La Mer Creme de la Mer The Moisturizing Creme

I'm sorry but I'm just not a fan of this. Ive tried this several times over my career in the beauty industry and I have just never liked it. The cream is very heavy and thick, often times needing a demo to show how to properly use the product (which most people don't know or do).

I have never really noticed any changes or amazing results with my skin either. Personally, in my opinion I think its an over hyped product.

I really contribute this to being the saviour of my skin woes..It is now HG status for me!

I have had dehydrated, clog prone and generally just nightmare skin for as long as I can remember (28 now) ..... I use retinol 3 times a week and this morning and night inbetween. I know people claim it is bogus and nivea works just as well, but iI have tried SO MANY moisturisers, serums , etc and nothing has given me results like this. I don't need to know why it works, I'm just absolutely relieved and over the moon to have found something that works for my complexion. It is even toned, plump, smooth and no longer a constant thing I obsess over.

It is pricey but I have paid just as much if not more for a lot more 'sciencey' products, anyways a lot of skincare now is big bucks. I use a tiny amount of this after I tone (with pixi rose glow toner) and then warm this between my fingers and press into skin.

I just love it.

Two words. Overpriced & under-performing.

Firstly: My mother purchased this product for us to use together. Her skin type is: Very dry skin, mature.
We used it over a span of 7-8 months with repurchases when finished (we were hopeful)
We BOTH use LACTIC ACID, RETINOLS & CHEMICAL PEELS (so we need constant skin barrier repair!)

So what was our experience with this? Long story short: It's just a regular moisturiser. Meh.

**CLAIMS: Gives a glow, moisturises and soothes. Sales rep said this was ANTI-AGEING, WRINKLE KILLING, LIFTING.

**RESULTS: Absolutely NO glow or radiance, moisturised yes because it contains so many oils (sweet almond, sesame) & cleansed petrol (mineral oil, petrolatum, etc). NO anti-ageing results including lifting, firming, etc

**INGREDIENTS: you're basically paying for the algae extract. because the rest of the ingredients list can be duped by much cheaper brands like Origins (also an Estee Lauder brand).

But guess what? Algae extract itself isn't an effective anti-aging, glow giving ingredient, but components like ASTAXANTHIN are.
SADLY you need to isolate this component from the algae itself and THEN add it to the product to see anti-ageing/glow results.

You're only paying for the name & marketing, this is overpriced for what it's offering.

**IF you're looking into LUXURY skincare I recommend Sulwhasoo or SK-II. They are actually immensely effective for all skin types & have above-excellent products for skin barrier repair**

This product is crazy expensive, I hoped it would help my break out prone skin but it actually caused some congestion. I then investigated how to apply it and now I apply a teeny tiny dash of creme to avoid break outs. I do like the smell and the packaging of the product but I found the consistancy to be really thick (even when you warm it between your fingertips). I think this is a dream for people with dry skin and do definately see why people would splurge on this, however this is not for people with really oily skin.

I purchased this facial moisturizer in the 1 ounce tub for around $200 at Neiman Marcus. Needless to say after three days, it was sent back immediately.

First of all, I HATE it. Everything about it. I hate the label (very outdated), the packaging (a TUB) and most of all, the horrible acne it gave me.
It was much like putting an oil slick on my face. I have combination skin, usually dry on my cheeks, lips and forehead with an oily T zone. My entire face was full of painful acne. All of my pores were completely clogged. I travel to many different climates and I hated it everywhere.

It smelled awful like seaweed and made me look like I was constantly sweating. Forget putting foundation on top of this. In no way, shape or form is the price justified. I say, skip the fancy name and try something much more effective. The only "results" I experienced weren't classified as a miracle or the fountain of youth. Unless you wish for teenage acne.

Horrible texture and horrible result after using 2 weeks. First day broke out. Until the last day.
My skin covered with all adult acne and pimple and feel really healthy and too thick!!
Ingredients is mineral or and vaseline ingredients???
I returned it.
But my skin wont be the same before I use this.
I hate this cream.
I'm going back to Sisley.
Bye La mer

I love this stuff and and use this retin a .1 and lactic acid peels and my skin looks fab

I have high standards and I am skeptical generally when it comes to products. Sometimes a product will shock me and will work without knowing why. Then I will make it my mission to find out why. This cream is expensive. It is also very thick. I find myself trying out other cremes because of the price and and general curious nature but always end up back at this one. The last time I did after a few months, my skin dropped 10 years in a couple weeks. I have tried everything from Sisley rich cream to the Nivea that is supposed to be a dupe for this. So the mission to find out why this works had me sharpening my reasoning skills. Online there are numerous reviews that specify the unimpressive ingredient list. Algae is not hard to come by in skincare after all. But do identical ingredient lists make identical products? No, the quality of the ingredients, fermentation process etc can vary greatly as it does with this product. The process was the "mystical secret" (eye roll at the marketing story) but there is something special about both the specific type of algae and the process which actually employs light and sound. Although it is not understood why that works, it does. Samples not created the same way by Huber and Estee Lauder did not produce equal effectiveness. At any rate, I do not think the high price and exclusivity factor are warranted but it does work wonders for me that have not been surpassed so I am going to keep using it. I am also a fan of the soft cream for day as my skin is combination. I am a Retin A user though so the full on cream is A+ For overnight. Personally, the cream actually works better with my Retin A. This cream is not for all skins. It works for some people and not for others. Skin type, genetics, climate, hormones, age etc can all be factors. The transformation in my skin is real though. If your skin does well with this product, just try going a couple of months without it and pick it up again. Take some before and after pics.

I'm not too sure what the SA at Sephora was thinking of when she handed me a sample of this...

Firstly the hilarious theatrics - she put a tiny dab of this on the back of my hand with a spatula and twirled her other hand in the air whilst exclaiming "miraculous, truly miraculous!". I looked really closely at my hand, almost as if waiting for something magical to appear such as a beanstalk sprouting out of it (so I could climb up and get as far away from this woman as I could!). Of course nothing happened, the area where it had been dabbed on was more moisturized than the untreated area, but I could have achieved that with literally any moisturizer. Unconvinced, I mentioned it would take at least a few days of usage to notice a real difference, and with possibly one of la Mer's other, more lightweight formulations, such as the gel-creme, but the SA was adamant that this was the right choice for me (I'm an oily, sensitive and sometimes acne prone skin type!).
I ended up with a tiny pot that was good for maybe 5 applications and decided to give it a try at home...after all there had to be some reason she insisted this was the right choice for me...right?

Wrong! Just as I expected from a product that lists 'mineral oil' so high up in the ingredients list, and a potentially irritating 'Eucalyptus Oil' on the list too, I broke out literally on day 2. The only positive was that it did slightly clear up a dry patch on my right cheek but to be fair I could have achieved that with anything on my dressing table. It sat like an oily film for hours on my face and its a testament to my patience how I didn't grab the nearest washcloth to remove it with!
Gave this to my mum to try (dry/normal skin type) seeing as I still had a bit left in the pot and her feedback was merely an "it's ok, nothing special".

I started looking at reviews online to see if I was the only one to react badly (I'm not) and came across something note-worthy: A UK cosmetic chemist once sourced all the ingredients used in a 3.4oz Creme de La Mer pot (which retails for $490 USD), and calculated the cost at a worst-case scenario seeing as he was guesstimating the level of each ingredient in there. Guess how much it cost him? Are you ready?


…$12.87 USD!!!

Now don't get me wrong I do like some of La Mer's products (lip balm and hand treatment) and more than happy to spend on good products when need be, but that kind of mark-up just doesn't sit right with me. Every business has its overheads, advertising costs, staff wages etc etc but how can charging 38 times the manufacture cost of the product be justified?

(P.s If you type in 'La Mer production cost' in Google search you can read the article for yourself. Exchange rate I based on todays rate of 1 GBP = 1.32 USD)

if you have dry skin or suffer from dehydration by all means give it a try. From an ingredients perspective however there is nothing 'advanced' about this formulation. Antioxidants? Yes, but don't expect the jar packaging to keep them stable, despite the addition of 'Methylchloroisothiazolinone' (not going to attempt to pronounce that one), also known as Kathon CG, normally found in rinse-off products, not ones that are absorbed by the skin.

Selena x



~ My HG list ~

(I've sampled 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, as I love trying out new stuff all the time - usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora. Thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective)


1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Hair Oil
2. Lip Balm: Jack Black - Intense Therapy
3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Facial Treatment Serum
4. Cleanser: 'Aveda' - Purifying Gel Cleanser
5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ - Studio Finish Concealer
6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Divinelash
7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ - Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
8. Face Scrub: ‘Sisley' - Botanical Gentle Buffing Cream
9. Moisturizer: ‘Antipodes' - Rejoice Light Day Cream
10. Hand Cream: 'Origins' - Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

I don't think people are reviewing the right product. This stuff does not have a 3 digit price tag. It has a FOUR DIGIT PRICE TAG ($2,200 A JAR).

I was skeptical, but this stuff truly is a MIRACLE CREAM. I am acne prone, but have no acne thanks to my medications. Dryness, gone. It made my skin buttery soft, like velvet. Redness, gone. My face looks like it is in constant candle light. It's TIGHTER & FIRMER, & at my age I'm already tight & firm. Didn't break me out. Healed a small cut I had over my eye in just 2 days! My foundation that used to pick up dry patches goes on like silk, there are no dry patches. My skin is paler because it's so much more calm & soothed. I don't know if it's the algae or what - but the hype is real.

If you don't want to buy it, maybe do what I did. I bought a bunch of clothes from Neiman's, then asked the sale girl for a sample. After seeing how much I spent in the store, she opened a jar & gave me a sample. Remarkable stuff. I WILL go back & buy this, I don't care what the cost. I will store it in my freezer like they say to do, & it will last me a couple of years, you only need a dab! Incredible...just WOW.