care of myself and eat well, so I don’t feel the need to wear as much makeup. We all age, it’s part of life, so I choose to embrace it rather than fight it.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Sister Ibtissam 

“I came here because the prices are good. I’m mostly looking for sunscreen but I also wanted to see everything they had; the brands, the products. Usually, I just use water on my skin, only water. It’s the source of life.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Ashley

“I’m getting a Cetaphil cleanser, a day cream that helps with my breakouts and a night cream that helps with pigmentation. They were recommended to me by the advisers here. They really know their stuff. In general, I do as little as possible, beauty-wise. A good moisturizer and that’s it. I only wear makeup if I’m going out at night. But I do get my brows shaped regularly at l’Atelier du Sourcil, here in Paris. They only use tweezers, never wax, which I find is better.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Caroline 

“I get everything at the pharmacy and try to pick products that are as natural as possible, especially now that I have a baby. In the morning, I use micellar water, rose water, some moisturizer and a little makeup: usually mascara, bronzer and a bit of lipstick. And now that I’m getting older [laughs], I put on an eye cream at night.”

 

french pharmacy products
Photography by Laura deCarufel

Linda

“I live right around the corner, so I come here often. My regimen is quite simple, especially since having a baby: I wash my face, moisturize and use eye cream. I think, in general, Parisian women tend to be more natural. They don’t wear a lot of makeup or get long fake nails or things like that. Not that one is better than the other; it’s just different.”

 

 

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