Add These 8 French Pharmacy Products to Your Cart While They're on Sale for Amazon Prime Day
Shop Prime Day like a Parisian.
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Paris is always a good idea, especially if you want to buy some of the best skincare in the world. French pharmacy products— including face serums, moisturizers, healing ointments, and barrier repair creams—are coveted by makeup artists, models, influencers, dermatologists, and beauty editors like moi. But a trip to Paris isn't always realistic (especially in this economy), which is where good ol' Amazon comes into play.
Amazon sells a shocking amount of French beauty staples, and a handful are on sale this week for Prime Day. Here's exactly what to stock up on while the discounts are steep (I've sourced recs from Cosmo beauty editors as well as two board-certified dermatologists, Shari Marchbein, MD, and Dendy Engelman, MD) if you want to glow like a Parisian.
Best Deal
The French invented micellar water cleansers, and this option from Bioderma is the gold standard. “It’s a fragrance-free, gentle, non-stripping or stinging cleanser that takes off sunscreen, makeup, and any build up on the skin,” says Dr. Marchbein. For me, this is always step one of a double cleanse routine (I follow it with a gentle foaming cleanser), but I’m more-is-more like that.
Practically every makeup artist has a tube of Embryolisse's Lait-Crème Concentré in their kit. The rich moisturizer is often used as a primer to give skin a radiant glow. Plus, derms swear by its barrier-repairing powers thanks to emollients like shea butter, beeswax, and highly-refined mineral oil. A tip from the pros—don’t slather this stuff on, a pea-size amount is enough to moisturize your entire face and prep it for makeup.
According to Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette, "Cool girls in Paris walk around the Montmartre wearing these eye patches, which is exactly how I know they're authentically French girl." "They really stick on, so if I wanna waltz around my apartment doing chores while I wear 'em (or, seriously, go for a walk wearing my biggest sunglasses), I can and they won't fall off. When I peel them off, my under-eyes look a teensy bit brighter and firmer," she adds.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50
If you buy one type of skincare product at a French pharmacy IRL, make it sunscreen. “Because of the FDA’s slow approval process, we are way behind Europe on sunscreen innovations and advanced technology, and the formulas there are completely different,” says Dr. Marchbein. When in Paris, I’d stock up on Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluide SPF 50+, La Roche-Posay's most updated SPF that’s not available stateside. At home, this U.S. version is my go-to.
"My lips are prone to getting dry and cracked, so I don’t normally love wearing lipstick," says Cosmo's assistant beauty editor Jasmine Hyman, "but, this satin one from Sothy’s is surprisingly hydrating and filled with shea butter to moisturize the lips while you wear it," she says. "The color payoff also lasts for hours on end, so if I had to reach for a lipstick, it would def be this luxe one."
I’m obsessed with Caudalie’s eye creams, and this one is the French champagne of the bunch. The brand is famous for using natural grape seed polyphenols in its formulas, sourced from the family-run vineyards in Bordeaux. (‘Premier Cru’ refers to a superior grade of wine.) “I love the whole Premier Cru line, especially this antioxidant-rich eye cream,” says Dr. Engelman. And JSYK, Caudalie products are like half the price in Paris so it's another great brand to stock up on IRL if you can.
Again, this product has an ointment-like texture, so a tiny dab will do it for your entire face and neck. The active ingredient is retinyl palmitate—a derivative of vitamin A that helps stimulate collagen production and speed skin cell turnover. “This is a strong over-the-counter retinoid that’s very effective at smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and improving uneven skin tone, but it can be too much for sensitive skin types,” says Dr. Engelman.
No list of French pharmacy skincare is complete without Avène. The French brand is famous for their mineral-rich, therapeutic thermal spring water, which is infused into this rich cream. The probiotic ingredients in the formula help reinforce the microbiome of the skin and support a healthy skin barrier. Testers—myself included—say it coddles skin and makes it feel baby soft.
Meet the experts:
- Shari Marchbein, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Niche Dermatology in New York, NY, who specializes in cosmetic and medical dermatology. Dr. Marchbein is also a clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone in New York City.
- Dendy Engelman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York, NY. Dr. Engelman specializes in cosmetic dermatologist and is an expert in all areas of skincare and skin health.
Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for more than a decade at Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.
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