I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say that one of the petits plaisirs* I enjoy when travelling in a French-speaking country is a trip to the local pharmacie*.

There’s something about seeing products that I’ve long considered produits de luxe* being sold to le grand publique* at extremely reasonable prices.

There there are the petites découvertes* involving products we simply don’t have here. One such discovery took place a few years ago when we were on a trip to la Nouvelle Calédonie*. I’m a sucker for a good-looking label, so when I came upon my first bottle of Friction de Foucaud, I couldn’t part with my sous* fast enough.

It was only when I got back to the hotel that Deborah, whom some of you know, told me that it was a French product reeking of nostalgia in the vein of Quick-Eze or Vicks Vapor Rub for those of us who grew up here.

She explained that it was mostly used as a refreshing tonic in hot weather or as a quick and effective pick-me-up for those days that just seem to drag.

it was created in 1946 by Madame Lucienne Merle. Inspired by the climate she experienced living in French Indochina (now Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) this secret formula, which has remained unchanged for 70 year, offered ‘sovereign relief from tiredness’.

Since its creation, and in an effort to penetrate a larger market, the range has been extended to include roll-ons, foot creams and thigh gels. Its popularity was given a boost in the 80s when tennis player Yannick Nosh extolled its virutes.

According to the Friction de Foucaud website:

”Vous serez séduits à votre tour en l’utilisant, par le mariage d’huiles essentielles de citron, d’orange, de thym, de romarin, mêlées à des extraits naturels de camphre et de menthol qui donnent à la friction cet effet rafraîchissant et énergisant.”

”You, too, will be seduced when you use it, by the combination of essential oils such as lemon, orange, thyme, and rosemary, mixed with natural extracts of camphor and menthol with give the friction its refreshing and energising effect.”

A bit of friction...