When it comes to beauty and grooming, the French know how to keep it simple. And since I’m in the business of being as low-maintenance as possible, I’ve found their ethos easy to adopt. Their skincare-first approach is practical and effective, and many French women wear minimal makeup—if any at all. As a francophile who once lived in Paris, I’ve been taking copious notes for years. After many trips abroad, consulting French friends and expats and combing through French beauty forums, these are five brands you may be missing out on. From makeup-as-skincare to drugstore wins, here they are.
5 French Skincare Brands You're Sleeping On, According to a Francophile Editor
you may have missed this at the pharmacy
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Published Sep 8, 2025
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SVR/Embryolisse/PureWow
When I wrote up a guide to the French woman’s bathroom essentials, my friend, Manon, was quick to tout Embryolisse as her daily go-to. And, as I dove into Reddit skincare threads, the brand kept coming up. One Redditor wrote that, growing up in a French family, this was all that they’d use. Of particular note was the brand’s Lait-Crème Concentré ($29), which came up multiple times in multiple threads. Whether general hand creams or for the face, moisturizers are Embryolisse’s specialty. Though, they also offer a limited range of skincare, including eye creams, color corrector, serums and cleansers.
Fast Facts
- Best Product to Try: Lait-Crème Concentré ($29): The moisturize that’s probably in your French friend’s handbag or powder room. Per Embryolisse, one is sold every eight seconds. The multi-tasker can serve as a primer, cleanser, moisture mask, after shave and post-sun care, packed in an aluminum tube with a gentle floral scent.
- Reviewers Also Love: Lait-Crème Retinol-Like ($45): This was the winner of the prestigious Victoires de la Beauté, a French award that evaluates brands on efficacy and environmental responsibility. The riff on the original cream features a plant-based retinol alternative formulated from French Big Clover (Grand Trèfle), in addition to shea butter and aloe vera.
It always feels like “La Roche Posay this” and “Vichy” that—lost in the shuffle, in my humble opinion, is Avène. It’s popular, but I feel has less of a presence, especially in the U.S. as it’s not owned by a mega-conglomerate. Its claim to fame is the Thermal Spring Water, which was created to give sensitive skin a hydration boost. The brand’s name comes from the French town of Avène, long known for its healing spring water, acknowledged by dermatology experts over centuries. I personally like the Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Cream ($38), which I found useful during a particularly dry patch with my skin. Many of their products are approved by the National Eczema Association. My aforementioned French friend only uses Avène sunscreen.
Fast Facts
- Best Product to Try: Avène Thermal Spring Water ($20): Avène’s signature product with a neutral pH and optimized mineral composition to soothe and soften skin.
- Reviewers Also Love: Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream ($40): One of the brand’s top sellers, approved by the National Eczema Association. The multi-purpose cream can address redness, dryness, cracked skin, minor cuts/scrapes, sunburn and even be used as diaper ointment.
If you subscribe to the makeup-as-skincare train, I think Typology really hits the nail on the head. I’ve tried a good handful of the brand’s products, including the famous tinted serum. My absolute favorite is the under eye concealer. As a beauty writer, I’ve tried a lot of concealers. Please believe me when I say, nothing else compares. A little goes a long way—and when I say little, I mean the size of the bead on a sewing pin, to cover both eyes. It’s got a pigmented, medium coverage that’s easy to build. Importantly, it doesn’t dry or crease. I naturally have many creases around my eye area where my eyes crinkle when I smile, and I usually have to smooth out concealer that gets caught in the cracks. Not this.
Fast Facts
- Best Product to Try: Tinted Concealer ($36): The best concealer I’ve yet to come across. Creamy, non-drying, won’t crease, and all you need is the tiniest dot. Easy to travel with, packed with caffeine and niacinamide to brighten and color correct. You will not catch me traveling without it.
- Reviewers Also Love: Tinted Serum with Vitamin C ($47): This is the stuff you’ve seen all over TikTok and I’m confirming that it works. Light coverage, a subtle glow, with vitamin C, aloe vera and squalane hydrate and color correct. Though the shade range isn’t extensive, the sheerness of the formula can blend out on many different skin tones.
The Reddit Fave
4. Caudalie
Caudalie is definitely popular, but I couldn’t write this article without including it. The Bordeaux-based brand popped up, with effusive praise, on every single Reddit thread I perused. And, Caudalie was the first luxe moisturizer I ever tried, so it’s sentimental. If it’s in your budget, the beauty geeks sing its praises—specifically the VinoPerfect serum and moisturizer. As you may deduce from a brand based in one of the world’s most famous wine producing regions, the hero ingredient here is…the grape. From polyphenols to resveratrol and viniferine, Caudalie uses many parts of the grape and vine to create its fan-favorite moisturizers, serums and more.
Fast Facts
- Best Product to Try: Vinoperfect Dark Spot Serum ($82): One of Caudalie’s best-sellers with an average 4.7-star rating and 4,200+ reviews. It’s a brightening vitamin C alternative that can help even skin tone. The key ingredient is viniferine, sourced from the sap of the grape vines.
- Reviewers Also Love: Vinoperfect Dark Spot Moisturizer ($65): Multiple beauty threads I combed through sang the praises of the Vinoperfect moisturizer, and the one addressing dark spots is Caudalie’s most popular. In addition to viniferine, the formula also contains niacinamide, which can soothe redness and help brighten the skin.
I stumbled on SVR while scrolling through skincare forums and must say that my curiosity is piqued. The pharmacist-developed brand has a slimmed-down product line focusing primarily on hydration and acne care. I’m most impressed with SVR’s commitments to sustainability, including optimized and recycled packaging and simple but effective formulations. The brand creates its products in consultation with endocrine disruption experts, in addition to organizations like the French Eczema Association and France Psoriasis Association.
Fast Facts
- Best Product to Try: Hydra B3 Concentrate (
$37; $31): One of the buzziest products that came up in my research—and is a SVR best seller—is the B3 ampoule. It promises to hydrate and plump while renewing the skin’s moisture barrier. In my experience, you can’t go wrong with a B3 serum, especially if your skin is feeling particularly dry. - Reviewers Also Love: Cicavit+ Hand Cream (
$19; $16): Another popular product was SVR’s Cicavit+ sunscreen, which the brand sadly discontinued. However, the Cicavit+ line remains, featuring a repairing, moisturizing formula perfect for cracked and chapped hands.
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