France24:
Despite a persistent negative stereotype about French hygiene practices – which at least one historian says has a ring of truth – a study has found that the French may actually be more fastidious than their European neighbours.
If cleanliness is next to godliness, then the French – and especially French women – are among the most saintly in Europe, according to a 2010 study.
Confounding certain longstanding negative stereotypes, a survey by US consulting firm United Minds for Tena (a Swedish manufacturer of personal hygiene products) found that 97% of women in France feel ill at ease going out without having washed their hands or brushed their teeth, compared to 84% of Germans.