It’s no secret we’ve gleaned some of our very best beauty secretsand many beloved products from the chic French women we love to follow. While we already feel pretty well versed on the topic (or as well versed as non-French, stateside beauty editors can possibly be), we’re always on the lookout for the still-secret products French women swear by—aka the lesser-known French beauty heroes that sell like crazy in those famous Parisian pharmacies. Not surprisingly, TikTok has been an amazing resource for said sleuthing, especially when it comes to Parisian women’s notoriously magnetic scent.
So our ears pricked up when we saw TikTok user @uglyducklingskincare go on a mission on the streets of Paris to pinpoint the exact product that was responsible for everyone’s beautiful, subtle scent. After having no luck at Sephora, she stopped at a famous French pharmacy, where a clerk was finally able to enlighten her and share which scent was the most popular. The stealthy culprit? Nuxe’s multitasking dry oil, which you can use on your body, face, or hair! It’s a product that, the clerk said, happens to sell every single minute in France.
Lucky for us, you don’t have to book a trip across the pond to get your hands on a bottle. The 1.6-ounce size is available on Amazon for a very doable $26, which officially makes it the most affordable scent in our arsenal of French fragrance staples. What, exactly does the oil smell like, and why is it so special? Well, it has multitasking powers, for one. As a dry oil, it’s supremely hydrating, but it’s light enough to be used anywhere on the body—try it on your strands to make your next slicked-back style a snap.
Even though it soaks into the skin and leaves behind a noticeable satiny glow, it’s the opposite of greasy, and you’re also left with that now-famous scent featuring delicate notes of orange blossom, magnolia, and vanilla. Last but not least, there’s the 98% natural origin of the oil’s trademark ingredients. Seven precious botanical oils (tsubaki, argan, macadamia, borage, camelia, hazelnut, and sweet almond) team up to deliver an impressive host of benefits, such as anti-pollution protection, antioxidant-induced brightness, diminished stretch marks, and long-lasting moisture. Obviously, we’re buying about 10 bottles. Click below to get your own bottle and then keep scrolling to discover more best-selling French favorites from Nuxe and the other French pharmacy gems our editors go wild for.