21 Gifts for the Friend Who’s Always Planning Their Next Trip to France

Cult-favorite French pharmacy brands like La Roche Posay, Avène, Bioderma, and Nuxe have a following for a reason, but the pared-back, B-corp vegan line out of Paris that has taken over many medicine cabinets is Typology. Formulated with labs in Bergerac, Aix en Provence, and Compiègne, the brand is known for its radical transparency when it comes to formulations, and its use of only a handful of essential, natural active ingredients. The nine-ingredient face moisturizer, tinted serums, and tinted lip oils are among the best sellers. Start with this lip trio kit to smooth, repair, and tint your smackers.

Founded in rural Picardy in 2012, Moismont blends French countryside silhouettes with Indian craftsmanship. Each piece—made using cotton, silk, or wool—is woven, dyed, or block-printed by artisans using age-old techniques. The brand has become best known for its featherlight wool and cotton scarves in painterly prints, but there are also striped shirts, quilted jackets, and soft throws, with a new color palette introduced seasonally.

Cocoa enthusiasts everywhere know France ranks high among the world’s top destinations for chocolate confections of all varieties. But as cookbook author and journalist Aleksandra Crapanzano lays out in her latest homage to French sweets, Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights, we can also trace the origins of many beloved chocolate desserts, from the soufflé to the mousse au chocolat, to France's capital city. Expect personal stories, delightful recipes to prepare at home (alongside charming illustrations), and a list of the author’s favorite Parisian chocolate shops you should visit on your next trip.

Parisian candlemaker Cire Trudon was founded on Rue Saint-Honoré in 1643, and has been developing its signature fragrances ever since. The company even provided the scents for the royal court of Louis XIV (you can, in fact, buy a wax bust of the former king to burn at your leisure) before outliving Marie Antoinette and going on to provide candles for our favorite celebrity homes. Each candle is still handmade in the brand's Normandy factory—you can't get more authentically French than that.

Well-cut basics made from durable materials are fixtures of the French wardrobe. That includes knitwear, the object of affection for Tom Lehman and Rémi Lacquintaine, the creators of sustainable brand Tricot. The duo’s three-ply sweaters are made from 50% recycled cashmere and 50% virgin cashmere (for the curious shopper, the recycling process is laid out in full on the brand’s website) and come in a variety of styles and colors.

Give the best L'Occitane has to offer to your giftee. The brand's luxe oils, gels, and hand creams are intensely hydrating and smell divine. These favorites are packed with ingredients including almond, shea, verbena, and cherry blossom.

A piece of Le Creuset cookware is a statement piece for anyone’s kitchen—but even more so if they’re that person who visited France once and came back thinking they were the next Julia Child. This classic cast-iron Dutch oven comes in an array of colors with fun names like Truffle, Marseille, and Palm. It's perfect for cooking, say, a rich cassoulet for your next dinner party.

Even if a night in Paris is physically out of reach, you can bring home the spirit with Guerlain's L’Art & La Matière collection. Patchouli Paris evokes the city's sensuality by night—created by Guerlain perfumer Delphine Jelk, the scent was drawn from the image of lovers wandering along the Seine and through the hilltop streets of Montmartre, illuminated by neon lights. What does Paris at nightfall smell like, you ask? The earthiness of patchouli balanced with powdery and woody iris.

What are the cool fashion kids wearing these days? Salomon, the Annecy-born shoe brand known, first and foremost, for its trail-running sneakers. In recent years, the 70-year-old label has become a favorite among streetwear and gorp-core enthusiasts— along with sneakerheads—for its chunky, maximalist designs and serious comfort with models that also happen to be functional and durable.

Even if you can’t get to Paris to peruse the hand-painted homewares and scarves at Martin Montagut’s Left Bank cabinet of curiosities, you can bring his spirit to you. The bohemian artist and illustrator’s deep affection for the French capital comes to life in this hand-blown glass. Each piece is unique and can be used as a water glass, a pencil holder, or a small vase.

Since launching her brand in 2021, the French-born makeup artist who goes by Violette has become the queen of accessible French beauty. Among the cult-favorite products are a unisex roll-on fragrance, a dry shampoo with a built-in brush applicator, liquid eye paints that replace the average eye shadow, and tinted lip balms. Her newest innovation, Bisou Jelly, is a sheer balm-lipstick hybrid that you’ll want to always have on hand for a little extra shine and a subtle pop of color.

Sneak a peek into any French home cook’s pantry, and you’ll find a container of this fleur de sel, hand-harvested from the salt marshes in the Camargue, a wilder part of the South of France. Use this as finishing salt on roasted vegetables, grilled meat dishes, or even sprinkled lightly on top of homemade chocolate mousse.

Who better to glean French life lessons from than antiques and design entrepreneur Ajiri Aki, who has lived in Paris for nearly 15 years. The Madame de la Maison founder’s first solo book is an ode to the good life, full of practical ways to infuse beauty and special moments into your everyday life, wherever you live.

The Breton shirt is so timelessly, stylishly French that we once wrote an entire story dedicated to the history of it—and everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Jean Paul Gaultier has worn the traditional striped sailor top since Coco Chanel set the trend in 1913. There's no shortage of options to buy, but no one designs the shirt quite as well as French atelier Saint James, which has been making them for 130 years. You can choose from a range of color options, but we love the classic navy and white combo.

L/Uniform, a French label co-founded by Jeanne Signoles and her husband, Alex Signoles (one of the children of Jean-Michel Signoles, who took over the Goyard trunk and leather goods company in 1998), has made its mark on local fashion with its line of functional, chic bags. Satchels, messenger bags, tote bags, shopping trolleys, and travel bags are made from beautifully crafted canvas, produced by hand in Carcassonne, and have the benefit of being completely washable, as well as water- and stain-resistant.

The easiest route to French lifestyle inspiration is through the books from Vincent Farrelly and Jean-Baptiste Martin, the co-founders and art directors of the Parisian brand Antoinette Poisson. The duo, whose domino prints have been featured in collaborations with Gucci, Diptyque, and the Château de Versailles, just released this new sumptuously photographed book that looks at entertaining throughout the seasons and decorating their historic townhouse on the French Atlantic coast.

The first Laguiole knife was crafted by a villager in 1829—since then, Laguiole has been one of the most trusted French cutlery brands. With durable Sandvik stainless steel, it is the easiest way to open up your favorite French wine.

The new collection from Officine Universelle Buly, the old-world beauty and grooming brand founded by Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami, evokes a stroll through the most bucolic and abundant French gardens of yesteryear during a harvest. Inspired by 18th and 19th century botanists, this set of water-based fragrances, natural body oils and lotions, and hand soaps nods to the aromatic wonders of herb and vegetable gardens, with combinations like red currant and Peruvian tomato, Andean verbena and Ulu basil, Caribbean sweet potato and Afghan carrot, and Indian cucumber with Syrian mint.

What do you do on a trip to France? Eat. What’s one French confection readily available stateside? Chocolate, thankfully. Under the guidance of Nicolas Cloiseau, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France), La Maison du Chocolat has mastered everything from luscious ganaches and pralines to unexpected savory flavors, all of which are available online and make excellent gifts. For a selection that appeals to all palates, start with the 60-piece signature set.