In the beauty world there are products which have achieved cult favorite status, and then there are products which have entered the stratosphere to become legends. Arguably the most famous face cream in the world is also one of the priciest– Crème de la Mer. It’s a celebrity favorite, whose fans include Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, and Kate Moss, just to name a few.
What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2021?
But is Crème de la Mer really worth the hype? To answer this question, we are going to examine the product formulation details, including what ingredients are used and in what concentrations. We’ll also review a few more of the best La Mer products, and we’ll share some La Mer reviews so that you can get a better idea of what customers really think about these products.
What Are The Top 10 Best La Mer Skin Care Products?
Crème de la Mer is the La Mer moisturizer that started it all, but the brand has created a collection of skin care products that include additional moisturizers, serums, lotions, eye products, lip products, and more. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 best La Mer skin care products.
Crème de la Mer
- Rich facial cream that is said to help heal dryness, promote soft and supple skin, and visibly soften lines and wrinkles
- Key ingredients include seaweed extract, mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin, lime extract, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
- Recommended for those with dry skin
La Mer The Concentrate
- A barrier serum that is said to strengthen your skin’s barrier, reduce the appearance of visible signs of inflammation, and calm the skin
- Key ingredients include silicones, seaweed extract, glycerin, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Treatment Lotion
- A hydrating lotion that is said to visibly soften, nourish, and improve texture, as well as prep your skin for the rest of your skin care routine
- Meant to be used after cleansing, but before your serum and moisturizer
- Key ingredients include seaweed extract, glycerin, yeast extract, sucrose, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Regenerating Serum
- An anti-aging serum that is claimed to rapidly diminish the look of lines and wrinkles for a regenerated look of youth
- Key ingredients include seaweed extract, many different silicones and synthetic emollients, macadamia seed oil, glycerin, niacinamide, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream
- Another La Mer cream that is said to strengthen and protect while reducing the look of fine, dry lines
- Key ingredients include seaweed extract, silicones, petrolatum, hydrogenated vegetable oil, cholesterol, shea butter, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Recommended for those with combination/drier skin
La Mer The Eye Concentrate
- La Mer eye cream that is claimed to reduce the look of dark circles and lines in 21 days
- Key ingredients include silicones, seaweed extract, glycerin, sea salt, yeast extract, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Renewal Oil
- Dual-phase facial oil that is said to improve skin firmness, helping soften the look of emerging lines and wrinkles
- Key ingredients include meadowfoam seed oil, dimethicone, caprylic/capric triglyceride, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, glycerin, seaweed extract, castor oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Hydrating Illuminator
- A highlighter with a universal shade that diffuses and redirects light to brighten and enhance the complexion
- Can be worn alone or under makeup
- Formula includes the minerals mica and titanium dioxide to reflect light from the face, creating the illusion of a smoother, softer, and more radiant skin tone
- Additional key ingredients include silicones, synthetic emollients, jojoba seed oil, shea butter, seaweed extract, glycerin, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation
- This La Mer foundation is available in 28 shades and provides buildable coverage to refine the look of skin and smooth imperfections
- Formula includes octinoxate and titanium dioxide to provide broad spectrum SPF 20 protection
- Additional key ingredients include silicones, seaweed extract, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
La Mer The Cleansing Foam
- A gentle cleansing foam that is said to draw out impurities and excess oil, leaving skin feeling soft and energized for a bright, fresh, healthy-looking complexion
- Key ingredients include surfactants, glycerin, seaweed extract, sesame seed oil, and many more botanical extracts
- Contains synthetic fragrance ingredients
What Are The Key Ingredients in La Mer Skin Care Products?
One thing we noticed about La Mer skin care products is that the product formulations are all very similar, with key ingredients like seaweed extract, silicones, and sesame seed oil. Let’s take a closer look at how these ingredients will affect your skin.
All La Mer skin care products contain a high concentration of seaweed extract, or what the brand refers to as “Miracle Broth”. This ingredient was created by physicist Dr. Max Huber. When Dr. Huber suffered burns in a lab accident, he looked to the sea for a solution. After twelve years of research and 6,000 experiments, Miracle Broth was born.
Miracle Broth contains hand-harvested sea kelp, nutrients, and minerals. While these ingredients may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, the brand claims the key to their power is in the natural fermentation process. Fermentation can boost the power and efficacy of individual ingredients, which enables them to work synergistically. According to La Mer, the Miracle Broth empowers the five facets of healing: moisture, regeneration, soothing, smoothing, and radiance.
Many of the La Mer products contain high concentrations of silicones. The main function of silicones in skin care is to improve a product’s spreadability while imparting a silky, smooth skin feel. Silicones also help to improve moisture retention in the skin.
Most of the La Mer products — including Crème de la Mer — contain a high concentration of sesame seed oil. This oil is composed of several different fatty acids, but mostly contains oleic acid and linoleic acid.
Oleic acid is an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid that functions as a penetration enhancer by disturbing the skin barrier. Linoleic acid is an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Unfortunately, PUFAs are very unstable and prone to oxidation, which means they easily go rancid and can lead to the generation of free radicals that can damage our cells and lead to signs of aging. So even though La Mer products are claimed to reduce signs of aging, they may actually cause skin aging due to the high concentration of sesame seed oil in these formulations.
You may have noticed when we introduced the top 10 best La Mer skin care products above that all the products contain synthetic fragrance ingredients. The use of synthetic fragrance ingredients can be a problem because the brand can use a proprietary blend of chemicals to create the fragrance, and they do not have to disclose which chemicals they use on the label. They are allowed to list this blend as “Fragrance (Parfum)” on the ingredient list.
A 2018 study by Women’s Voices for the Earth discovered that in over 3,000 chemicals reportedly used for fragrances, 1,242 were chemicals of concern – and that included at least 7 possible carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents. Fragrance ingredients also have the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity.
What is The Best La Mer Cream?
While we weren’t particularly impressed with any of the La Mer cream formulations, we would have to say that out of all of them, Crème de la Mer is the best. The high concentrations of seaweed extract, mineral oil, and petrolatum (aka vaseline) will help to keep your skin moisturized. Although, as you’ll learn below, there’s a good chance you can find a face cream with similar ingredients as Crème de la Mer for a fraction of the cost.
Does Crème de la Mer Really Work?
At $345 for a 2 ounce jar of Crème de la Mer, you’d hope that this La Mer cream would give you flawless skin, right? While the formulation does contain moisturizing ingredients, we don’t think that Crème de la Mer is a miracle skin care product.
And we aren’t the only ones. In an article published on the Daily Mail, cosmetic chemist Will Buchanan examined the ingredients in Crème de la Mer, and he deduced he could create a similar product for about $13 using mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin, and eucalyptus leaf oil.
In 2013, the Daily Mail had a writer use Nivea on one side of her face, and Crème de la Mer on the other for 30 days. Her skin was examined at the beginning and end of the 30 days at a clinic using the Visia, which measures wrinkles, sun damage, redness and pore size. Guess which side had more improvement at the end of the month, in terms of hydration and reduction of redness? The side that had been treated with Nivea.
Where to Buy La Mer Skin Care Products?
La Mer skin care products are sold on the brand’s website, third party ecommerce websites such as Amazon and Sephora, and at select stores and spas. La Mer has a store locator on their website so you can find a store that sells La Mer products near you.
Due to the high cost of the La Mer products, it may be a good idea to avoid third party sellers since there is great incentive for unscrupulous individuals to create counterfeit versions of the products.
What is The La Mer Return Policy?
The La Mer return policy states, “If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase on LaMer.com, you may return the unused portion to us for a refund or exchange. Our Online Experts will be happy to help you find a product to better suit your needs—or refund your purchase price—and we’ll cover the return postage.”
Is La Mer Cruelty Free?
La Mer is not cruelty free. La Mer is owned by Estée Lauder, a company that tests on animals. While Estée Lauder does not conduct animal testing on their products or ingredients, they do test on animals when required to do so by law (such as in China).
La Mer Reviews
La Mer reviews on the brand’s website are mostly very positive. Crème de la Mer has received an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars after more than 4,000 customer reviews.
There are many positive reviews for Crème de la Mer that mention how it does help to moisturize, brighten, and reduce signs of aging. For example, one review says, “I love this La Mer cream. I have used so many other ones but nothing really made an impact in such a short time like this one. Everyone has been saying my face looks glowing. I noticed that it had a positive impact on the wrinkles, too. Definitely recommend it!”
And then there are La Mer reviews from customers who recognize that Crème de la Mer simply isn’t worth the price. For example, one review says, “This has lime extract in it, something way too acidic for a moisturizer. And on top of that it’s SUPER pricey. Honestly there are so many other moisturizers that are so much better and cheaper. I wouldn’t use this if someone gave it to me for free. Just because something is expensive and has a brand name in a foreign language doesn’t mean it’s good.”
Our Verdict
Overall, we don’t recommend La Mer products for many reasons. For instance, the product formulations consist mostly of silicones and synthetic emollients. There’s nothing wrong with these ingredients, they will help to keep your skin soft, but that’s about it. And don’t forget that all La Mer skin care products contain synthetic fragrance ingredients, which aren’t doing your skin any good. We simply don’t believe these products are worth the money.
Pros
- Many positive La Mer reviews
Cons
- Very high cost
- Product formulations mostly consist of silicones and synthetic emollients
- All products contain synthetic fragrance ingredients
What Are Some Alternatives to La Mer Products?
Since we don’t recommend La Mer products, you may be wondering what options you have when it comes to finding high-quality skin care products that work. One brand we recommend is Formulyst because they believe in long-term skin care treatments rather than short-term cover-ups.
For example, their Pro-Collagen Serum is specifically formulated for aging skin that has experienced a loss of collagen. The formula contains a highly concentrated mix of peptides and proteins, derived from seaweed, wheat, and soy, to help tackle signs of aging.
Another brand that balances the power of plants with cutting edge science is Carrot & Stick. Not only is Carrot & Stick good for your skin, it is also good for the environment as the formulas skip harmful chemicals as well as the preservatives, emulsifiers, and thickeners commonly found in skincare products.
References:
2. Women’s Voices for the Earth “Unpacking The Fragrance Industry” 2018
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