In the beauty world, there are products that have achieved cult status, and then there are products that have entered the stratosphere to become legends. Arguably the world’s most famous face cream is also one of the most expensive – crème de la mer. It’s a firm favorite with celebrities, with fans including Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Kate Moss. Fans say they not only want to apply it on their face, they also want to bathe in it. But what’s the story behind it and is it worth the high price?
The story behind La Mer’s skin care
The story behind the creation of La Mer is also legendary. According to the company, the cream was made about 40 years ago when its founder, German-born aerospace physicist Dr. Max Huber, suffered severe burns in a laboratory explosion while working on a rocket. Determined to heal his burns, he devoted the next 12 years to working with Macrocystis pyrifera, a type of seaweed found in the ocean near his California home. The cream worked so well that it healed his wounds and treated his scars until there was no evidence of the accident. The fermented seaweed was called MiracleBroth and is the basis of the skin care brand La Mer. Huber sold the cream himself and it became word of mouth. After his death in 1991, Estée Lauder bought the brand from Huber’s daughter and turned it into what is now the billion-dollar blockbuster brand.
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Is Max Huber Real?
The La Mer creation story is so juicy that many people have wondered whether it is true or just a very creative branding myth – and many wonder whether Max Huber himself even existed. Elle magazine and The Cut concluded that he was real, and some of the stories that revolve around Huber are just as readable. One story tells of Huber’s sales tactics when he walked around the New York beauty editors to introduce them to the product. To demonstrate how pure the cream was, he ate it and even poked something in his eye. According to some reports, Huber regularly brought some vials of crème de la mer to dinner parties and encouraged guests to eat some. He was apparently a fan of mixing it with applesauce.
What is MiracleBroth?
Crème de la Mer’s MiracleBroth has also reached mythical proportions. It’s the signature ingredient in every LaMer product, and the gold-colored liquid comes from fermented seaweed, which must be picked at the optimal time, depending on both the lunar cycle and the tides. So why seaweed? It is a nutrient-rich plant known to be moisturizing and anti-inflammatory. When applied to skin care products, it is believed to reduce redness and irritation.
According to Estee Lauder, new batches of MiracleBroth are created with a starter drop from a previous batch. This creates a link to Huber’s original batch, just as a sourdough starter can be traced back for years. The seaweed is particularly pampered in the laboratory. Huber would expose the seaweed to certain waves of sound and light, including a recording of the bubbling sound of the previous fermentation. He found that sound and exposure increased the potency of the seaweed, and Estee Lauder continues to use the same practice today.
What does Crème de la Mer do?
Crème de la Mer is considered the holy grail of face creams for many reasons. It’s said to be deeply moisturizing and nourishing, and the company says it visibly plumps up the skin and fills in dry lines while soothing and calming the skin. It is also said to help improve the texture of the skin.
The cream also has its own “application ritual”. Take out a pea-sized amount of the cream and warm it between your fingertips until it becomes transparent. If you skip this step, the cream can feel very sticky and even sticky to the touch. As soon as the cream is warmed up and, according to the company, “releases the benefits of the MiracleBroth”, it should be pressed onto the face and neck.
What does LaMer sell?
Today the La Mer brand has been expanded to include a full range of products for the face and body, as well as eye creams and masks, body lotions and a sun protection line.
The original product, Crème de la Mer Face Cream, is said to be extremely nourishing and promises to transform the skin by improving its texture and radiance. A 0.5 ounce jar costs $ 85 while a 16.5 tub costs $ 2,160.
Other bestsellers include a lip balm ($ 60), The Eye Concentrate ($ 215), and The Treatment Lotion ($ 95), a super-hydrator designed to be used before a serum.
There are also body lotions and a sunscreen line.
What ingredients does the crème de la mer contain?
In addition to the characteristic MiracleBroth, the other main ingredients of the Crème de la Mer include lime tea, mineral oil and oils made from sesame, sunflower and eucalyptus. The creamier version of Crème de La Mer, The Moisturizing Soft Cream, also contains shea butter. The cleaning foam also contains many oils (eucalyptus and sesame) and tourmaline.
Where is Crème de la Mer sold?
Crème de la Mer is sold in department stores such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Sephora.
Does La Mer work?
Crème de la Mer is one of the most famous face creams in the world, and when people talk about it, it’s always bubbly and glowing.
All celebrities also help to preserve the aura and myth surrounding the crème de la mer. Blake Lively once said to Allure, “It’s fancy but it’s the best.” It’s safe to say that the fans don’t just like it, they love it. There are tons of La Mer reviews claiming that skin has improved dramatically after using the Creme de la Mer and supportive products from the brand. On the Neiman Marcus website, reviewers rave, “This is the only product I’ve had dramatic results with” and “Enough said, simply the best …”.
Of course, anything that has achieved cult status is ripe for criticism and a healthy dose of skepticism. The main criticism of Crème de la Mer is that customers seem to expect miracles that no product can deliver. Allure magazine recommends the best for mature skin as younger users may find it too rich.
One of the main criticisms directed against the product has to do with its ingredients. The first ingredient is seaweed extract, and the second ingredient in Crème de la Mer (and remember, the ingredients are listed in descending order) is mineral oil, and the third ingredient is petrolatum (basically petroleum jelly or petroleum jelly).
In 2010, The Daily Mail asked a cosmetic chemist to study the ingredients in the crème de la mer, and he concluded that he could make a similar product using mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin, and eucalyptus leaf oil for about $ 13.
In 2013, the Daily Mail had a writer use Nivea on the side of her face and crème de la mer on the other side for 30 days. Her skin was examined at the beginning and end of the 30 days in a clinic with the Visia, which measures wrinkles, sun damage, redness and pore sizes. Guess which side had more improvements in hydration and redness reduction at the end of the month? The side that had been treated with Nivea.
The Babe & Beauty blog, written by esthetician Dana Murray, also takes a deep dive into crème de la mer, as the author says she gets asked about it a lot by her clients. What is your attitude towards this? She believes it’s comedogenic, which means it can clog pores and cause breakouts. The waxy ingredients of the cream, namely petroleum, mineral oil and paraffin wax, act as a skin barrier – they are not absorbed by the skin, but sit on it.
But as with any product, what works for one person may not work for another – but for many people, crème de la mer is more than just a face cream. It’s also a powerful status symbol. It’s the cosmetic equivalent of a Birkin bag or a Hermes watch, and for some people that’s a huge win.
What are alternatives to the crème de la mer?
The big price of creme de la mer isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of other products out there that can help increase skin hydration and improve texture. Consider Formulyst, whose philosophy is long-term, effective skin care.
One of the most effective ingredients is hyaluronic acid in keeping the skin looking plump, hydrated and moist. It occurs naturally in the body (including the eyeballs and skin) and can absorb 1000 times its weight in water. Formulyst Super Hyaluronic Water Moisturize is an oil-free formula filled with different types of hyaluronic acid that acts as a moisture magnet by drawing water onto the skin.
For even more hydration, try Formulyst Intense Hydrating Serum. Think of it as a long, cool drink of water for your face. The light serum sinks into the skin and is loaded with beneficial ingredients like antioxidants and moisture magnets like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. To improve skin texture, try Formulyst Retexturing and Perfecting Serum, which contains gentle yet potent alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) to gently dissolve dead skin cells and leave fresher, smoother looking skin.
If you like the idea of a skin care kit, consider Advanced Dermatology. The Advanced Dermatology line has everything you need to fight the signs of aging. The system can help lessen the appearance of wrinkles, reduce dark spots and hyperpigmentation. The regimen also minimizes redness, evens out skin tone, and improves the appearance of bags under eyes and dark circles. The kit contains a cleanser, serum, anti-wrinkle treatment, moisturizer, day cream and eye cream – in other words, everything you need for glowing, beautiful and healthy skin.
There is no need to compromise when looking for an effective and safe skin care product. Carrot & whip takes a tough love approach to skin care and perfectly balances the power of plants with cutting edge science. In addition to being good for your skin, Carrot & Stick is good for the environment as the formulas skip harmful chemicals as well as the preservatives, emulsifiers, and thickeners common in skin care products.
