3 hours ago
1
Crème de la Mer is a cult-favorite cream that helps heal dryness and soothe redness and irritation. However, La Mer comes at a sky-high cost — nearly $400 for two ounces. Since most people can’t part with that kind of money in this day and age, especially for a single beauty product, we searched and found 11 alternatives that are way more budget friendly.
Our selection of dupes, like the original Crème de la Mer, are focused around algae, kelp, seaweed and other sourced-from-the-sea ingredients. They are also full of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that help boost your skin’s appearance and hydration. What’s more, they won’t cost an arm and a leg.
What is La Mer Crème de la Mer?
After 12 years of research and 6,000 experiments, aerospace physicist Dr. Max Huber created La Mer’s famous Crème de la Mer to treat his burn wounds. Dr. Huber used a fermentation process to transform sea kelp and other natural ingredients into something the brand refers to as “Miracle Broth” — a cell-renewing elixir that is the center of La Mer’s products.
La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream
Image: La MerFor people prone to dryness, La Mer’s thick, extremely rich consistency can feel wonderful against your skin. It’s so thick, in fact, that before you apply it, you first need to warm the cold cream up on your fingertips and then press it to your face, neck and décolletage. In addition to the Miracle Broth, La Mer contains glycerin, sesame seed oil, petroleum jelly and mineral oil — all of which are helpful for the skin (though it should be noted that these are not pricey ingredients).
La Mer certainly has legions of fans — the brand reports one jar is sold around the world every 36 seconds — as well as detractors who say the cream isn’t worth nearly as much as the parent company (Estee Lauder) charges for it. That’s where alternatives like the ones below come in.
Price: $390 at Nordstrom
The 11 Best La Mer Crème de la Mer Dupes
MARA SeaDream Firming Algae Crème Moisturizer with Sea Moss + Peptides
Image: SephoraMARA is all about the sea — their entire line of skincare is algae-infused. Their SeaDream Algae Crème works overnight to boost your skin’s elasticity and help reduce fine lines and imperfections thanks to its combination of plant peptides, rainbow algae, sea moss and vegan stem cells.
The lovely, rich cream sinks into your skin, but the moisture — and the cream’s accompanying benefits — last all night long.
If this is the Crème de la Mer dupe for you, make sure you’re logged into your RetailMeNot account before buying. That way you can earn 2% cash back on your purchase and any time you shop at Sephora.
Price: $64 at Sephora
Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream
Image: UltaYou’ll find bladderwrack (a form of seaweed), along with marine collagen and hyaluronic in this bouncy cream. It’s oil-free too, making it a nice choice for those with oily-prone skin. The product is also a good match to layer over your favorite serum for a custom-made night treatment.
Plus, you can earn 4% cash back on your purchase with a RetailMeNot account.
Price: $22 at Ulta
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
Image: SephoraTatcha’s The Dewy Skin Cream does a bang-up job providing plenty of hydration with the help of ingredients including hyaluronic acid, squalane, antioxidant-rich red algae and Japanese purple rice.
Considering the name, it’s no surprise this moisturizer leaves skin looking plump and refreshed, and the gorgeous container will look amazing on your bathroom shelf.
Price: $72 at Sephora
Purito Seoul Hydro Wave Deep Sea Cream
Image: AmazonK-beauty brand Purito Seoul offers skin aficionados their Hydro Wave Deep Seam Cream, an elegantly-formulated product that blends in instantly and gives your skin a dewy, refreshed finish. It’s made with deep sea water, marine complex and sodium hyaluronate, making hydration the name of the game here.
It’s ideal for day use, either on its own or under makeup, because it’s so lightweight, fast-absorbing, non-sticky and leaves you looking glowy. Plus, this lotion is fragrance-free, so it won’t get in the way of any other scented products you use.
Price: $16.45 at Amazon
Sunday Riley Ice Ceramide Moisturizing Cream
Image: UltaSunday Riley’s Ice Ceramide Moisturizing Cream is a high-quality, hydrating skincare product with a focus on barrier support and skin plumping. If you’re looking for something that helps with dryness, sensitive skin and fine lines while also having a luxurious feel, then here it is.
It contains red algae, which works to rejuvenate the skin, and is enriched with ceramides that help to strengthen, retain moisture and protect from environmental stressors.
Price: $65 at Ulta
OSEA Dream Night Cream
Image: UltaOsea is a clean beauty brand backed by a simple, holistic philosophy that the ocean should be a part of everyone’s life. They create products without artificial colors, dyes or synthetic ingredients — every jar is a product of nature.
Their luxe, creamy Dream Night Cream is a retinol alternative made from microalgae that helps keep your skin looking refreshed, youthful and healthy, but is gentler on your skin than retinol is. Other impactful ingredients include shea butter, collagen, macadamia oil, lavender and rice bran.
Price: $68 at Ulta
Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched
Image: Macy’sIncredibly, the Japanese beauty brand Shiseido has been in operation for more than 150 years, with generations upon generations making their high-quality, luxurious products a part of their skincare regime.
The brand’s Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Enriched is a night cream that contains a blend of green, brown and red algae plus chlorella (another algae), all of which work together help to heal and support the skin. It also has niacinamide, aka vitamin B3, to soften and hydrate.
Before you buy, be sure to add this Macy’s promo code to get 25% off your purchase. Plus, if you have a RetailMeNot account, you can get 8% cash back on your purchase.
Price: $102 at Macy’s
Josie Maran Pink Algae Pro-Retinol Anti-Aging Moisturizer
Image: SephoraClean beauty icon Josie Marin offers this pretty pink moisturizer, which contains lab-grown pink algae-derived retinol. Retinol is a scientifically-backed ingredient that can help reduce blemishes, fine lines, dark spots and imperfections. It also increases collagen production. It’s important to know if you use retinol, you must be consistent with sunscreen every day, as it can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun.
This moisturizer also includes rich oils like argan, safflower, sunflower, watermelon, and olive, as well as shea butter and aloe to improve your skin’s tone and texture. Use this as a night treatment to wake up to healthy-looking skin.
Price: $54 at Sephora
dearcloud New/Youth Collagen Cream Moisturizer
Image: UltaBudget-friendly, AAPI-founded brand dearcloud has their New/Youth Collagen Cream, which supports your skin with its blend of collagen, algae and niacinamide. Other excellent ingredients include glycerin and fruit extracts.
The packaging is so cute, too, though do know that some users have reported wonkiness with the pump as the product starts to run down.
Price: $20 at Ulta
Albion Garden INFINESSE Pump Matrix Lotion
Image: Albion GardenThis is an essence, not a cream, but hear us out: J-beauty brand Albion Garden has crafted a cosmetically elegant facial treatment made with peptides, seaweed, Japanese white birch and rosemary leaf to hydrate and firm skin, reduce unevenness and large pores, and make your skin look bouncy and refreshed. This light-as-a-feather treatment is perfect for layering under your favorite rich facial cream, like the iconic, blue-jarred Nivea below.
Price: $70 at Albion Garden
Nivea Creme
Image: AmazonSearch for La Mer dupes and you’re going to see Nivea’s name mentioned again and again, even though there’s nary a hint of the sea in Nivea’s ingredient list. So what’s up with the comparison? It’s all about the similarity in the consistency between the two creams. Nivea has that thick, creamy, soothing feel similar to La Mer, and that’s led to the brand’s popularity and longevity (the first NIVEA Creme came out in 1911).
Pair Nivea with your preferred serum that targets your specific skin concern, be that fine lines, hyperpigmentation, breakouts, etc., and make this the last step in your regimen before bed for hours of moisture.
NIVEA is versatile. You can also apply a thicker layer for a hydrating mask, use it to wipe off makeup and the cream also works wonderfully for your whole body, including on rough heels and elbows. And at this price, you don’t have to use it sparingly like La Mer, so go ahead and apply it from head to toe.
Price: $11.80 at Amazon
The post 11 Budget-Conscious Alternatives to La Mer’s $390 Crème de la Mer appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
