And I’m not talking about the famous Hilton. I’m talking about Gabriel Couzian, a collection of specially formulated skin care products that hydrate and soothe dry, itchy, irritated skin. But this is NOT your ordinary line or even your step-above-ordinary line of skin care products. Gabriel Couzian is extraordinary, perhaps even miraculous, and has brought a bit of French science into my skin care regimen.

The Gabriel Couzian brand has been trusted by French women for over fifteen years. They seem to know how to take care of their skin—perhaps Gabriel Couzian is their secret. The products contain an exclusive oil-in-water suspension technology that seamlessly blends natural oils, rich plant proteins and pure spring water. This technology means the products immediately help protect the skin’s natural barrier, moisturizing and relieving symptoms associated with eczema, psoriasis and dryness caused by everything from aging to the environment. (You can read more about the science and Gabriel Couzian’s healing ingredients here.)

I received Gabriel Couzian’s Washing Oil and Highly Nourishing Body Cream. The packaging wasn’t flashy but I’ve learned you do NOT judge a product by its packaging because in this case you’d be way wrong. The Washing Oil is a shower (or bath) oil that creates a “reparative and soothing” cream when mixed with water. It includes a proprietary blend of nourishing cleansing oils and pure water and the formula is a gentle alternative to soap. I was worried the Washing Oil would leave a slightly oily residue on my body and the shower floor but was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t. I did learn you need to follow the directions and massage it into wet skin without the use of a washcloth or body scrubber, and I did miss having a good lather. I’m just one for bubbles no matter how small, and the Washing Oil didn’t have any at all. But it did feel good going on and it did seem to hydrate my skin—no tight feeling after drying off…and this is Utah!

But the true star of the two, at least for me, is the Highly Nourishing Body Cream. This rich, decadent cream (sounds like a French dessert, doesn’t it?) is a miracle worker. Formulated for severely dry skin, this cortisone-free cream works immediately to inflamed skin and ease the discomfort caused by dryness, eczema or allergies. It contains olive oil, sweet almond oil, beeswax, shea butter, bisabolol (derived from chamomile flowers), aloe vera and glycerin and somehow this combination works wonders. I applied it one morning after my shower and noticed how quickly it absorbed into my skin even though it was as thick a cream as you could pump from a bottle. It has a wonderfully light scent (I smelled my arm many times to be sure) and it truly moisturized for 24 hours and then some.

You know how you use a lotion, even a favorite like Aveeno or Eucerin, and sure, it moisturizes but you have to reapply it within a few hours especially if you’ve washed your hands a few times? You can apply Gabriel Couzian’s Highly Nourishing Body Cream once and your skin will feel as smooth as silk for a couple days. The bottle says you only need to use it a couple times a week and I believe it. I even tried it on my one-year-old’s super dry skin. She borders on eczema and nothing I’ve tried (or reviewed) has truly moisturized for an extended period of time. They’ve helped, don’t get me wrong, but I have to reapply constantly. I used the Body Cream on her after her bath the other night and her skin was happily moisturized the following evening and the evening after that. No need for more cream—now that was an amazing moment. If you don’t believe me you should read Gabriel Couzian’s testimonials page. I’m right there with them!

Now, you won’t find Gabriel Couzian at your local drugstore and the prices may not be for the faint of heart, but once I did the math I realized it really wasn’t much more than the Oil of Olay Quench body lotion I buy from Target. The Body Cream costs about $68 for 13.6 fl. oz. while the Quench lotion costs about $9 (and doesn’t have nearly the impressive list of ingredients), but I have to use the Quench lotion every day, sometimes twice a day if I take a second shower. I only need to use the Gabriel Couzian Highly Nourishing Body Cream—because it’s highly nourishing—twice a week. So I’m using about 1/5 as much, which makes it about $13. Okay, so it’s probably not college-level calculus and it may not even be legit, but to me it make sense. Why not invest a little more in something that truly works and is made of quality ingredients (and smells fabulous)? It’s so totally worth it!

Some day I hope to travel to Europe and experience all it has to offer; until then I will enjoy a little dab of French cosmetological science right in my very own home.—Emily

*** Giveaway! Gabriel Couzian is giving away one gift set to a lucky Daily Dish reader! You DON’T want to pass up this awesome giveaway! Please leave a comment telling us what other Gabriel Couzian product intrigues you; include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: December 1, 2008 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Jennifer H., the winner of the Gabriel Couzian giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

tags beauty, Gabriel Couzian, Giveaway, skin, Skin Care

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm and is filed under Daily Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.