Bargain dupe for $665 La Mer’s Crème de la Mer
Beauty lovers are in a frenzy over this fantastic budget find with claims the hydrating moisturiser is a dupe for La Mer’s luxe face cream loved by celebs.
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There are some beauty products so coveted and extolled, they take on mythical proportions. This can certainly be said of La Mer’s Crème de la Mer. The iconic hydrating moisturiser has a glittering A-list following and boasts endless five-star reviews.
However, with each little white pot costing between $125 (for a teeny 15mls) and $665 (for 100mls), many of us watching our bank accounts will never know it’s skin-changing powers.
Enter the solution: Weleda Skin Food. This nourishing and quenching moisturiser is lauded by beauty devotees as a brilliant dupe for La Mer and it lives up to its towering hype.
SHOP NOW:
La Mer Moisturising Cream 30mL, $242
Weleda Skin Food (75mls), $24.95
At $14.95 for 30mls, it can be officially filed under B for Bargain, and as someone who tried it last year after acne medication caused my skin to dry up like a raisin, I can attest it’s a hydrating moisturiser to rival the fancy stuff.
Don’t just take my word for it, Skin Food has won over faces across the globe, with one tube sold every 16 seconds and celebrity devotees such as Victoria Beckham, Adele and Julia Roberts.
Skin Food’s appeal? Its formula that’s, well, like nourishing food for your skin, funnily enough. “It’s 100 per cent NATURE certified natural and organic formula contains quality fair trade and ethically sourced ingredients,” Weleda Australia’s marketing manager, Charmaine Pichler, tells news.com.au.
“It was originally developed as a therapeutic basic skin care product to relieve dry, rough skin. The formula contains a blend of plant-derived oils, lanolin and beeswax with a powerful combination of pansy, camomile and calendula – all ingredients that have traditionally been used to help regenerate, soothe and nourish the skin.”
For more hydrating picks that cover all budgets from $12.90 to $270, see our lineup of the best nourishing moisturisers to slather your face in.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA, $12.90
The Ordinary is loved for their range of high-quality, yet affordable beauty products. This savey moisturiser is packed with hylauronic acid and glycerin to keep dry patches at bay.
The Inkey List Snow Mushroom Moisturiser, $16
The latest buzzy ingredient to hit the skincare scene, the hero product in this moisturiser, tremella fuciformis (AKA snow mushroom) works to draw moisture into the skin for a plump and radiant complexion. It’s also fragrance, paraben and sulphate free, making this a great choice for those with sensitive skins.
Bioderma Cicabio Pommade Repairing Ointment, $17.99
Super thirsty and damaged faces can look to this soothing ointment from French skincare brand, Bioderma. Whether you’re suffering from dermatitis, excema, cracks or burns, the rich formula works to soothe and protect the skin from further irritants while the hit of zinc helps fight bacteria.
Lanolips Face Base Vitamin E Day Cream, $26
Aussie brand, Lanolips has built up a cult following for their nourishing lip balms and their foreray into skincare is as worthy of the hype. This Vitamin E and lanolin-enriched cream can be used day and night to seal in moisture and hydration and is fantastic as a makeup primer.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturiser for Face SPF 15, $40
Think of this as Elizabeth Arden’s iconic Eight Hour Cream but as a facial moisturiser. It’s still got the super sumptuous, nourishing texture that catapulted the original ointment to fame and it also comes with added SPF benefits to protect your face against damaging UVA and UVB rays.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, $51
Another product that’s adored by dry skin sufferers, Kiehl’s lightweight Ultra Facial Cream is packed full of skin-loving ingredients like glycerin and olive-derived squalene. In fact, the product is so well-loved it’s scored an average 4.8 stars out of 2135 reviews.
Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance, $63
Healthy skin starts with a strong skin barrier - AKA the thing that ensures your skin holds onto hydration and doesn’t dry out - and this hardworking moisturiser from Dermalogica works to repair skin that’s been damaged by air-conditioning, pollution and dehydration from lifestyle factors. It uses fancy ingredients like chlorella algae, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and echinacea to rejuvenate skin and is also vegan-friendly and free from parabens, artificial fragrances, colours and mineral oil.
Clinique Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, $85
Formulated for long-lasting hydration, this plumping gel cream is boosted with ‘Auto-Replenishing Technology’ to supercharge your skin’s own hydrating ability. Plus, it feels super refreshing on the face and sinks in instantly.
Paula’s Choice Resist Skin Restoring Moisturiser SPF 50, $86.55
A wonderfully multi-tasking product that combines a sumptuous moisturiser with a Broad Spectrum SPF 50, you can rest easy knowing your face is protected from the sun. Because even though it’s winter you should absolutely still be using a SPF to fight against cancer-causing rays but you knew that already, right?
Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel, $95
If you’ve previously nixed moisturisers because you didn’t like the heavy, tacky feeling that can come with some rich creams, this water gel is for you. As an oil-free texture, it’s great for acne-prone and oily skins and uses a blend of B vitamins, peptides and minerals to keep things looking glowing and radiant.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF 30, $174.00
You’ve probably heard of the wonders of collagen as a key factor in what gives skin its firmness, glow and elasticity but unfortunately it’s another thing our skin loses as we get older. Luckily, the magic ingredient can be used in skincare to restore firmness, hydration and improve tone.
SkinCeuticals Face Cream, $270
Yes, the price tag is steep but according to rave reviews it’s well worth the pricetag. The active ingredients (soy, vitamin E, silymarin) in this lightweight cream fights visible signs of aging and moisture loss for a face that looks firmer and rejuvenated. According to one enthusiastic reviewer, she said the results were well worth the investment. “I have been using this product for about a year and love it so much. The price point is high, but totally worth it. Noticable difference in the elasticity of my skin as well as moisturisation of my skin,” she wrote.
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