Images/Collosol
French women are idolized throughout the world for their effortlessly chic approach to beauty. We clamor for the skin care secrets behind their minimalist routines and stock up on our favorite French products when we’re overseas. So, when one of these products came across my desk yesterday, I immediately wanted to try it—it also just made it’s big U.S. debut. Here’s everything you need to know.
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Collosol Eau de Lait ($28) was invented in Paris in the 1950s and has been loved by French women ever since—we’re talking, mothers handing it down to daughters, etc. According to the brand, “well-known actresses would visit a pharmacy near the Champs-Élysées Theater looking for an exceptional product that could remove makeup and eliminate fatigue after performances. To fulfill his customers’ needs, the pharmacist created a unique half milk-half water formula with a subtle fragrance and incomparable gentleness.”
Inspired by ancient beauty rituals, the two-part fluid has a liquidy texture that is thicker than micellar water but somewhat thinner than cleansing milk. It smells like you would expect a beautiful Parisienne to smell: slightly floral, slightly powdery and totally feminine. It’s no wonder celebrities flock to this cleanser.
French model and actress Vanessa Paradis told Vogue Paris she couldn’t live without it, fashion icon Karl Lagarfeld told Elle he uses a full bottle of it every day in his bath, and French actress Clémence Poésy told British Vogue that it’s the one thing she always picks up in the French pharmacy and calls it “a miracle thing.”
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One of the big benefits is that it’s a no-rinse cleanser, so all you need is a cotton pad and you’re good to go. It took off my makeup really easily and left my skin feeling super soft and velvety—there was no pesky residue lingering behind that I needed to rinse off. It was also very gentle and soothing, so I could see this being a good option for sensitive complexions (do a patch test though before using it all over your face, as the fragrance may be a potential irritant for you).
And like Karl Lagarfeld, you can also add the cleanser to your bath (you don’t need to use the entire bottle like he does) to cleanse and soften your skin. After seeing the results on my face, I can only imagine how my skin would feel and smell if I bathed in it. I bet there’s no need for post-bath body lotion either.
My only gripe (hardly a gripe), is that when you turn it over to dispense it onto the cotton round, the liquid flows out pretty quickly, and mine spilled a bit. So just go easy with it…you wouldn’t want to waste any precious product!
