If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
On a pre-tariff trip to Paris last summer, we dedicated an afternoon to pick up some of the cult-favorite products known for giving the French their je ne sais quois. While we tabled our Polène shopping spree for another time (you’d think there was a Supreme drop based on the line wrapped around the boutique), we did manage to stop by the pharmacies to stock up on sunscreens and skin care not often found on U.S. shelves.
Among the items we picked up was A313 pommade, a pharmaceutical-grade vitamin A retinoid cream manufactured by Pharma Développement available over the counter at pharmacies in France. This French favorite is known as a “miracle cream” that addresses fine lines, dark spots and acne — and after using it at least three times per week for the past eight months, we can confidently say we’ve seen smoother, plumper skin with A313 (more on that below).
Unlike retinoids in the U.S., A313 doesn’t require a prescription. In fact, you can now get the very same collagen-boosting formula but with a new, more absorbent texture on sale at Amazon — no plane ticket required. (We stil recommend consulting with your dermatologist before using the product.)
A313 French Pharmacy Vitamin A (Retinoids) Lightweight Face Cream
A 50g tube (or 1.76 oz.) of A313 cost us somewhere between 16 to 18 Euros (or $18 to $20) in France — while that’s about half the price at Amazon, it’s still a steal compared to the $500 to $800 you’ll spend on a plane ticket (don’t forget hotels, restaurants and other travel expenses). Another plus in our book? The aluminum tube and plastic cap are easy to recycle.
The product on Amazon comes directly from the manufacturer, but in English packaging. The active ingredient is 0.12 percent retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that helps to boost collagen production, address hyperpigmentation, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and smooth the skin’s texture.
The cream we bought in France last year has a consistency similar to Vaseline, but slightly thicker and stickier. However, Pharma Développment says it recently “improved” the texture to “an advanced cream” that’s smoother and absorbs quicker than the pomade version.
The consistency of A313 was similar to petroleum jelly, but slightly stickier and thicker.
While in Paris, we had to ask a pharmacist to pull A313 for us from behind the counter. We were given clear instructions on how to use it: start with a pea-sized amount once or twice a week, use it only at night, always wear sunscreen and watch for any itching or peeling of the skin and other signs of sensitivity. (Dermatologists also recommend avoiding retinol and retinoids during the summer.)
We followed the pharmacist’s advice to a T, using A313 only at night about three times weekly as the last step in our skin-care routine. Since we started using it over eight months ago, we’ve seen our sun spots become less noticeable, while our skin feels smoother, bouncier and more hydrated. We have olive combination skin that’s on the sensitive side, with some occasional rosacea on our cheekbones. The only irritation we experienced was minor itchiness after applying it over serum that was still wet, so we recommend waiting until your face is completely dry before using A313. (For the record, we’re currently using Tatcha’s Texture Tonic and The Essence, and Glo by Glen’s L’eclat Vitality Elixir.)
A313’s ingredients listed in French.
At the pharmacy, we also spent a good 20 minutes grabbing sunscreen from La Roche-Posay, Avène and Nuxe (European and Asian sunscreens are widely known to be more effective); Embryolisse‘s bestselling Lait-Crème Concentré; and drugstore body soaps and lotions (including our new favorite Le Petit Marseillais sweet almond milk body wash). Save for French SPFs, all of these are also available on Amazon — so you’re (almost) getting your very own Parisian pharmacy experience at home.
Get A313 while it’s still on sale at Amazon for only $38 right here.
