I think these brands are a little harder to obtain or else significantly pricier if you’re outside the US (even accounting for online, but I could be remembering wrong or just flat out wrong) — Bite Beauty, ColourPop, and Glossier come to mind.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Sunnies Face and Happy Skin from the Philippines. ?
For sure it would be Lise Watier! The company was bought out recently by Marcelle (I think) – another good Canadian brand with really affordable and excellent products though a pretty limited product line. But Lise Watier is terrific and always has been. Other good companies (with a store presence, since I don’t order online) are Vasanti (great skincare and some good colour cosmetics but I really love their skincare) and Jouviance (skin care).
I’m Canadian too, and I really like Reversa (skincare)
Brands in France that I would recommend when visiting:
T. Leclerc (though they don’t come out with big lines every year, but very good foundation, powders, eyeshadow, in particular nude – pastel, everyday colors) – pharmacy only
La Roche Posay (if you have sensitive skin for staple skin products and mascara) – pharmacy or parapharmacy
Caudalie (definitely for skin care and more natural)- pharmacy or parapharmacy
LUSH (it’s British, but available here and I like lots of things from them; from bath to perfume to makeup) – their own boutique
Occitane (for the oil facial cleaner, deodorant and anything “verveine” 😉 ; though I know you can also find it in the States)- their own boutique, but sometimes the airport or department store
KIKO (Italian, but definitely try their makeup! They constantly come out with spring, summer, winter lines of products and there is ALWAYS one gem at the very least.) – their own boutique
La Roche Posay, Caudalie and L’Occitane are readily available here in Canada. In fact, many dermatologist offices sell LRP sun screen products because they’re so good.
La Roche Posay is significantly less expensive in France than in the US, even when dollars are converted to Euros. I also was able to find BOGOs of the cleanser and micelles water in a few places.
I’m not French, but as a European living in US I highly recommend anyone visiting Paris or another part of France to visit a pharmacy or parapharmacy, not only for great brands like La Roche Posay. Yes, you can find La Roche Posay in other European countries, US (when I moved to US and discovered they sell them at Target I was windblown 😆 ), Canada… but the vibe of the French pharmacy is different, there are some interesting packs/kits and deals.
I love Kiko makeup! My sister went to Italy last year and brought me a bunch of their products, and I love them 🙂 Their Ocean Feel bronzer is one of the best bronzers I’ve ever used, in fact. Their PR people keep telling me they are working on bringing the line to Canada, and I hope it’s true.
Italian here 🙂
I know Kiko is easily available in a lot of countries, so there’s that. Also, Wycon is a pretty similar brand with good quality and consistency across the board.
Bottega Verde has a wide range of lovely bath products and body/face creams (I personally love their Sweet Almond face cream) but it’s advisable to purchase their products when they are on sale, which happens regularly (it’s kind of common knowledge that their policy is to overprice their products to direct the customers towards the discounted ones).
Neve Cosmetics is worth looking into if you’re interested in good-quality organic cruelty-free makeup 🙂
I was hoping someone from Italy would chime in! I’m planning a trip in April and I would love to bring home usable souvenirs. 😉 Now I’m off to Google these brands!
Glad to have been of help! Have a wonderful time in Italy! 😀
For higher end I would also mention Collistar or Diego Dalla Palma. I would also add PuroBio (a clean brand that has amazing quality!).
Another popular brand here is Pupa, but I find the quality to be very hit or miss.
I am a blogger from India. After trying out a number of brands, I would like to recommend brands like Juicy Chemistry, Blend it Raw, Bare Necessities, etc. All of these promote products which are harsh chemical-free.
LISE WATIER -Canada
I’m not sure what companies are available where, but I suppose international shipping is expensive anywhere, if a given company even ships to the visitor’s country. I’d recommend: ColourPop, Bite Beauty, NYX, BH Cosmetics, and SugarPill. I’d also say our drug store brands in general, as they’re often much cheaper here than overseas.
Back when I lived in Europe NYX was actually more widely present and available online than what I see in US; and the prices were quite affordable. But I rarely seen actual NYX stores, so I would recommend people to also try the in-store experience.
Thanks for the additional info, Ana Maria. I’ve never been outside of North America, so my experience is sorely lacking.
I forgot to say where I live, sorry! USA
NYX is a good recommendation here, as they seem to have disappeared from all the shops I’d seen them in before here in NZ, and their site doesn’t ship here. 🙁 I liked the products I bought of theirs, and I wish I’d grabbed a few more when I had the chance.
I’ve never seen an actual NYX store, but the brand is available at ULTA (always a huge selection), Target, and I’m seeing it now creep into Wlmart stores.
I live in Dubai and I recommend Bassam Fattouh Cosmetics, the quality is amazing but a bit in the pricey side
If you’re in London or Japan, you’re lucky to have a Suqqu counter nearby! You can only order it in the US, and from the UK – Selfridges or Harrods.
I moved from Europe to US more than 3 years ago, and surprisingly there aren’t many brands I never heard of or couldn’t buy. `Worst case scenario`, I could order something like Cerave or Physicians Formula from iHerb. Maybe for visitors the selection (both products and colors) would be better and the prices are lower, so I would just recommend them to hit the drugstores and check for products they never tried. Or try some cheap in-house brands, like Ulta or Target.
Also, shade selection in other countries might be worse, so I would recommend people who love a specific Maybelline or CoverGirl foundation/concealer, to check if they can find a better match.
Any beauty brands you can buy at Sephora are usually available anywhere there’s a Sephora… and you can get better prices at the duty free since you’re already traveling.
But as a Romanian native, I would recommend people visiting Romania to try Gerovital. It’s a mostly skincare brand developed on the principles of Ana Aslan, a biologist and physician which has done many research studies in geriatrics. They also have haircare and make-up items, but they are very well known for serums and creams.
I’m in the cold freezing north, called Canada. I think all the brands have already been named for us here. We do have a NYX stand alone store here in Calgary, with the current temperature of -26C.
The one I see all over the place here in NZ and never see mentioned here is Australis. Going by the name I’m sure they’re Australian-based, but that’s a lot closer to home than most brands. They’re a solid cheap-and-cheerful brand, I’ve had good experiences with their eyeliners and their lip creams especially.
Skincare wise, there are a lot of small brands doing manuka honey based ranges. My mum really enjoys a Wild Ferns day cream, and I’ve been pleased with Apicare products as well. Ethique makes a whole lot of solid-form hair and skin cleaning items and I’ve been pleased with the ones I’ve used.
As an Aussie who has tried to obtain US based palettes, the brands that I have found hardest to obtain is Tom Ford, bareMinerals, some of UD, City Color – especially when particular palettes have been exclusives to stores that don’t ship internationally. Colour Pop, Sydney Grace and anything from Beauty Bay or Beautylish can be shipped here at a reasonable price.
To answer the question, I think the beauty brands that visitors buy here include Nude by Nature, Natio, A’kin (fabulous skincare brand), Jurlique, Grown Alchemist, Sukin, Bondi Sands, Face of Australia, Inika, Kora Organics and Swisse – their skincare range is fantastic and inexpensive too.
Hi Genevieve, fellow Australian here! I can’t think of any other ones than you’ve mentioned- your list was pretty exhaustive. Bondi Sands definitely has a strong following here (even though I use Fake Bake and Tan-Luxe myself). I agree UD can be really hard to get here because you have to go through Mecca.com.au to get it and they’re often out of stock. I would say, though, that Selfridges in UK has Tom Ford at good prices and they have a year’s-subscription offering for free international shipping for the year, so that works out really well.
Great question Christine! Not much to add…I think Rachel captured it all for us here in the ??
I guess being based in Germany, I’d recommend picking up Weleda products here?
Otherwise, we have a bunch of bio drugstore brands like Lavera and Alterra that have a great price and great product selection. And of course, essence is a German brand
Hello from Greece! Korres (pronunciation Korrés, the voice emphasize the e, if that make any sense) Frezyderm, with a wide range of face and body care products, Apivita herbal products for face, body and hair, ERRE DUE with good eye and lip pencils in their beginnings, now with a wider range, Lactacyd dedicated to taking care of sensitive area.
I live in Germany and here you find the whole Zoeva collection. Also try Isadora and ArtDeco, you can find all of this in Douglas (it’s like Sephora). Lethal Cosmetics is Berlin based, shipping is very fast. Essence and Catrice are from here and very inexpensive, like 3 euros for a mascara or highlighter.
Lethal Cosmetics eyeshadows are so good!
I live in the Netherlands and somehow feels that German Douglas is much better than my local Douglas here. Probably because I already know what’s in store & the choices in Douglas of other countries might surprise me. Or perhaps the grass is always greener on the other side!
Hi from Germany!
Make Up: If looking for inexpensive brands: Catrice and Essence are most common (drugstore). For professional handmade make-up: Kryolan (shops only in Berlin and Hamburg, online shop).
High End: Uslu Airlines (based in Berlin, airbrush make-up, lipstick- and nail polish-collaborations). Und Gretel (also based in Berlin, certified organic and very expensive brand)
Skincare: Lots of organic brands (Dr. Hauschka, Santé, Logona, Lavera – also make up, Weleda, Martina Gebhardt and Sensisana- skincare only), and my favourite Klotz Labs (high tech hyaluron serums and creams). If you are into aromatherapy go for Primavera Life (essential oils and skincare).
Zaron and R&R Luxury from Nigeria.
Living in the UK, we can get most brands without having to international ship (including Glossier!). Brands that we can’t get Tatcha (I suspect since they have been bought now for a bizillion dollars that might change soon, Bite Beauty, and Thrive Kausemetics. KKW is available to ship internationally but once it hits over a certain value, u will get hit with a hefty custom charge…same with colourpop.
French pharmacy brands r cheaper here as well.
I live in the Netherlands, it seems easy to get some French pharmacy brands here (LRP, Vichy, Eucerin, Caudalie, etc) but I think there are a lot more discount events you’ll find when shopping in actual pharmacies in France. Other brands that I’ve been enjoying quite a lot here are Louis Widmer & Rituals. I’m glad that I can also find Honest Beauty & elf Cosmetics here in Douglas’ online store.
In my home country (Indonesia), definitely don’t skip Sensatia Botanicals. They have a couple stores in popular spots of Bali (Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta, etc). Some Indonesian makeup brands that are worth noting, already established, and well-loved by local beauty community include PAC, Make Over cosmetics (their eyeliners & lipsticks are really good), Wardah (it’s also offering halal products), Inez (best known for pigmented blushes & travel-friendly eyeshadow quads), and Viva (best known for their eyebrow pencils & milk cleanser). You can find these brands in drugstores or department stores in almost any malls you visit. However, there are also some indie brands worth knowing, such as Rollover Reaction, BLP Beauty, and ESQA that just came into the scene a few years ago & already stealing the spotlight. These brands are probably harder to find, but I know that they have pop-up store in Jakarta malls.