A French magazine has expressed regret after coming under fire for featuring a rock star who murdered his girlfriend on its cover amid a growing scandal over allegations of sexual violence against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Bertrand Cantat was convicted of killing his actress girlfriend Marie Trintignant in a hotel room in Lithuania in 2003.

Music magazine Les Inrockuptibles Tuesday expressed its "regrets" in an editorial and acknowledged its decision to put Cantat on its October 6 cover, ahead of the release of his first solo album, was "questionable".

The cover provoked widespread outrage, with Elle magazine publishing a scathing editorial on social media titled "In the name of Marie: for all women victims of men's violence."

"The pain that this cover has stirred up has deeply touched us," the Inrockuptibles editorial said.

"The reactions that followed... have upset us, and we are committed to always being vigilant in the way we treat and cover the subjects we consider important."

Cantat's comeback was one such subject but "to put him on the cover was questionable".

"To those who felt hurt, we express our sincere regrets," it said.

Cantat, former frontman of the top French rock group Noir Desir, was sentenced to eight years in prison for murdering his girlfriend. She suffered severe brain damage after the pair had a fight and later died from her injuries.

Cantat served four years before being released on parole in 2007.

"Marie Trintignant, you are not forgotten," Elle said. 

"Thanks to this, her face has become that of all women victims of the violence of men,"  journalist Dorothee Werner wrote in the editorial, recalling that 123 women were killed in France by their spouses in 2016.

"To all these women as well as the actresses against Weinstein... it takes courage," she said, referring to the growing scandal over Weinstein, who is accused of rape and sexual harassment of dozens of actresses.

Cantat made a comeback with his new band Detroit in 2013 and is due to release his first solo album later this year.