Don’t Buy This At Home: 19 Wellness Products Worth Travelling For 

When you’re having a wonderful time abroad, you want that feeling to last as long as possible. Instead of trying to bottle the essence of your vacation by acquiring knick-knacks and souvenirs that will look tacky as soon as you get home, invest in items for everyday use that will elevate your daily routines. Here are some pharmacy and drugstore buys from around the world that will remind you of your holiday every time you put them to good use.

France

While pharmacy brands like Nuxe, Caudalie and Avène are now available around the world, others are still most easily obtained “en vacances”. Oral care company Botot doesn’t just have a pleasingly vintage look, it actually traces its history back to King Louis XV, who commissioned a mouthwash made from natural essences to freshen his breath.

Even more ubiquitous are soaps and shower gels from Le Petit Marseillais. Enjoy the Mediterranean scents of Provence whenever you wash your hands or take a shower, with a range of products featuring the likes of olive, rose, orange and lavender.

Every style editor in the know has Biafine emulsion on their shopping list whenever they’re in Paris for fashion week. It can be used on small wounds and burns, or even as a moisturiser on dry skin.

Italy

Another European dental care brand to inject some flavour into your daily brush, Marvis also has a link to nobility – although its roots only go back to mid-20th-century Florence. The main attraction, aside from the classic packaging, are unique flavours like liquorice as well as exotic limited editions.

UK

Pharmacy chain Boots’ No7 skincare range is the most popular brand in the UK. Rather than a unique product, what sets them apart is their in-store skin consultation service that uses smart scanning devices to analyse your skin type and find a perfect foundation match.

Vaseline isn’t exactly hard to obtain anywhere in the world, but the brand’s lip balm tins are less widely available. Budget beauty aficionados are partial to the Rosy Lips shade, which you can pick up pretty much anywhere, including supermarkets.

Switzerland

Natural soap is often a craft market buy. But not in Zurich, where Soeder is found in all the coolest restaurants, cafés and bars. You can take home your own fragrant reminder of a trip to Switzerland from the visitor centre or one of many local partner stores, including special collaborations with Swiss institutions like the Jelmoli, Kunsthaus Zürich or Vitra.

Plant-based dry shampoos are no longer a niche product, however Swiss brand Klorane has a bit of a head start: its recently updated oat formula has been around since 1971. The products have long been popular in France, too, and are becoming more widely available thanks to international expansion.

Germany

The jury is still out on whether German Nivea is better than the identical-looking cream available everywhere else in the world. The classic blue tins, often available in special design editions, are a nice souvenir either way.

India

If there’s one thing makeup aficionados around the world can take advice from Indian women on, it’s eye makeup. And they swear by Lakmé. The Indian brand’s Absolute Kohl Ultimate is touted as the perfect dark, creamy, glide-on eyeliner.

Amla oil, derived from the plant also known as Indian gooseberry, is another beauty staple, credited with adding a healthy sheen to long, dark locks. Nourishing, soothing and hydrating, it is also rich in antioxidants.

US

Burt’s Bees went from niche natural brand to beauty behemoth in the past two decades, but in most countries you’ll only find their lip balms and hand creams. Fans of the brand stock up on cosmetics and the Baby & Mama range stateside.

Hand sanitisers are still largely considered a necessity, but Touchland have given this flu season must-have a stylish makeover. Their sleek hydrating sprays also come in 15 regular scents, plus seasonal specials and collaborations, and are available in department stores across the US.

Australia

Ask an Australian what’s in their handbag, and the answer is sure to include Lucas’ Papaw Ointment. The multipurpose balm in the iconic red tube is an Aussie beauty staple, used as lip balm or hand cream, as well as to soothe cuts and burns, calm bites and stings, and even as nappy cream.

Brazil

Iconic beauty brand Natura has recently expanded across Europe, but is still most easily found on shelves throughout Brazil. The scents of tropical fruits and flowers, including “sustainably sourced ingredients from the Amazon”, will leave that holiday feeling lingering on your hair and skin.

West Africa

Since African net sponges experienced a recent surge in popularity thanks to TikTok, they have become widely available in online stores, where you never know if you’ll be getting the real deal. Better to buy them in countries across West Africa, where they have been used for generations.

Traditional black soap is a similarly popular and affordable product in West African countries. Thanks to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, it is used to alleviate skin conditions. You’ll find them, fair trade and locally made, for example in Ghana, Nigeria or the Ivory Coast.

Korea

Ask a skincare expert what beauty product to buy in Korea, and they might just tell you “all of them”. Korean beauty is an art, a science and a fandom unto itself, but even without going down any 10-step-routine rabbit holes, sunscreen is one thing you should investigate. Not only are cosmetics generally more advanced in South Korea, they have more refined UV filters and are available in a wide range of formulations like sticks, gels and serums.

Japan

Fude simply means ‘brush’ in Japanese, but the online community dedicated to rating and comparing the best is only talking about makeup brushes. Most of the handmade brushes, hailed as the ultimate tools for makeup artists, are made in Kumano near Hiroshima. The biggest and best-known brand, Hakuhodo, is available internationally, but online communities are full of tips on how to find brushes available only in Japan, and buy them at lower prices.