Swiss pharmacy goodies/ shopping?

[av3nturin3]

Looks like a trip to Geneva and Chamonix is coming up, and I've never been. Any recommendations for lovely, amazing buys from pharmacies/any other fun shopping in Switzerland/ France?

At the pharmacy stock up on cheap Avene, La Roche Posay and Cattier.
In the supermarket get some Mixa stuff (skin) and I love Le Petit Marseillais shampoos and conditioners

Thanks MoanerLeaser, these sound fab! any recommendations for dry skin?

Rausch shampoos, Leucen arnica gel

@av3nturin3 Mixa specialises in dry sensitive skin and is sold in basically every supermarket!

Cheese! It’s fondue season, you should get some!

@Greaterthanthesumoftheparts any cheese recommendations? I'm guessing Emmental?

@MoanerLeaser wow then Mixa sounds especially fab! Thanks!

Bring us some back (MIxa and Cheese!)

For fondue cheese find a local fromagerie and ask them for their house mix, they will have it ready grated. Gruyere is a must!

If you're into cheese, I'd recommend raclette. It's delicious! You can also get mini raclette grills for two reasonably cheaply. Could be a good souvenir.

Some other Swiss foods I really like are Läckerli, Magenbrot and Biberli. I would guess you could get these in the French part too but not 100% sure... always worth a look though! I would check the supermarkets (Migros and Coop).

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basler_Läckerli
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magenbrot
de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appenzeller_Biber

I would also second Raclette for cheese lovers. We’re having it for dinner on Monday, can’t wait!

Cailler chocolate!

Thanks for the lovely suggestions! I’m looking forward to trying raclette and fondue, and all the biscuits @zurigirl suggested, and Cailler chocolate! I’d better pack a bag to bring goodies back home!

One more request: I’ve just discovered that my waterproof mascara has dried up, so any recommendations for a brand to look out for in Geneva?

I love Physician's formula - their murumuru lip butters are gorgeous - and I rate their Healthy Lip liquid lipstick. I've heard good things about the butter bronzer but I don't use bronzer so I can't vote for that firsthand.

Been and returned: fab trip and weather was much milder than predicted. I found the Cailler chocolate and all the biscuits recommended by @zurigirl at the big Coop in La Praille shopping center: the biscuits were incredible, thanks for recommending! I discovered Auer Chocolatier in the main city, and loved it more than Cailler so I ended up making a return trip to buy more before they closed on Sunday. Apart from a trek to find an organic supermarket, I didn't make an effort to go into Migros or Denner to search for Mixa, as I was sidetracked by clothes shops and bakeries (there was a minor quest to find the best croissants and macarons) and normal tourist sites. I only found Mixa at the end of my trip, at Carrefour Market in Chamonix and my partner was laughing at how ecstatic I was. We enjoyed raclette (and other cheese filled delights like savoury crepes/quiche /omelettes) and were amazed by how gooey the cheese is!

Sounds like you had an amazing trip, @av3nturin3!

I'm really glad you liked the foods I recommended! I always try and bring things like that back for my family at Christmas but the Läckerli at least had a mixed response... which I didn't understand at all cause they're delicious! I don't think I've ever introduced them to Magenbrot though actually, so that might have to be next.

I'm quite jealous of your bakery trips by the way! I haven't been to the French-speaking part very often at all, but when I did the things in the bakery windows all looked really good!