When I think of legendary skincare products, I can’t help but go straight to La Mer Moisturising Cream. The product is perhaps the best known face cream to ever exist, and it dates back to the 1960s, making it a historic one too.
My first memory of the cream is from 2015, when I was an intern at a well-known newspaper and was asked to call a sample in to review. It was my first beauty sample that I got to take home and keep – it that always stuck with me. Over the years, I’ve always returned to it for varying reasons; here’s why I think it’s worth the hype (and the money).
La Mer has one of those famed beauty histories that centres around creator Max Huber, who developed the cream after experiencing burns on his face from a lab explosion (for context, he was an aerospace physicist). Huber used sea kelp from San Diego to form the product’s famed ‘miracle broth’. It did however take him an incredible 12 years to create the cream we have come to know and love.
The company was later sold to Estée Lauder in the ’90s, and continued to grow in popularity, gaining celebrity fans such as Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman. As well as its key ingredient (the aforementioned miracle broth), the formula also contains vitamin E, glycerin and sesame seed oil. Its benefits include deep nourishment, protection of the moisture barrier, the ability to firm and lift, and its healing properties.
(Image credit: Rebecca Fearn)
The original Moisturising Cream is known for its ultra-rich texture, which can feel a little heavy when you first experience it. However, there’s a knack here and application is key. Instead of putting it straight on, you need to warm the product within your fingers, which in turn transforms it into more of a clear, spreadable lotion.
This is a product more suited to dry skin types, though. For those with oily-combination skin, this may feel a little intense or even greasy. That said, I tend to sit on the oilier side, and always have a pot of this on my shelf. That’s because I truly vouch for its healing properties, which come in so handy whenever I experience sensitivity or dryness. While most creams irritate my skin further when I go through these periods, La Mer actively soothes, calms and moisturises.
(Image credit: Rebecca Fearn)
Take for example my recent retinol purge; my skin needed an occlusive moisturiser to re-invigorate my moisture barrier, while also tending to the flaky, sore areas. This was one of the only things that did the trick, and hence why I will always be loyal to it.
For those who love to glow, the cream can definitely work all-over, however. Because of its texture, it makes skin look gorgeously plumped and hydrated, making it perfect for priming before make-up.
If you do however find it to be a little heavy, there are a number of other iterations in La Mer’s range worth trying. I love the Soft Cream, which has a lighter texture but still feels comforting, as well as the Fresh Cream, which is specifically designed for oilier skin and is more like a traditional gel moisturiser. Whichever you choose, I think this is a brand that has luxury skincare down (and is worth the investment).
Also something to think about is that La Mer offer small travel friendly 15ml pots of all of its creams. This makes a more affordable way to try the cream without investing too much. And right now, as it’s Cyber Weekend, you can pick up one of those smaller tubs for £63.75 at Space NK.
La Mer The Moisturising Soft Cream
La Mer The Moisturising Fresh Cream