It’s our birthday – and to mark 20 years of Escentual we’ve looked back over the years to find 20 of our all-time best selling products. We’ll be delving into the story behind the products, the ingredients and most importantly, why they are loved by you so much. Let’s see if you can spot any of your favourites in the line-up below…
Top 5 French Products:
1. Bioderma Sensibio H2O
Sensibio etched its name in the stars early on with a famous campaign that landed itself backstage in Paris Fashion week. You’ve seen micellar water before but not like this; with countless features in Vogue, an essential to makeup artists, celebrities and beauty lovers alike, this isn’t your run of the mill micellar water.
You’d expect a product with so many A-list fans to be pricey, but in fact, it’s very affordable. Despite its efficacy, it’s extremely gentle – it has a neutral pH that’s close to our skin’s natural level.
2. Avene Thermale Spring Water
Loved by many over 30 years; Avene Thermale Spring Water Spray is the skincare step you didn’t know you needed. The soothing mineral water spray can be used to calm itchy eczema, irritation or intensely hydrate. A few spritzes will moisturise, cool and replenish any lost minerals to washing or environmental aggressors such as pollution or UV rays.
3. La Roche-Posay Serozinc
Used by supermodels such as Noami Campbell and available from only £5, earns Serozinc cult status. However, for us, the story goes a little deeper, as French Pharmacy is our heritage and we were actually one of the first UK retailers to start selling Serozinc so is a product that stays close to our heart.
The best ally to those who struggle with acne or oily skin, Serozinc, features a mineral that is great for maintaining skin health, zinc. The spray freshens the complexion, targets blemishes and helps to regulate skin oiliness. Soothing and cooling, the cult-favourite spray is the flash solution to clear and purified skin.
4. Embryolisse
There is a good reason why Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre is 1 sold every 20 seconds; it’s a backstage hero in Paris Fashion Week, makeup artists claim to use this nourishing moisturiser to prime and redensify models’ skin after changing between countless makeup looks; owing to the creamy formula’s combination of shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera, soy and hyaluronic acid.
5. Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm
Nuxe Reve de Miel Honey Lip Balm has been the chapped lip saviour of French Pharmacy fans for many years. Considered the jewel of the iconic Reve de Miel collection, the creamy lips balm hydrates, protects smooths damaged lips using beeswax; which can also be used as an intensely nourishing overnight mask for those SOS lip moments.
Top 5 Makeup Products:
1. GIVENCHY Prisme Libre Powder
GIVENCHY Prisme Libre is Asia’s number #1 selling, and ours too. There’s a reason why this ultra-light powder has a band of loyal followers that always keep going back for more; the incredible formula, which unifies and brightens your complexion for an ethereal glow that’s also matte using four colour correcting shades: blue, green, pink and white.
2. DIOR Lip Glow
With 1 sold every 3 seconds, it’s no surprise that DIOR Addict Lip Glow Colour Awakening Lipbalm made its way into our all-time best sellers list. A level-up from your everyday lip balm this formula adapts to the unique pH of your lip creating your own bespoke shade.
3. GUERLAIN L’Or Primer
As premium as primers comes, GUERLAIN L’Or is infused with pure 24-carat gold flakes. The golden flecks sit under your base, adding an incredible radiance that will glisten in natural light. The lit from within effect is half the appeal, with skin smoothing and added makeup longevity to add to its benefits.
4. bareMinerals Original Foundation SPF15
A winner of countless beauty awards, and with two decades worth of loyal fans behind it, bareMinerals Original Foundation is one to remember. The clean powder is made from five pure minerals and offers a natural-looking to full coverage with a naturally luminous glow, while promoting healthy skin.
5. Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color
No ordinary face powder, this cult powder is the product to turn to when you want to unify, set and add radiance to your complexion. The fine-milled powder has two shades; Medusa with blue undertones to balance dullness and High Beam White for undeniable luminosity. Silky soft, the powder is made from real pearl and can be easily layered over the top of your base for a flawless finish.
Top 5 Skincare Products:
1. Clarins Double Serum
Clarins Double Serum has been the number one anti-ageing serum in the UK for over seven years. One of the most iconic anti-ageing serum, it’s loved for its collagen-boosting formula that targets all signs of ageing including firmness, brightness, pore texture using 21 plant extracts. For us, Clarins always remains a brand close to our hearts as we started life as a Clarins Gold salon situated in Cardiff.
2. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
We have the Deciem Chat Room fans to thank for the popularity of this product! Acne and oily skin types covet this product as the holy grail of blemish banishing treatments. The serum shrinks pores, regulates sebum, brightens all thanks to its wonder ingredient of 10% niacinamide. As well as, improving your skin’s overall health with a 1% dose of zinc.
3. GUERLAIN Midnight Secret
GUERLAIN Midnight Secret went viral after Fan Bingbing posted on her Weibo account, we sold out in minutes! It’s the overnight under eye treatment you need when your eyes are showing one-two many margaritas from the night before. The miracle under eye cream brightens, hydrates using a complex of active ingredients, ensuring your eyes look fresh and awake no matter what you’ve got up to.
4. L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Beauty with purpose; our customers love the fact the L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Crea is fair trade that supports local communities and female entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso. This intensely nourishing and moisturising cream also helps to protect the skin from free radicals such as pollution and UV rays due to the antioxidant vitamin E.
5. Caudalie Beauty Elixir
A 100% natural, this plant-based has been a staple for skincare lovers for 23 years. The cult-favourite spray tightens pores, brightens and hydrates using a combination of essential oils. A born multitasker, Beauty Elixir can be used to refresh skin, set makeup or replenish skin after its removal.
Top 5 Fragrances:
1. Paco Rabanne 1 Million
Will Paco Rabanne 1 Million ever go out of style? Year on year, we see customers coming back to get their fix. For us, it’s the male scent of the twentieth century. You don’t have to go far to find a man who wears this as his signature scent: your dad, brother, boyfriend or perhaps an ex? Men and women for its spicy leather accord that is so distinctly paco.
2. DIOR Sauvage
Famously advertised by the famous actor, Johnny Depp, DIOR Sauvage is the fragrance of now. The iconic fragrance is considered many men’s signature scent due to its addictive trail of the fresh-warmth of amber and peppery bergamot. The chic choice, Sauvage is the fail-safe scent for any suave man who appreciates quality.
3. Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
Black Opium skyrocketed to the top of the perfume charts in 2014, and is still yet to come back down to earth. Its addictive coffee note and the creamy vanilla base is what the world wanted – there’s nothing quite like it! Every year we see the collector editions fly out, and especially around Christmas time is where we see Black Opium shine it’s brightest, thanks to its extremely loyal fan base.
4. Mugler Alien
Alien is a fragrance legend. Unique, and powerful, our customers love to be able to refill their favourite fragrance sustainability. On the other hand, Alien isn’t for everyone, it has the power to divide a room. If you love intense white florals you’ll probably find yourself on the “I absolutely love it” side and if not you’ll find yourself saying “it’s not me”. Whether you love it or not, the intensity of this fragrance is utterly mesmerizing with its unusual combination of heady jasmine, cashmeran and blond woods. Its bold floral aroma isn’t for everyone, but you know you can always count on it for the WOW factor when you’re looking to make a statement.
5. Comme des Garcons 2
Our customers love their niche fragrances, and topping the charts for us is Comme des Garcons 2. Back in the 90s when unisex fragrances were all the rage, this scent soared in popularity, but the appeal hasn’t slowed down. Smokey but fresh, you can’t deny this scent has a distinct personality that’s tough to disklike.
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Clarins Double Serum - Complete Age Control Concentrate 30ml
Easy to apply, leaves your skin feeling soft and looking refreshed.
