Here are the ten best French face moisturizers for every skin type and concern! A good moisturizer is an essential part of any skincare routine. Indeed, using the right moisturizer ensures that the skin looks more plump and smooth and slows down the rate and intensity at which fine lines and wrinkles appear. And this applies to all skin types, not just dry skin! With countless options on the market, it can be hard to know exactly which one to choose from. That’s why, in today’s article, I’ve compiled a list of the ten best moisturizers (la crème de la crème) from the best French skincare brands, whether found at French pharmacies or Sephora.
Renowned for their no-nonsense approach to beauty, French skincare brands create moisturizers with powerful formulas backed up by years of research to target all skin concerns, including acne, aging, and dehydration. Some of these are even prescribed and recommended by dermatologists worldwide! So, without further ado, here are the ten best French face creams & moisturizers for every skin type.
This post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own. I only feature products I truly love and personally select. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Merci!
1. Best Overall: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré
Lait-Crème Concentré is every makeup artist’s best-kept secret, a multi-purpose, 6-in-1 for all skin types. You can use it as an everyday face cream, but it also doubles as a primer, hydrating face mask, calming skin treatment, and makeup remover thanks to added mineral oil that breaks down oil (and lock in moisture). I just adore this moisturizer for its simple yet effective formula and sensitive-skin-friendly ingredients! The silky cream is packed with soothing and nourishing active ingredients (shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera, soy), cutting-edge hyaluronic acid, and collagen, which plumps the skin in minutes.
2. For Dry Skin: L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Comforting Cream
Enriched with 25% of Shea Butter, L’Occitane Shea Comforting Cream works to nourish dry, sensitive skin, instantly hydrating to relieve uncomfortable skin tightness. Its iconic rich and creamy texture melts into the skin for a soft-to-touch feeling. It’s definitely a winter essential to combat cold weather and ideal for those with the driest of skin, all year round.
3. For Combination Skin: Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream
I absolutely love this face cream! Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream is the perfect face moisturizer if you have combination skin and you’re looking to correct the first signs of aging. Formulated with revitalizing teasel extract, this cream-gel moisturizer for combination skin helps fight the effects of daytime stress to help visibly minimize fine lines.
4. For Oily Skin: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat is “The” face moisturizer for oily skin types! This moisturizer provides long-lasting hydration with added Sebulyse, a sebo-regulating active ingredient that is clinically proven to mattify skin and tighten pores. Day by day the skin’s texture is continually refined, enlarged pores are tightened, and sebum production slows down. It’s an excellent base for makeup. Suitable for sensitive skin.
5. For Acne-Prone Skin: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]
This French moisturizer is an absolute must if you have oily and acne-prone skin (it was recommended to me by a French dermatologist)! With a non-sticky, melt-in formula, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo is clinically proven to correct the appearance of blemishes while unclogging blocked pores, controlling shine, and refining the skin’s texture. Enriched with niacinamide, zinc PCA, LHA, and salicylic acid, this moisturizer accelerates skin repair. It’s suitable for even the most sensitive skin. Non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, tested under dermatological control.
6. For Sensitive Skin: Avène Tolérance Extrême Emulsion
This is the face moisturizer I keep returning to when my skin feels super sensitive and with rednesses. Avène Tolérance Extrême Emulsion is the best moisturizer for all hypersensitive, reactive, intolerant, and allergic skin. It soothes sensations of discomfort and provides 24 hours of continuous hydration. Its sterile packaging allows the formula to remain free of preservatives and parabens.
7. For Irritated Skin: Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
This is a multi-purpose cream you definitely need to have in your beauty cabinet! Infused with the iconic C-Restore (the first ever postbiotic active ingredient), Avène Cicalfate+ Cream is the perfect cream for nappy rash, scratches, sunburn, everyday booboos, and irritated intimate areas. A unique blend of copper and zinc creates an antibacterial complex that replenishes and purifies broken skin, which in turn reduces the risk of bacterial proliferation. Dermatologist-tested and fragrance-free.
8. For Mature Skin: Caudalie Premier Cru Cream
Caudalie Premier Cru Cream is one of the best anti-aging moisturizing creams on the market, targeting eight signs of aging: deep wrinkles, fine lines, firmness, volume, elasticity, dark spots, hydration, and radiance. It instantly hydrates and smooths the skin through the use of hyaluronic acid, while Caudalie-patented Viniferine reduces the appearance of dark spots. Skin looks visibly tighter, with tightening sugars creating a smoothed effect for up to 6 hours.
9. With SPF: Clarins UV Plus Multi-Protection Moisturising Screen SPF50
Clarins UV Plus SPF50 is the perfect face cream that offers broad-spectrum SPF50 and creates a screen against atmospheric pollution, indoor pollution, pollen, blue light, and photo pollution. Ideal for everyday use, either alone or underneath makeup, the multitasking formula also provides an eight-hour shot of hydration. I absolutely love this face cream!
10. Night Moisturizer: Nuxe Night Recovery Oil Balm Crème Prodigieuse
Crème Prodigieuse Recovery Oil Balm is an anti-oxidant complex containing jasmine flower that helps the skin to recover overnight from the harmful effects of everyday life (stress, fatigue, pollution). The anti-aging balm also showcases cellular sugar, which encourages skin firmness and elasticity. I just love its ultra-cocooning texture infused with Macadamia oil and its delightful fruity-floral scent (jasmine paired with tangy, refreshing lychee and musk) that I love to breathe in every night before bed.
