Four products, in order

Loucet is four products, numbered in the order they are applied: Nº 1 Clarté cleansing balm (€38), Nº 2 Lumière active serum with 10% niacinamide and 3% vitamin C (€58), Nº 3 Velours ceramide moisturiser (€54) and Nº 4 Nuit night serum with 0.1% retinal (€92). The full set is €198.

Yes. No Loucet product contains perfume or essential oils, including the ones marketed elsewhere as natural fragrance. What you smell is the raw material itself. This makes the range suitable for reactive and fragrance-sensitive skin.

Nº 2 Lumière contains 10% niacinamide, 3% 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid as a stable vitamin C, and 1% zinc PCA. Percentages are printed on the front of the bottle rather than hidden in the ingredient list.

Use Nº 4 Nuit twice a week for the first fortnight, on dry skin at night, and follow it immediately with Nº 3 Velours. Build up to nightly only once there is no tightness the next morning. Retinal at 0.1% works faster than retinol because skin has one conversion step to make instead of two. Do not use it during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and wear sunscreen daily while using it.

The four products together are €198, against €242 bought separately. The set arrives numbered in the order you apply them, which is the simplest way to start the routine.

Loucet is formulated in Paris and manufactured by a laboratory in Grasse, France, that has supplied pharmacies for thirty years. Every batch leaves with a certificate of analysis.

Mostly yes. The range has no fragrance, no essential oils and no colourants, and formulas run to twelve to twenty ingredients. Two caveats: 10% niacinamide can flush very reactive skin in the first week, so start Lumière every other morning, and the retinal in Nuit needs a two-week run-in.