The Best French Pharmacy Products of 2025

Multipurpose dry oil: Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Roll-On

Nourishing yet not greasy, this fast-absorbing, scented oil shines up skin and hair in seconds. Apply it sparingly, though, or the gleam will turn into a slick.

There’s no shortage of hard-to-describe, oil-infused multitaskers coming out of France, but this one makes you feel as if you’re actually in France — poolside on the Riviera, specifically. Nourishing and fast-absorbing, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse smoothes dry skin, frizzy hair, and frazzled cuticles, all while imparting a lovely fragrance — a blend of orange blossom, magnolia, and vanilla notes.

Since writing this ode to the dry oil in 2021, author Marisa Meltzer further immersed herself in French beauty culture while researching It Girl, a biography of Jane Birkin. And she reports that she’s graduated to Huile Prodigeuse’s newer roll-on format. “It’s smart, and so much nicer to put on than having to spray it or shake it out of a bottle,” she said. Testers agreed, noting how easily the roller slipped over ashy legs or dabbed onto fingers for targeted application on cheekbones. But be warned: A little goes a long way. If you’re overgenerous, the signature dry-oil experience will end up being plain-old oily.

Delightful all-purpose balm: Féret Parfumeur Le Baume

This beautifully packaged balm has a rich, buttery texture, and it soothes and smoothes severe dryness with shea butter and honey. The fragrance is subtle, but it may cause irritation for extra-sensitive skin.

For this roundup, we tested seven all-purpose balms (and we’ve tested dozens more over the years), and the rich, buttery Féret Parfumeur Le Baume is our favorite. With shea butter, sesame and sunflower seed oils, and honey (a natural humectant), it feels slightly tacky in the tin. But on the skin, it melts lusciously and becomes soft and spreadable.

Style writer Zoe Vanderweide said there’s nothing that’s comparably healing for her dry elbows. And she said the tin makes the balm a charming gift — more “pretty little thing” than “ointment for freakish dermatological conditions.” It’s also terrific for quenching dry lips and healing wind-chapped skin. Yet we’ve found if you apply it all over your face before skiing or trekking in cold weather, you won’t get chapped in the first place.

Since it contains fragrance (a subtle honey-citrus aroma), it’s not ideal for those with eczema or sensitive skin. And repeatedly dipping into the old-school tin can get a bit messy.

The classic healing ointment: Biafine Emulsion

This dermatologist-approved anti-inflammatory cream calms burns and soothes post-procedure skin, but it’s too occlusive to use as a daily moisturizer.

On her regular trips to France, Southern California dermatologist Shirley Chi loads up on Biafine Emulsion, a soothing ointment recommended by many experts we polled. “I give it to all my friends, and we also use it in the office after laser treatments,” she said. “It has a healing ingredient derived from algae as well as trolamine, which decreases pain and promotes healing — especially of burns.”

Although our testers liked the similarly calming Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream and La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5, there was something about Biafine’s cooling base of squalane and avocado oil that hit differently. “Every home in France has it,” Diallo pointed out. “Last time I used it was for a curling iron burn.”

In recent years, people on social media have been extolling Biafine Emulsion as a daily moisturizer. But our experts don’t recommend this because the formula is occlusive and isn’t intended for long-term use.

Multi-use face mist: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

At once slightly hydrating and delightfully astringent, this face mist works to prep, set, or revitalize makeup. Its zesty botanical ingredients may be irritating for some.

Elixir is the perfect word for this face mist, which manages to perform so many skin-care tasks well that we’re still trying to understand how. Caudalie Beauty Elixir can prep skin for moisturizer or foundation, set powder so it doesn’t look too dry, and zhuzh midday makeup that has settled into lines or gotten patchy. “I reach for it when I need a refresh or my makeup and skin looks lackluster and I want to add a subtle glow,” said beauty writer Amanda Rosenthal.

Although the formula has emollients, including glycerin and sunflower seed oil, we wouldn’t say the spray is a moisture infusion, since it also has two extracts (rosemary and peppermint) known to be slightly astringent. And it’s probably not the best for sensitive skin because it includes a natural fragrance blend. Still, compared with other facial mists — including several with the famed mineral waters of French springs — this one dried the fastest and refreshed the best, according to testers.