When it comes to French skin care, quality trumps quantity. They do not care much about layering dozens of products and buying the latest releases. Fancy packaging and perhaps even marketing do not distract them.
(Photo from @nicolevagner/Instagram)
“It looks effortless but actually they think about it,” Filipino beauty journalist Nicole Romero Vagner noticed after moving to France. “They don’t buy for the sake of buying. They are really mindful about the things they get; they are after quality, it doesn’t even have to be pricey.”
That effortless look the French are known comes from their straightforward approach to beauty: Consistently using a product made with quality ingredients and clean formulations because it works.
French skin care routine is just about the basics: cleanse, tone, moisturize. According to Vagner, “moisturizing is the big thing” for the French.
Beauty and wellness brand distributor iFace, Inc. brings to the Philippines a vegan skincare brand that can be found in pharmacies in France, allowing Filipinos to try moisturizing like the French.
Varens Beauté Bio harnesses the power of plants to restore, protect, and nourish the skin. The brand’s Ecocert certification verifies that at least 95 percent of the plant ingredients each product in the range contains are organic and at least 20 percent of organic ingredients are present in the total formula.
The range consists of a moisturizer, a vitamin C and E booster, a skin revitalizer, a skin nourishing care, and an eye contour care.
The Soin Hydratant (P499/40ml) helps restore moisture in the skin with the help of different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and aloe vera pulp. It’s recommended for all skin types, day and night.
Also ideal for all skin types, the Soin Vitaminé (P499/40ml) is enriched with vitamin C and E, powerful antioxidants that help protect the skin against free radicals as well as stimulate cell renewal.
Skin that needs a boost may use the Soin Revitalisant (P499/40ml), whose active collagen boosters and aloe vera help reduce the signs of aging.
The Soin Nourrissant (P499/40ml) is formulated with avocado oil, shea butter, and trace elements to immediately calm and repair dry, irritated skin.
When applying moisturizer like the French, Vagner said, “Slow down and take your time when you’re applying the product.” And never forget your neck, “bring it down to the décolletage”.
The Soin Beauté Du Regard (P499/15ml) is infused with caffeine and green tea to help reduce puffiness and dark circles around the eye area.
Vagner really meant it when she said “take your time”, because after a getting a small amount of the product (“a little goes a long way”), she recommended to “inhale it, take it in, [before] applying it using upward strokes – like giving yourself a very light massage – making sure you’re helping the cream become absorbed by your skin.”
“Enjoy it, you can even try closing your eyes.”
According to the brand, the safety assessment of all five products was carried out by a toxicologist in accordance with European regulations under strict conditions. Each product has also been rigorously tested by 22 individuals for 26 days, “with excellent results to boot”.
“What impressed me about French pharmacy finds is that they really work,” said Vagner.
Varens Beauté Bio is available at Watsons and on Lazada.