French pharmacies are renowned for their array of practical, well packaged and nicely priced goods.  Brands such as Nuxe, Caudalie, La Roche Posay and Bioderma are on many shopping lists when visitors make a trip to France.  Less well known are the treasured finds that are hiding in the supermarket aisles.

The range of Bien-Être colognes are a long standing French favourite and will be found in the cupboards of many homes. These colognes have been in production since 1962 starting with Eau de Cologne Naturelle. The range has expanded recently with new variants added to the line.

The recent additions to the range include Eau de Cologne Aux Essences Fraiches (lemon and verbena), Cologne de L’Herboriste (fig), L’Eau Parfumée des Famille (mandarin, orange flower, musk), Eau de Lavande Naturelle (lavender) and Eau de Cologne aux Absolues de Rose (rose).

The bottle is designed by Serge Manseau who is one of the most well known flacon designers in the fragrance industry. It’s made of heavy glass and I love the solid feel when it’s in hand, although it’s not exactly a looker. The noses for these colognes are Michael Almairac and Sidonie Lancasseur of Robertet, who are well known perfumers in the mainstream and niche perfume world.  Almairac is the perfumer behind Bottega Venetta, Gucci Pour Homme and Gucci Rush among many others.  Lancasseur has created a handful of perfumes for By Kilian including one of my favourites Apple Brandy and Lumiere Blanche from Olfactive Studio, and many more.

The colognes are simple and smell great.  They claim to use 96% natural ingredients. I have the Eau de Cologne Aux Essences Fraiches but will buy some of the others this summer. These colognes are designed to be splashed on, poured in the bath water, and you could also try them as a room diffuser.

Next time you’re in France I would hunt these gems out in the local supermarket.  At my local Carrefour a 250ml bottle is 4.90!