If you want glowing skin, you must know about these French skincare tips. When it comes to healthy skin, the French skincare routine is one of the best. France is known for creating natural skincare products that work. French girls are known for having glowing skin thanks to the many effective skincare cleansers, creams, and serums available.
How do I know? Well, I moved to France when I was in high school and got exposed to a whole other world of skincare and beauty philosophy.
Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with discovering the latest French skincare secrets and Parisian beauty routines.
I now live in Paris where I get to shop world-class beauty products and try them out for fun!
French Skincare
French skincare is at the heart of all French beauty tips. Taking care of facial skin is incredibly important in the French beauty routine.
Here are my best French skincare tips for glowing, youthful skin.
1. Try These Cult French Skincare Products
My first tip is to familiarize yourself with the cult French skincare products that have been proven effective by everyone from everyday women in France to top French supermodels and influencers.
Here are a few of those cult French beauty products:
2. Go to the Pharmacy
While American pharmacies carry cheap and generic brands that aren’t great for your skin at all, French pharmacies are a beauty addict’s paradise! Many of the country’s top skincare brands are sold at the local French pharmacies across the country. You can find these pharmacies by looking for the green cross symbol in neon lighting.
There are several French pharmacy skincare brands that French women swear by. Here are the major skincare brands from France to shop at the pharmacy:
- Avène
- Caudalie
- Nuxe
- La Roche-Posay
- Bioderma
- Vichy
- Filorga
- Embryolisse
- Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Read more about the best French pharmacy products you should buy from each.
3. Adopt a Daily French Morning Skincare Routine
Now, you’re probably wondering, how do I use all these products you’re recommending? What order do I apply them in? Must they be used every day?
Let’s go over the daily French morning skincare routine.
Here is an overview of how French women care for their skin every morning:
- Cleanse: Every French girl has a good facial cleanser in her bathroom cabinet. Cleansing the face each morning is paramount to a good morning skincare routine. I recommend this French cleanser which is gentle, yet effective on the delicate facial skin.
- Serums: French women apply an eye serum with vitamin E beneath the eyes each morning to refresh the skin.
- Moisturize: After that, it’s time to moisturize the entire face. I have recently started using the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré but in the summer I prefer to use this La Roche-Posay facial moisturizer with SPF to give my face more protection from UV rays.
- Eye Creams: If you have puffy eyes in the morning, consider using a highly rated French eye cream like this one by Avène to assist in de-puffing the eyes!
- Lip Balm: The last step in the French morning skincare routine is to apply a good French lip balm! I apply this Nuxe lip balm every morning right after brushing my teeth. It keeps my lips soft and plump all day long!
- Sunscreens: As a side note, you definitely need to consider wearing a heavier sunscreen on your face and the rest of your body during the summer months, and even in the winter if you’ll be outside for a while. UV rays can penetrate clouds so don’t risk sun damage to your skin! There are several high quality French sunscreens on the market which don’t use harmful chemicals in their ingredients. I use a high-protection SPF 50+ French sunscreen like this one without fail!
Now, don’t feel that you have to do all of these steps every single day. There are definitely days where I myself miss a step or don’t have time to do the full routine! I also like to wait at least 10 minutes for my skin to absorb the creams before applying my French makeup for the day.
4. Don’t Forget a French Evening Skincare Routine, Too
The French evening skincare routine involves removing the day’s makeup and repairing any damage to the facial skin from pollution and other toxic elements. Since Parisians face relentless pollution from the city, they have to pay extra attention to cleansing in the evening. Living in the French countryside allows for a bit more flexibility as the air is less damaging to the skin.
- Makeup Remover: The first step to your French evening skincare routine is to remove the day’s makeup with this fabulous Bioderma Micellar water solution. As a blogger, I have received quite a few different products for removing makeup, but I always come back to this pharmacy staple. It removes my makeup very fast and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. I’m obsessed!
- Cleanser: Once my makeup has been removed, it’s time to cleanse my skin gently. I use this lightly foaming French cleanser which has a push top dispenser so I can easily get the product out (like liquid hand soap), even when I’m tired and want to get to bed fast! I keep it on my bathroom vanity right near my toothbrush for easy access in the evening.
- Toner: The next step in my French nighttime skincare routine is to apply a French toner to my skin. Toners help to reduce the size of pores and prevent breakouts. They remove excess oil and the salicylic acid acts as a powerful solution to top-layer bacteria and dead skin.
- Moisturizer: After my skin has been cleansed and toned, it must be moisturized before bed. I personally use a French retinol cream between my eye brows, beneath my eyes, and on my frown lines at night since I am starting to get fine lines and light wrinkles. If you don’t have too many visible signs of aging, you can opt for a moisturizing night cream like this one, which smells divine. I used this night cream for many years and it’s one of my favorite French nighttime moisturizing products!
- Lip Balm: I also apply my Nuxe lip balm again at the end of the day after brushing my teeth.
5. Try the New French Skincare Brands
There are also several new French skincare brands that have popped up more recently. These brands took a modernized approach to beauty and brought a fresh approach to French skincare. Here are the contemporary French skincare brands to know:
- Joëlle Ciocco
- Seasonly
- Typology
- Aime
- Diptyque
- Les Huilettes
- Adesso Beauty
6. Exfoliators
Once in a while, French women do a good exfoliation of their skin, a technique known as gommage. While exfoliating is a great way to do a deep scrub of the face, it’s very harsh on the skin. French women know that too much of a good thing can be bad – and so they only exfoliate once or twice a week, max!
This French exfoliating cream is gentle yet effective on the skin.
Exfoliating is great, but it does remove the top layer of your skin. If you do it too often, your skin will be thin and prone to damage.
7. Facial Masks
A gentle face mask, on the other hand, can be done as often as you like.
For example, a French woman may do a face mask on a Sunday while soaking in her bathtub as part of her wellness routine.
The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Clay Face Mask is one of the best French face masks for clearing pores and reducing shine.
8. French Body Care
Caring for the body is just as important as caring for the skin. French women love to use body oils, lotions and hand creams to make sure they’re feeling like their best self! The La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Body Lotion is a best-selling French body lotion that French women swear by.
9. Anti-Aging the French Way
Anti-aging is something that French women take very seriously, despite their outward projection of nonchalantness! French women are smart and they certainly take steps to protect their skin as much as possible from the aging process.
Topical Products
French women use retinol serums and other anti-aging creams regularly to fight the signs of aging like fine lines and dullness. The Filorga Time-Filler Wrinkle Correcting Cream is a bestselling French anti-aging moisturizer formulated with hyaluronic acid.
Plastic Surgery & Botox
Two questions I get fairly often are: Do French women get plastic surgery? Do French women get botox?
The answer is yes, they do!
The difference is they do not talk about it opening, and any work done is very subtle and discreet.
10. Take Care of Your Acne
If you struggle with acne, then here are some French tips to keep your skin clear:
Daily Acne Cream: Cover the affected area with La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Acne Treatment which is formulated with Benzoyl peroxide.
Acne Spot Treatment: French model Camille Rowe recommends the miracle French pharmacy product “Hexomedine Transcutanée” to fight acne if you are in France. If you are not in France, you can get this gel here, or try this alternative cream for acne-prone skin.
11. Eat a Healthy Diet
The last French skincare tip is to eat a very healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Many French women swear that their diet affects their skin. It’s important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Ingest organic fruits and vegetables and take care of your body if you want your skin to look good. It’s all related, and French girls know this very well!
I hope you enjoyed these French skincare tips and learned some things you didn’t know. We can all learn from the French way of living and looking beautiful.
Au revoir!
