Any beauty obsessive will tell you about the treasure trove that is the French pharmacy. Sure, a trip to the Arc de Triomphe or Mont Saint-Michel, is on any France-bound hit list, but those of us well-versed in good skincare will have a French pharmacy or two at the very top of their itineraries. Those illuminated green cross stores have become symbolic in the beauty world for being home to some of the best affordable, effective, results-driven products that are especially good for sensitive skin types. Top of the skincare wishlist? La Roche-Posay,Bioderma, Caudalie, and Vichy. But f you ask Sienna Miller about her go-to, she'll likely namecheck the if-you-know-you-know A313 Vitamin A Pommade, which is currently just £11.99 in the Amazon Prime Day sale.
Last year, in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the actress revealed that the French pharmacy cult favourite A313 Vitamin A Pommade is a firm favourite in her beauty arsenal. Pulling out a tube of the A313 Miller explained, 'This is a really fantastic secret, it's called the A313 and it's a French retinol that you can get over the counter'. She owes the discovery to another British 'It' Girl, Alexa Chung, who she describes as having 'the most amazing skin'. Clutching the well-used crinkled tube in hand, Miller notes, 'It's described as the French girl secret to great skin.' Happily for us, the French girl secret is not only available to shop online, but thanks to Amazon's incredible Prime Day beauty deals, it's also majorly discounted right now.
It's certainly a big claim by Miller, but one that seems to be justified, according to the traction it has received online. The A313 retinol has been lauded for its ability to tackle acne, pigmentation, solar keratoses and fine lines, ergo providing the best base for the most coveted thing in beauty: good skin. It makes sense then that Miller has chosen this as her go-to, as she later notes, 'I do have a personal beauty philosophy which is, I think people look most beautiful without a ton of make-up, I love natural skin.'
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BeautyTok and Sienna Miller are obsessed with this gentle retinol which Miller recently noted as being 'the French girl secret to great skin.' The experts aren't convinced just yet but beauty junkies swear it has helped to get their complexions in check.
As well as the celeb-endorsement, the A313 Vitamin A Pommade has amassed hundreds of videos on TikTok with beauty creators raving about its skin rejuvenating results. TikToker @swayzejane claims it is one of the only products that actually changed her skin and said the ointment is like 'miracles in a tub'. Likewise, @vikipeocz says if there is one thing she continuously repurchases before even running out, it's the Pommade, which she claims has helped with her acne, fine lines and evening out her skin tone. @glowwithava picked up her tube while travelling in Paris and said, 'Apparently this A313 cream is great for people who have more sensitive skin and can't tolerate prescriptive retinol, this is retinol ester, which is better for sensitive skin.'
In a separate video, Ava follows up with more details. Having brought the product for as little as $6, it wasn't just the price point that lured her in. Unlike most retinoid products, the balmy texture is more like comforting Vaseline and is made with retinyl palmitate, which is one of the most gentle forms of retinol, which means it's not going to sensitise your skin or irritate your skin.
The results speak for themselves, but while BeautyTok is obsessed with the product, the experts aren't convinced. Popular says-it-how-it-is online dermatologist, Dr Dray says, 'Retinyl palmitate is what is in A313. It's a retinol ester and retinol esters? They're antioxidants. They can help stabilise a formula, maybe, they can help potentially ward off oxidative stress, but, unlike retinol, retinaldehyde or prescription forms of topical vitamin A, they don't actually work to improve collagen production, so they don't have anti-wrinkle effects. They also don't appear to do anything for hyperpigmentation. I think consumers are often misled by products that have retinol esters in them, that they are somehow just like a gentler form of retinol, they're really not the same. People like to put A313 on a pedestal because it's French but it's just a moisturiser.'
While the jury is out on whether the A313 really is a silver bullet for multiple skin concerns but look, if Miller says the secret to great French girl skin lies in this tube of cream, then we're game to give it a go.
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia UK's Beauty Writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
