I will be going to Paris in March and I'd like to stock up on some good anti-aging skin care. I know that a lot of the products aren't that great of a value in Paris as compared to the USA. What I'm specifically looking for is advice on which "mid-range" facial skincare products 1) are worth buying due to their price value and 2) actually work for anti-aging! By mid-range I mean like the type of products you can pick up in the beauty section of the Monoprix, from $0-$50 USD price range, not the $600 Creme de la Mer from Bon Marche! So more like the drug store type stuff rather than the department store brands.

I've used Caudalie before, I'm not sure it has amazing results but the smell is incredible. I was just wondering if there was some cult classic out there in Paris that's both affordable and actually does something for wrinkles!

Sunscreen by LaRoche Posay, but make sure to check US prices before you leave home.

I also vote LaRoche Posay

I like L'Oréal Nettoyant Défatigant, but you can buy it here in the USA too, maybe cheaper.

I love L'Occitane products, but like the others say be sure to check the prices in the US. I've gotten it for really good prices and other times seen it for the same as in the US. Also like the LaRoche Posay products.

I like everything by Clarins. There is a VAT desk at Galerie Lafayette, make sure you go there if you buy something.

Please get back to us if you find anything "that actually works for anti-aging" on either side of the Atlantic!

It's a good idea to research prices, and also ingredients, ahead of shopping in Paris.

www.beautypedia.com is a terrific resource for specific lines/products and educating yourself on ingredients - which are useful and which are not.

At first, you may find the information discouraging because nearly no products/ingredients perform as promised - but you'll save a fortune not bothering with them.

Mohan, what's the VAT desk? How does that work?

If you send more than a fixed amount (about 175 euro) in the same store on the same day, you can get a refund on the VAT tax when you leave the country. Large stores like the one mentioned have a special area dedicated to this.

http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_de...at_refund.html

I like Durance products especially the <I> Ancian Rosa </I> line. I'm not sure it actually works for anti-anging, but it's as good as any product I've bought here in the states.

All the French lines I know that are supposed to be pretty good are available in the US, and they are always cheaper in the US. Like ROC or L'Oreal. Saves time not shopping for that stuff on vacation, not to mention lugging it around in your suitcase and then you must check bags if you have much of it. I never spend enough to get VAT back, though.

Honestly, I did not compare the price between NYC and Paris. Reasons being shopping is very much part of the travel experience and i think Galerie Lafayette is a beautiful store. Remember to look at the ceiling when you are there. I know for a fact that Clarins is at least 30% off in Hong Kong but that is another topic. I store my skincare in the fridge to keep fresh.

Vichy for me. I don't live in the US so I don't know where it is available there, but since it is a French product, you will find it in Paris. Lovely pure products with no fragrance added and reasonably priced (not La Mer or Le Prairie prices). I'm frequently told that I don't look my age so I must attribute some of the compliment to Vichy!

Feel sorry for we poor Australians. I like to use Estee Lauder which is $AUD80. When I was in Cancun in October it was $US22. I bought a years supply.

They sell Vichy in cheap drugstores where I live in the US, like CVS. Their Retinol night pumping care is about $40 for 1 oz, their 1.7 oz creams like LIftActiv are about US$40-45, also.

I can see due to importing that some things might cost more in AUstralia, but a lot of Estee Lauder costs around US$75, also, in the US. I never saw anything that cheap in Cancun, myself, but if it's real cheap it may be the gray market stuff, which means it could be old, not stored well, etc. Having worked in that business, I cannot believe they sell to Cancun merchants that much cheaper than in the US.

Gatineau and Decleor, both expensive in the US

Slightly o.t. but I have been buying Similitude Lotion
Demaquillante pour les Yeux at Monprix for at least 10 years.

It is a terrific, gentle, thorough, non-perfumed mascara remover.

And it's very inexpensive.

Clinique is very very cheap in the US compared to here in NZ (you lucky things). I bought some on my way to Canada last year, wish I had stocked up a little more.
I also agree with Mohan - Hong Kong is reasonably cheap for this kind of stuff.

Speaking of wrinkle cream (oh what's the PC name? regenerative anti-age serum?) there was a study a few years ago in France comparing all of the major brands. There were some super-duper brands costing 100€ or more and then others that went as low as about 20€. Naturally, practically none of them worked at all, but I do remember that the investigation found that the very best item was also the very cheapest -- something or other made by Nivea (which L'Oréal has been trying to buy out for years, but the German owner of Nivea continues to resist!)