Because as much as I love La Mer I don’t love its price tag…
When I first tried La Mer Crème de la Mer I absolutely got the hype; I’ve actually been hoarding the one pot I have (shown above) for years which, yeah, is kinda gross but ask me if I care? I got a bunch of their products at a big celebrity-filled press event they did mannny years ago and was legit ELATED when I opened the gift bag and found the coveted Crème de la Mer, which retails for a whopping $345.
Yeah, it’s a really good moisturizer. In fact, I use it specifically whenever my skin is “acting up” or whenever I feel like pretending that I’m J.Lo who, reportedly, slathers her entire body in La Mer on a daily basis. Must be nice!
Anyway…so, ok, I had heard through the beauty grape vine that there are a few “dupe” products to Crème de la Mer which seemed crazy when I first heard about it. I mean, HOW could they get away with charging $345 for a 2 oz. jar of moisturizer if Nivea is selling the same exact thing for less than $10???
Let’s get into it…
2 Crème de la Mer Inexpensive Dupes
Nivea Creme
Nivea’s Creme moisturizer is BY FAR the closest thing to Crème de la Mer that exists on this earth. (Even down to the fragrance!) Believe me, I didn’t believe it at first either but I compared the ingredient list for both products and they are, indeed, almost identical.
La Mer, of course, has the anti-aging ingredients and acids that they boast, like algae and seaweed alpha hydroxy acid. But when it comes to the rest of the ingredients in Nivea Creme, it’s 100% THE SAME.
Weleda Original Ultra-Rich Cream
I also heard that this super hydrating cream from Weleda is considered the “natural dupe” for Crème de la Mer; and while I do think the consistency is fairly similar (more on that below), the scent definitely throws me off. To be honest, I don’t love the scent but, as always, scent is subjective. And I know a LOT of people who do love this product.
As far as the consistency, it’s slightly thicker than La Mer…more of a balm as opposed to a cream. But as someone with dry skin I am totally down with that.
Similar to the Nivea Creme, Skin Food doesn’t have any of the sea kelp or algae ingredients, but it IS packed with other good-for-your-skin ingredients like beeswax and pansy extract, which is known to help with redness and microcirculation. And, again, this is the “clean” version (no fragrance, colorants, synthetic preservatives, etc.), for anyone who sticks to those parameters when it comes to skincare.
My final thoughts
Like I mentioned earlier, I do think Crème de la Mer is a great moisturizer. But are those La Mer ingredients worth an extra $335? HELL NO.
Once I run out of my six-year old container of Crème de la Mer, I fully plan on using the Nivea Creme WITH an additional seaweed and acid-enhanced serum like OSEA Brightening Serum! (Hint: you should do the same).
SHOP
Pingback: The Only Products You Need From Sephora's Biggest Sale of the Year
I’d like a good cream but not to expensive
Inused to use estee lauder fruition,it was amazing but a bit pricey,i was bummed when they discontinued. But try the korres line on hsn its not expensive and feels great.there a 3 piece set with a body cream,shower gel and an anti aging cream.i use the unscented and love it to death.and with hsn if u dont like it u can return it
If you study the ingredients you will see Jamie has a point. Look if you disagree nexttime maybe be abit more civilised and just shut up about it. No one cares for your opinion if the comment you give a negative. All she’s doing is giving out an option for the people who can’t afford la mer to has the next best thing. So next time please keep your opinion to yourself. You are rude and stuck up and I don’t like you very much. I’m sure I’m not the only one, so goodbye!
Well said! Thank you 🙂
Fantastic!
No they’re not. They don’t come close at all. If your container of La Mer is six years old it’s one disgusting and two no longer effective.
If you can’t afford it there’s no shame in that but don’t lead others to believe there’s a dupe for something because you read about it on 90 other blogs prior to deciding you had zero content and would add the same boring garbage to yours.
Yeah well thanks for your unsolicited “opinion” but I’ve done the research. Who the hell are you? No one.
Miserable or what?
You’re on the wrong blog. You need the mental health section.
Actually they do. Ask the Cream the LaMer rep. Nivea has actually been around longer than LaMer. The difference is the seaweed. I’ve worn LaMer for years and I substitute Nivea for it at times. Mario Badescu is another great dupe(The Seaweed Night Cream.) how long have you used LaMer and Nivea, how long did you try testing them against each other. I did it for quite some time. Stop the dogma. You owe Jamie an apology.
Pingback: 2021 Best-Sellers - Honestly JamieHonestly Jamie
Pingback: Most Popular Blog Posts from 2020 to Present - Honestly JamieHonestly Jamie
Jamie thanks so much for testing these products and for letting us all know. I would love to have the LaMer cream, but that’s not an option right now! You’re the best
do you know of any dupes for the La Mer anti aging serum?