“In France, pharmacies really run the skin-care industry; When you have any questions about products, you always go to the pharmacy to find the best,” says Natacha Bonjout, a French pharmacist who’s been living and working in New York for over a decade. After 15 years researching skin, Bonjout’s eponymous beauty brand Bonjout launches today with a single do-it-all hero called Le Balm Skin Savior Solid Sérum.
To create a mix of actives friendly for all skin types, from sensitive to acne-prone, Bonjout created a non-comedogenic formula that contains native plant stem cells sourced from the South of France and more than 60 actives designed to help skin repair and regenerate itself. She emphasizes that this unique formulation method using whole plant cells creates true biocompatibility with skin for an instant glow that gets even better over time. Needless to say, it’s in line with French culture’s skin-first approach, which often skews 90% skin care and 10% makeup. “The cosmetic is your best friend, but it will never replace the inner power of your skin,” she says. Another pillar? There’s beauty in simplicity. Her personal beauty ethos is always “consume less, but consume better.” From gentle cleansing to natural remedies, below Bonjout shares her six secrets for your best complexion.
1. Use Actives That Work With—Not Against—Each Other
“Don’t overload your skin—only use actives that work together,” says Bonjout, who spent five years combining the correct levels of actives for Le Balm in order to avoid incorrectly “cocktailing” different products. A good mix, for example, is a Vitamin C and a protective SPF, or a retinol and a hydrating hyaluronic acid like Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier. “Avoid applying retinol with a Vitamin C,” she says, noting it can create irritation and inflammation, while layering retinol and niacinamide will simply “cancel each other out” and is an expensive waste of actives. “A good skin-care routine is about targeted products that really deliver because our skin doesn’t like being overstressed,” she says.
2. Skip Your Morning Cleanse
To protect your skin barrier, Bonjout suggests gently double cleansing at night and then in the morning, rinsing your skin with thermal water or spritzing on a toning mist. It’s “the total opposite of the squeaky clean” American method for a reason: “Every night, your skin reconstitutes its flora to protect itself,” she says. “Simply rinsing in the morning with thermal water like Avène Thermal Spring Water or a gentle flower water toner like Herbivore rose Hibiscus Face Mist is all you need to do before starting your day.” At night, “double cleansing is capital, especially when I wear sunscreen or makeup, to remove Manhattan’s polluted particles,” she says. “When I stay home, I only gently clean my skin with my Collosol Eau de Lait or micellar water.” She likes Bioderma Micellar Water (“French famous” since the early’ 90s) as a first step, and Caudalie Vinoclean Foaming Cleanser or Tata Harper Softening Cleanser as the second “double” cleanse.