French women - known for their grace, classic beauty and seemingly ageless skin… but how do they do it?
Well luckily, here at The Dermal Diary, we have intel from the source itself… our very own Marina!
In this blog, we get Marina herself to spill all the secrets of the flawless French!
TDD: Marina, why do French women look so great at all ages!?
Well, to start with, French girls start a skin routine quite young, they don't wait to get acne or other skin issues to start washing their face with a gentle facial cleanser, applying a hydrating moisturiser and an eye cream. I personally started at 13 years old, I never suffered from acne but I got very excited when I received my first Yves Rocher hydrating kit with a cleanser, a toner, and a moisturiser. I was very consistent, morning and night and never missed a day. I was in a boarding school and shared my bedroom with 3 other girls when I was 13, each of them also used a face cleanser and a moisturiser, as were most girls around me at school.
So rule number 1 is to start a simple skin routine from teen age, make it become a part of your morning and night routine.
The younger you start, the more you’re able to prevent future damage.
French start to use an eye cream in their early 20's to start protecting the eye contour. This delicate area is more sensitive to develop the first signs of aging with crows feet, so protecting it early will help slowing this process down.
Same for a serum, we are being advised to start using a face serum from 25 years old to prevent aging.
TDD: What sort of skincare products do they use?
France is known for having many organic products, and French women quite like the idea of using clean products that are free from chemicals. The more 'dirty' ingredients you will find in your skincare, the more damage it will create on your skin barrier resulting in skin inflammation, redness, and sensitivity. No need to use harsh ingredients either, we are taught to respect our skin and give it some love, not being aggressive with it by using strong active ingredients and scrubbing when not necessary.
French are rigorous and make no excuse for their skin routine every day. Not many French women would say "they don't have time to use a cleanser and apply an eye cream, a serum, and a moisturiser because they have kids or they are too tired at the end of the day". It doesn't take long and it's called self-love and self- care, which is a powerful practice for all of us, so don't feel guilty for taking a few minutes for yourself. If you want to do it, you can. Make no excuse, and make your skincare time part of your morning and night routine, be rigorous and allow yourself. No one gets results by doing nothing and no one else will do it for you but yourself.
When my sisters and I were kids, we all knew that when our Mum were using her skin products morning and night it was her time for herself and we had to respect it, we never loved her any less for it.
TDD: Any lifestyle components that help with all this?
Most French eat a Mediterranean diet. It is very known in France for its health benefits, the main one regarding the skin is eating a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids and poor in trans fats. Which is the only way to bring enough lipids into our skin cells so that our skin stays healthy, juicy and plumped. Applying topical oils and rich creams onto your skin won't bring you any lipids into your skin cells, the only way is from your diet. Topical oils and rich creams only help the superficial layer of your skin from feeling tight and dry for a moment, but it doesn't work internally. Getting enough omega 3 through your diet will also participate to a better gut health, which will result in a healthier skin.