French official statistics institute Insee on Thursday said the consumer prices index (CPI), a key gauge of inflation, rose 0.4 percent in August after falling 0.3 percent a month earlier.
Adjusted for seasonal variations, the monthly change reported a 0.1 percent rise. French inflation also grew 0.4 percent year-on-year.
"The steepest consumer price increases in August came mainly from seasonal rises in some services related to tourism in the middle of the summer and in manufactured product prices at the end of the summer sales," Insee said.
Manufacturing costs rose 1.9 percent, boosted by a 10.6 percent jump in clothing prices that offset a decline in petroleum products and fresh foods.
French officials aim for an inflation rate of 0.4 percent in 2014 and 0.9 percent next year.