BEAUTY OP-ED | French women and skincare

I read so much stuff online that my eyes start to cross by the end of the day. Today I found a fun little bit of copy about the differences between French women and American women when it comes to their respective attitudes towards beauty and skincare.

Thought I'd share.

Sure, we're all individuals and generalizations are, on such a level (French vs. American, etc.), often wildly off base. But... but... macro-trends exist or we wouldn't hire consultants and marketing strategists to figure out how to position products and brands in a market, would we? And those (macro) markets are AMERICA and FRANCE, for example, as a whole, not, say, individual zip codes. So, via a meandering explanation, I bring you a few seconds of very-general-but-probably-somewhat-true French beauty voyeurism:

"According to WWD, Estee Lauder found European women to be "active and pragmatic":

'She considers aging as a natural process and doesn't identify a specific problem linked to her skin," said Raffaella Cornaggia, [Estee Lauder's regional marketing director]. "She is not obsessed by beauty or by wrinkles. However, when she begins to notice certain changes in her skin, she wishes to delay them. She favors simplicity in her skin care, as well. In short, she seeks a complete solution.'

The comment about a complete solution in one product reminded me of an interview with a New York dermatologist that I read. (Probably in The New York Times.) The doctor said she requested the new patient to bring in the skin care products she was currently using. The new patient arrived at the doctor's office toting 43 different products. Chic French women are known for having a variety of skin care products. But they would be unlikely to have 43. With their small living quarters and often antiquated bathrooms with little storage, a complete solution product in one jar is very compelling. And French women like keeping chic simple."

[via Anne Barone]

Another writer who does a very sweet job of comparing the way New York vs. Parisian women, in particular, compare is Garance Dore. Her blog post on New York Skinny vs. Paris Skinny is a must-read for those who exist or circulate within those particular microcosms or have a fascination with either/both of them (*cough* raises her hand).

How many products do you use a day? Do you fall into the French or American camp when it comes to views on beauty and contents of your bathroom cabinet?

[photo cred]

TRIED AND TESTED | Madara Decocare Tinting Fluids

IT'S ALWAYS a bit surprising to me that so many beauty brands are only available in specific markets even in our global age. It's one of the advantages of being a trans-Atlantic beauty writer -- I know about so many products, brands and services before they hit new markets, giving me a fantastic edge in the cut-throat world of freelancing.

But it's also a disadvantage when I find myself in one country for a long stretch and happen to run out of something that I can't get there.

That was the case recently in the US with my Madara Decocare Moon Flower Tinting Fluid.

It's only available in 16 stores coast to coast, and I needed it that day.

Turns out that the one nearest to me -- 30 minutes by car on the highway -- just started carrying a tiny cross-section of the brand consisting of only the Tinting Fluids and Tinting Lipglosses.

HA-LE-LU-JAH.

I love the product so much I didn't bat an eyelash at an hour-long round trip drive (even with current petrol prices) to buy it. Um, so, my verdict is clearly pre-mature (as the review is below). I think both the brand and this product are swell.

Perhaps I have a future in franchising Madara stores? Surely, at the very least, as a blog spokesperson!

DESCRIPTION

Latvian brand Madara bleeped to life on my beauty radar when my business partners and I were contacted about carrying the range on the website we were then setting up. And I've been hooked in the four years since.

Madara is the Latvian name for wild madders, which are abundant in local meadows.

The brand is certified organic (ECOCERT) and has several product lines: ecoface, decocare, ecobody, ecohair and ecobaby.

The Moon Flower Tinting Fluid (50ml) has a slightly lighter and more liquid texture than tinted moisturiser. It goes on slightly slick, like a light lotion, and gives very sheer flesh-toned tint/coverage and all-over highlighting that's great for summer usage or those looking to gently even out their complexions with a product that can double as a light moisturiser.

The active ingredients are: Baltic algae, chamomile, plantain, rose water and St.John's-wort, as well as cocoa, jojoba. Colour and shimmer are obtained from natural plant minerals and mica.

Full ingredient list:

Aqua, Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil*, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate*, Glycerin*, Theobroma Cacao Seed (Cocoa) Butter*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hypericum Perforatum (St. John's Wort) Extract*, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Extract*, Chamomilla Recutita (Camomile) Extract*, Algae Extract, Plantago Major (Plantain Leaf) Extract*, Cetearyl Glucoside, Capryloyl Glycine, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide***, Xantan Gum, Aroma**, Citral**, Eugenol**, Limonene**, Linalool** [+/- (may contain), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]***

* ingredients issued from Organic Agriculture;
** natural essential oils;
*** inorganic substances and/or pure mineral pigments;
99,875% of the total ingredients are of a natural origin;
13,86% of the total ingredients are issued from Organic Agriculture;
Natural and Organic cosmetic certified by ECOCERT SAS – B.P. 47 F-32600 according to ECOCERT Standards.

THE GOOD

Wonderful coverage and evening out of skin tone even though it's incredibly sheer; 99.9% natural; smells like a forest; does indeed minimize the appearance of fine lines due to its illuminating and highlighting properties.

THE MEH

The price is a bit steep for 50ml so don't go wild with pumps per application or you'll find you're spending like 3 quid each time you use it. One pump should be enough to cover the face and the neck.

Also probably not great for those with super oily skin as I bet it won't stay put.

THE VERDICT

It's what I've been using as my sole foundation since I ran out of my RMS un-Cover Up, and before then I used it almost daily anyway because it's awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Particularly great during the spring and summer when you want to use as few products as possible as it multi-tasks as a highlighter, illuminator, foundation and moisturiser.

THE DETAILS

Madara Decocare Tinting Fluids (50ml) available from $49.95 in the US and £23.00 in the UK

New EU-wide organic standard

The Soil Association has just announced the creation of a new common EU-wide standard for organic health and beauty. This is a landmark move in the industury. Previously in Europe, health and beauty brands did not require organic certification before retailing their products as such, a regulation that was reserved specifically for food and drink.

The new COSMOS-standard can be used and applied for by all certification bodies starting 30 September 2009 and was created with the participation of all 6 European organic certification organisations (including The Soil Association, BDIH (Germany), BIOFORUM (Belgium), COSMEBIO & ECOCERT (France), and ICEA (Italy)) and also covers regulation of 'natural' cosmetics, which has never been done before. There is a 3-year transition period for brands that need to change labels and formulas, and any new brands will have to adhere to new regulations effective immediately.

You can access information about this new organic health and beauty standard at www.cosmos-standard.org.