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Headed to Paris or know someone who is? Forget Notre Dame keyrings and overpriced macarons: the real delights are to be found in the city’s pharmacies.
Parisian pharmacies are stacked with cult creams, glow-getting sprays and MUA-favourite products at a fraction of their UK retail price. From a vitamin-A retinol cream beloved by Sienna Miller to the perfect Parisian red lipstick, here are the products worth picking up in your haul. Head to City Pharma in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the mecca of French skincare, and bring a big tote. You’ll thank me later.
This oily cream is a favourite of youthful-looking celebs (Sienna Miller, 43, and Alexa Chung, 41, no less) and is available in French pharmacies for under a tenner. It’s a pharmaceutical vitamin A, better known as retinol, fantastic for fighting fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and acne, and is stabilised with a special polymer so the active ingredients don’t degrade over time (as is the case with many cheaper retinols you can pick up in the UK). Gradually introduce it into your nighttime skincare regime – but make sure to use sunscreen, even in winter, the following morning.
French sun creams are legendary (they’re created using a different formula than US and UK ones) and this is a favourite for top-level protection. It’s non-greasy and invisible, so a great entry SPF for those who complain about stickiness or white marks, and is water, sweat and sand resistant, so one morning application is enough at this time of year. It’s usually priced around £10 in Parisian pharmacies.
This ‘fix-everything’ cream is loved by A-listers from Hailey Bieber to Olivia Culpo, and is especially useful for those with sensitive skin. It’s incredibly soothing, so it’s great if you suffer with dryness or chapped skin in winter, and includes skin-focused postbiotics that help purify your pores. Even better? You’ll find it for around £6.50 in a Parisian pharmacy.
Another staple by the French giant La Roche-Posay, this face mist is like liquid gold for those stuck on sweaty commutes. It contains a high concentration of selenium, a powerful natural antioxidant, which offers intense soothing for hot, puffy skin. It’s around £6 when purchased in France, and my top tip would be to stick it in the fridge before using. Trust me, it’s blissful.
This OG micellar water is a staple on any French woman’s bathroom shelf, and has plenty of backstage make-up artists in a chokehold too. It’s gentle but powerful enough to melt off make-up (yes, even waterproof mascara), and is unfragranced and created with ingredients to match your face’s pH, respecting your skin’s delicate balance. It’s around £9 for a big bottle in Paris, so double up.
The chic pink glass bottle you’ve seen all over Instagram? This is it. Perhaps France’s most loved skincare brand, Caudalie uses sustainable and natural ingredients for ultra-effective formulas, and this mint, rosemary and rose facial mist is one of its best creations. Use it after your make-up for a dewy glow – it’s £12 in France, so don’t scrimp on the spritzing.
The French answer to Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, this is a multi-purpose ointment that soothes chapped lips, dry patches and even cuts or scrapes. French makeup artists also use it as a glossy highlight on cheekbones. You’ll pick it up for around £5 a tube in Paris.
Parisian women don’t wash their hair every day (or so the myth goes), and this dry shampoo is why they still manage to look so chic. It soaks up oil at the roots while adding texture and volume, but crucially, it doesn’t leave that grey cast in darker hair. Spray, wait two minutes, brush through, et voilà. Expect to pay closer to £7 in Paris – it’s often sold in generous twin packs.
A bit of a hidden gem compared to the big names, but ask any Parisian mum and she’ll tell you this is the only body lotion that keeps skin soft all year round. It’s lightweight, non-sticky and fragrance-free, so it’s perfect even if you have eczema-prone skin. The huge 500ml pump bottle is usually about £24 online in the UK, but you’ll find it in Paris pharmacies for closer to a tenner.
This unscented barrier-repair cream is the ultimate skin SOS. If your face is red, itchy, peeling from retinol or windburn, this will calm it down fast. It’s packed with copper-zinc to fight bacteria and soothe irritation, and works for everything from dry patches on kids to over-exfoliated adults. It’s around £17 in the UK but about £7 in Paris, so toss one in your bag; it’s one of those products you don’t realise you need until you really need it.
French pharmacy deodorants are iconic because they actually work without being powdery. This Vichy one is aluminium-salt based (so it’s seriously effective), alcohol-free and made for sensitive pits, so no stinging even post-shave. It’s light, fresh and somehow lasts all day – and you’ll find it for around a fiver in France.
If you want the soft, pillowy lips of a French film star, this is the way to get them. It’s deeply nourishing thanks to shea butter and vitamin E, fragrance-free (so no taste!) and keeps lips smooth even in freezing weather. Paris pharmacies sell it for around £3, so grab a couple to stash in your handbag, gym tote and coat pocket.
This cult favourite hair buy is the secret to glossy, frizz-free French hair. It’s a leave-in cream made with seven plant extracts, lightweight enough for daily use and ideal if you heat-style often. In France it’s usually less than £10, so practically half price.
If you buy one make-up item in Paris, make it this lipstick. The shade 999 is the perfect Parisian red and looks good on every skin tone. It’s been worn by everyone from Natalie Portman to Bella Hadid and feels like velvet to apply. You’ll get around £15 off in most French pharmacies, which is enough to make us say ooh-la-la.
French pharmacies do seriously good makeup for sensitive eyes, and this mascara is a total winner. It lengthens, defines and doesn’t flake, and it’s ophthalmologist-tested, so contact lens wearers have the go-ahead. It’s usually £12 in Paris, so cheaper than most UK drugstore mascaras.
