These French Skincare Products Have Serious Anti-Aging Prowess — and They're All on Sale for Black Friday
The French skincare industry has long been the stuff of legend. Chic Parisians and returning travelers would arrive stateside gushing about how the drugstores and pharmacies in France were unlike anywhere else thanks to their above-par skincare offerings. Thankfully, many of these coveted beauty brands like Bioderma and Embriyolisse have become accessible and available stateside in recent years, and right now a ton of these brands are having stellar Black Friday sales.
There are a few different categories of French skincare brand; there is the very high-end, prestige stuff like La Mer and Guerlain, the midrange brands like Kerastase, and finally, the popular pharmacy brands like La Roche Posay and Vichy. Below you'll find a guide to these brands and their current Black Friday sales. The list below is pretty comprehensive, but some standout products that have been on the come up since my days as a beauty intern nearly 10 years ago are Bioderma's super gentle, water-like micellar cleanser, La Mer's iconic moisturizer, Caudalíe's skin mist, and Embriyolisse's priming moisturizer.
There is a ton of diversity across brands, but you'll notice that the French skincare staples tend to be relatively soothing with pared down formulas. Anti-aging has long been a defacto aspect of these staple products as well — common ingredients include hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol or retinol alternatives, and more.
Dip your toe into the pool of Black Friday-discounted Parisian delights below.
The Eye Products
- Avène Retrinal Eyes Eye Contour Care, $37 with code TGIF25 (originally $49); aveneusa.com
- Klorane Smoothing and Soothing Eye Patches With Cornflower, $21 with code CELEBRATE (originally $26); kloraneusa.com
- Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Anti Wrinkle Eye Cream, $23 (originally $34); amazon.com
The Avène and Vichy eye creams focus on diffusing the hard lines and wrinkles we associate with aging. The Klorane eye patches, on the other hand, are a great instant fix for handling signs of fatigue or morning puffiness.
The Moisturizers
- Avène Retrinal Day Cream, $41 with code TGIF25 (originally $55); aveneusa.com
- La Roche-Posay Redermic R Retinol Cream, $38 with code THANKS25 (originally $50); laroche-posay.us
- La Mer Crème de la Mer, $280 (originally $350); violetgrey.com
- Vichy LiftActiv Peptide-C Anti-Aging Moisturizer, $29 (originally $39); amazon.com
- Bioderma Sensibio Light Soothing Cream; $13 (originally $20); amazon.com
- Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, Face Cream & Makeup Primer, $12 (originally $16); amazon.com
The popular French moisturizers are, for the most part, creamy in texture with an initial cooling touch and nourishing finish. With the exception of the Vichy moisturizer, which contains powerful anti-aging ingredients, these picks are all pretty gentle and shouldn't cause any irritation regardless of skin type.
The Serums and Treatments
- La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum, $30 with code THANKS25 (originally $40); laroche-posay.us
- Caudalíe Beauty Elixir, $39 (originally $49); nordstrom.com
- Lancôme Visionnaire Skin Solutions 0.2% Retinol Correcting Night Concentrate, $60 (originally $75); nordstrom.com
- Guerlain Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil, $81 (originally $95); nordstrom.com
- L'Oreal Paris 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum. $14 (originally $24); amazon.com
Serums and treatments tend to be the most effective skincare products when it comes to treating targeted issues such as redness, signs of aging, hyperpigmentation, and more. This is where you'll see the highest use of active ingredients including retinol and vitamin C, and our French favorites are no exception.
The Cleansers
- Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, $10 (originally $15); amazon.com
- Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover for Sensitive Skin, $35 (originally $42); nordstrom.com
You have the French beauty industry to thank for the rise of micellar waters. These water-consistency cleansers gently remove debris and impurities without stripping the skin of its moisture.
The Lip Products
- La Roche-Posay Nutritic Lip Balm, $12 with code THANKS25 (originally $16); laroche-posay.us
- By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Balm, $48 (originally $60); skinstore.com
Once upon a time there was a fabled Dior Lip Balm that ascended the ranks to become a splurge worthy must-have item. It has since been discontinued, but you'll find its spiritual kin in these lip balms from By Terry and La Roche-Posay.