Mathilde Thomas

When Bertrand Thomas and his wife, Mathilde, (pictured above) launched Caudalie in 1995 with just three items on the roster, it was the first company to use the antiaging benefits of grape-seed polyphenols in skin care. Since then, the vinotheraphy-based brand has launched a full range of products, using practically all parts of the grape, from skin to stalk. In fact, its radiance-boosting Beauty Elixir ($49), which contains grape fruit extract, is so popular, the brand recently opened boutiques stateside.

But what is it about French women that makes them seem so pleasantly content and perfectly complected? In the NYT best-seller, French Women Don't Get Fat, author Mireille Guiliano describes a lifestyle that is full of variety, where deprivation is replaced by savoring things to the fullest. And when it comes to beauty, Thomas explains it's a similar mindset: "Balance is the key word: French women balance food their food and balance their lifestyle." In honor of Paris Fashion Week, see just what Thomas means on how French women get it right when you keep reading.

Paris Fashion Week has begun, and as the world (or anyone who's strolled the Canal St-Martin in Paris) knows, French women are renowned for their beauty . An insouciant flip of the hair, the evening glamour of a deep red lip, the embrace of "flaws" like gap teeth: all so French. But what else makes these women uniquely chic? To find out, we asked a few in-the-know people to explain the je ne sais quoi of French beauty. Keep reading.