Dermstore's $50 French Pharmacy Kit Is the Key to Mastering the French Girl Beauty Trend

three models emblematic of french girl beauty illustrating a dermstore french pharmacy kit — (Image credit: Launchmetrics)

My happy place is the middle of a French pharmacy. Shelves are filled with high-quality, rigorously-tested skincare products—at prices I’d struggle to find at my local CVS. Niche brands with if-you-know-you-know reputations can be purchased over the counter, promising the results of products solely available via prescription in the United States. These French beauty essentials are so powerful and effective that skincare routines notoriously only need to be a few steps to achieve clear, hydrated, and glowing skin.

While I sadly can’t trot over to Paris weekly to stock up, a handful of iconic French girl pharmacy products (with viral reputations that precede them) are now available stateside. For a limited time, Dermstore is offering a well-curated assortment at an insane discount: The “Best of Dermstore: French Pharmacy Edit” contains 11 items worth $248, but it's retailing for just $50. (According to some back-of-the-napkin math, I could buy 16 kits for the cost of a single flight to the City of Lights.)

“French glam has always been clean and elegant,” beauty professional Dani Parkes tells me. “They use minimal products and still look put together.” Dermstore's little white pouch contains an assortment of expertly curated hair, skincare, and makeup products that make the whole easy-breezy French girl aesthetic attainable.

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Best of Dermstore: the French Pharmacy Edit - $248 Value

Let’s break it down, shall we? Dermstore's French Pharmacy Edit starts with my favorite moisturizer, Embyolisse Lait Creme Concentre, which I use every single morning. I was originally turned on to it by my favorite makeup artists—every single pro carries this moisturizer-meets-makeup-primer in their kit. It leaves my skin plump, smooth, and incredibly soft.

There’s also an incredible toning mist from Yon-Ka. One of the biggest, longest-standing brands in Paris, Yon-Ka can soothe and purify oily skin with just a daily spritz. I love using this in the summer as a mid-day refresh.

I can almost guarantee an instant obsession with the Filogra Nutri-Filler Lips Nutri-Plumping Lip Balm, an incredibly nourishing lip balm fortified with peptides and rich oils that nourish and smooth the lips.

a model in Paris wearing a black shirt and heavy eye makeup, who has clear, glowing skin. — Paris Fashion Week was filled with fresh, glowing skin—which can be achieved with Dermstore's French Pharmacy edit.

This small-but-mighty kit also contains a handful of products fairly well known in the U.S. Stand-outs including Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, VICHY Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster Serum and Gel Moisturizer, and, my go-to dry shampoo, Klorane Volumizing Dry Shampoo with Flax all made their way into the edit.

If you haven't been able to stock up at a French pharmacy in person, this is your chance to try the essentials online. Shop Dermstore's French Pharmacy Edit Kit above—and when you're ready for your next trip to Paris, you can pack all these travel-sized essentials back in the bag they came from.

Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.