For years I’ve been buying organic cosmetics. I prefer them to the chemical-laden big name products. To be defined organic, a cosmetic must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients and there must be no compounds of petroleum origin, paraffin, formaldehyde and dyes of synthetic origin.

Centifolia® is a French brand of certified organic cosmetics created in 1983. That moisturizing cream on the far left? Terrific. Since Covid, most of us wash our hands more frequently than we used to. I use this cream afterwards on my hands. The anti-age firming serum on the far right is lovely with an almost-not-there scent.

Toothpaste. Swiss-German Weleda is the world’s leading manufacturer of holistic, natural, organic cosmetics. The French brand in the middle, Coslys, is made from vegetal coal originating from pine trees and enriched with lemon and peppermint essential oils. It’s black. During a sleepover last year, my then 9 year old godson used it before going to bed. He came running out of the bathroom, alarmed, his mouth black with toothpaste lather.

Here’s a discounted item I received in a nice cosmetic bag at the large discount drugstore at La Défense (near the RER and metro stations in the shopping concourse.) The brand name, Apivita, is Greek. I liked the bag so much, I bought a second one as a gift.

ALL-IMPORTANT SUNSCREEN PRODUCTS.

Institut Esthederm is not organic, but it’s the best. French founder, Jean-Noël Thorel, has patented skin-friendly formulas that “respect the skin’s integrity and provide it with constant protection against ageing while improving resistance to environmental stressors.” Looking for an exemplary sunscreen? Buy these products.

Reasonably-priced, thermal springs organic product, Jonzac, is named after a town in the Charente-Maritime department of southwestern France.

And last but not least, made from 100 percent argan oil in a women’s cooperative in Morocco, this was a gift from my (Moroccan) concièrge. Naturally rich in vitamin E and fatty acids (omega 6 and 9), argan oil is used on the hair and skin for its nourishing and antioxidant properties.