Fantastical finds at the French Pharmacie
You’ll know the French Pharmacie by the giant green blinking neon sign on the street. It calls to you with its siren song. You may be nervous. That’s okay. Because what lies beyond is a Pandora’s box of serums, elixirs, fast French speaking women in white lab coats who know more about your skin than you do, contraptions that shine black lights and blue lights upon your skin, revealing the failings of all your previous skincare regimens.
The French Pharmacie… how I love you.
You’ve probably googled this before, and you’ve probably visited a dozen articles giving you the ultimate list of what to buy— and you’ve probably come away frustrated and unsure. So let me break it down for you, based on my own experience and purchase history.
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE FRENCH PHARMACIE. Not all of the pharmacy locations offer the same experience. You’ll see the green sign on almost every street corner, most of them being tiny locations with essentials. You can pop in any of them and grab basic medicines, products, etc and speak to a pharmacist if you’re feeling a bit under the weather. But if you’re looking for the grail skincare experience I recommend visiting the Palais Royale location to get premium 1:1 care and an assessment of your skin.
Go first thing in the morning because it will get crowded. Say “Bonjour” when you enter and then you’ll be able to speak English with the ladies in the white coats. If they offer for you to put your head inside the assessment machine, DO IT. It’s complimentary and will show you and the ladies your skin’s condition so they can make a specific assessment and recommendation for you. And obviously, don’t feel pressured to buy anything, duh. You get to say yes or no to products.
FYI: SkinCeuticals is available on the shelves in French Pharmacies and the price is slightly better than in the US. If you’re searching for Biologique Recherce, they do not stock those in pharmacies, but you can find it easily available at skin spas where you can walk in and purchase it throughout the city.
I did the skin assessment last time I was in Paris and it was REVELATORY to see the sun damage to my skin. The ladies in the white coats really conveyed and SHOWED ME that I need to be protecting, moisturizing and doing things for my skin to reverse some of that damage and prevent it moving forward. I’ll tell you this— it has forever changed the way I approach my skincare.
WHAT TO BUY
I’m going to break it down for you: what you always hear about people buying, what I bought and what I will forever restock when I come to town.
Here’s what everyone hears about, my description and thoughts…
1. Homeoplasmine. This is a thick, petroleum based product that comes in a little pink tube and has been the “secret weapon” in makeup artists’ bags since the early 90s. It’s great to have on photo sets because it blurs out the skin and gives this really magical airbrush effect in a photo. I bought a couple small tubes, but rarely reach for it unless I’ve got a photo shoot. Buy one small tube and you’ll have it forever.
2. BIAFINE. This packaging is GOOOOOD. The font and stark black and white design is just really really good. What is the product? It’s a burn cream that comes in a giant tube. It’s emollient but leans slightly watery. People use it for sunburns. My opinion? Lavender essential oil mixed with a carrier oil is infinitely more effective. Again, the BIAFINE (pronounced bee-uh-feen) is a great package and worth maybe getting one tube to experience or gift someone else but it’s not something I’ll restock.
3. A313. This is the pure vitamin A retinol. It has a thick consistency like Vaseline and can be used up to 3 or 4 times a week. I haven’t used a retinol in years, for various reasons, rather opting for an over the counter retinoid. But there’s something really enticing about buying retinol without a prescription, from Paris, with that very French medicinal packaging. (Like, why does French pharmaceutical packaging feel so extra chic and effective??). I’ve now been using the A313 (pronounced ah-twah-trez) for five months and I’m THRILLED with it. It has evened my skin tone and smoothed some of my acne scarring from decades ago. My skin is clearer, more radiant, smooth.
Here are the tips you need about A313: People often complain that it gives them itchy face at night after application. I’ve found that I can completely prevent the itchiness by applying A313 and then applying 3-4 drops of rosehip oil on top. I wake up with plump, deeply moisturized skin. It’s amazing.
Note: be sure to research how to incorporate this one into your regime if you’re already using retinols/retinoids.
I will forever keep this one stocked.
Okay, I feel like those are the products you see recommended everywhere when it comes to French skincare. Now, here are the things that I have discovered that you need to know about:
1. La Roche Posay Vitamin C Riche and Vitamin C eye cream. So I’ll admit that I can be a brand snob. I don’t mean to be, but the branding and experience of a thing makes an impact for me. And LaRoche Posay in America is a CVS bottom shelf skincare item. Hard pass. So when I had my tête à tête with the ladies in the white coats at La Pharmacie, I was not excited that they recommended La Roche Posay as a top fix for my sun damaged skin. But these are the EXPERTS and after some very Parisian directness, they told me “this is the way.” So I got the La Roche Posay Vitamin C Riche serum and the La Roche Posay Vitamin C eye serum. (The formulations are NOT the same as the U.S. products.) And let me tell you, after five months of use these two products have become holy grail items. So much so that when I was in Italy last week, I found an international pharmacy to replenish my stock and get some extras too.
This is often the only moisturizer I need. My skin tends to be very dry, so I get the Riche (rich) formula, but there’s a lighter one too of that same product.
2. Dermoplasmine lip balm in the squeeze tube. One of the things I really sought out and tested was lip balms. I wanted to find the absolute holy grail of French lip balms. After countless tubes of Avène (meh) and Caudalie (okay), I came across Dermoplasmine. The packaging is slightly pharmaceutical. There is no scent or flavor. It is THICK and nourishing and moisturizes so deeply that your lips look fuller and more youthful and plump without any plumping agents at all. I swear that the squeeze tube with the pointed tip is infinitely better than the twist tube version, so much so that I traveled all over the city to find the squeeze tubes in bulk. They are somehow harder to find/less available (and totally worth it). I brought home ten of them to gift to friends, to keep bedside and in each purse and have a few backups. THEY ARE THAT GOOD.
Note: Second place is the Caudalie Soin des Lèvres in the lavender colored tube. It smells amazing and moisturizes well.
3. Ialuset. Pronounced ee-ah-loo-say. The most medicinally packaged of all, lol. The ladies in the white coat told me that their mothers and grandmothers swear by this, using it every day on their décolletage. Here’s the thing— Ialuset is a hyaluronic acid cream, intended for superficial cuts and post-surgical wounds, extreme dry skin and itchy skin. I’m a little hesitant to use something every day that is intended for short term healing skin (duh). And when I tried to use it, it pilled on my skin and that annoys me more than ANYTHING. So it’s a pass for me. I’ve moved it to the medicine cabinet to use for cuts and scrapes only.
4. Vichy Dermablend 3D Correct foundation. Okay, this is a story of the gods placing a product in front of me that I otherwise never would have found. I popped in a tiny Pharmacie to look for my Dermoplasmine lip stuff and the pharmacist was a man in a white coat. I asked him if they had a couple products, he helped me and then at checkout he threw several samples in the bag for me to try. One of them was a little plastic envelope of this Vichy foundation. Full disclosure: I have only worn a tinted moisturizer for years (Bare Minerals SkinRescue with SPF) and while I’ve tried to find something with a little more coverage, I get really frustrated searching for foundation. I’m like Goldilocks here: it’s too thick/too streaky/too powdery/ too, too, too…
I don’t always open and try the free samples, especially of foundation. My skin is prone to breakout and I struggle to color match. Yet something told me to try this one… and omg I am so glad I did! This one is NOT available stateside at all, so I grabbed an extra tube. A little goes a long way.
THE OTHER STUFF I GET AT THE PHARMACIE, OFTEN IN BULK.
Ricola cough drops. This is so random and yet SO GOOD. They have flavors we don’t have here and I literally will bring home a dozen boxes of the Cassis flavor specifically. I also loaded up on the Douceur de Miel (honey), Orange Menthe, Lemon Melissa.
Mini Facial Sprays. I love the Avène Eau Thermale, the Caudalie Eau Raisin and will always grab whatever is available in the international terminal kiosk too. Keep in mind, you’ll want to pack these in your checked luggage if you’re bringing back several. I always keep one in my purse day to day to cool off/freshen up. They make great gifts too.
A nice small hairbrush and hair clips. These are great for gifting. It just feels more chic to wear a French tortoiseshell hair clip when you’ve returned back to normal life at home. Keep the vibe alive, right?
ONE LAST INSIDER TIP: Go to the CityPharma Rue du Four location for the best prices and largest selection of goods. Don’t count on getting one on one service here, but do count on loading up on all the things at the best prices. You’ll also most likely see fashion girlies and celebs doing their French Pharmacie shopping here too.
Have I missed anything? Let me know! Feel free to send an email via the contact form or send me a DM on instagram!