Is it worth spending $680 on a skin cream?

 

Every now and again someone will ask me if ‘that cream from La Prairie’ is worth the $680 price tag.   Why they ask me I don’t know because as I am sure regular readers will be aware,  I will not be gift wrapping up an easy answer to ANY question any time soon.  Leave that to the other guys…..

La Prairie is probably one of the best known ‘out of my price bracket’ brands because it’s products are ridiculously expensive.  I actually had no idea what this product contained until now but could have rattled off the price tag without a second thought. La Prairie costs an arm and a leg, everybody knows that and that is  all part of its allure, for some and you know what?  I’m cool with that.

I feel it is important to remember that beneath the fancy packaging and branding is a cosmetic  and as such it can’t do much more than deliver a few good ingredients to the skin in a bid to make it look ‘better’.  However, put this cosmetic cream together with some fancy tactile packaging, slick advertising, persuasive writing and exclusive positioning and you now have a drug on your hands.  A drug called success.

I haven’t tried this cream so can’t comment on how it feels, looks, smells or performs but I’d want it to be blooming marvellous for that price tag, I mean I can get botox for less….

Ingredients wise it contains this little lot of natural and synthetic chemicals to delight and “perfect” you:

Water, Butylene Glycol, C12-20 Acid PEG-8 Ester, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Myristyl Myristate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mica, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tribehenin, Carbomer, Alcohol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycoproteins, Hesperidin, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ceramide 2, Carnosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, PEG-8, Lactic Acid, Poloxamer 188, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Tocopherol, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Hematite Extract, Malachite Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Polysorbate 80, Platinum Powder, Silver Oxide, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Evernia Furfuracea (Treemoss) Extract, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

I’m not going to go through the list and tell you what everything does as that isn’t the point of this article but what I will say is that there are a lot of actives here (in pink) all with different functions but some of which have been proven (on some level) to improve cellular communication, reduce puffiness, improve skin tone and even out fine lines and wrinkles.  This would be an expensive formula to manufacture in that regard.

As far as results go the base ingredients do look like they would make a light and cosmetically pleasing emulsion that had a reasonable chance of delivering at least some of the actives used here. To really know I’d have to look at their efficacy data and give it a go.

But is all of that really important?

I don’t think so.

Yes the cream has to feel good,  contain some exotic actives that have data to back up their exorbitant claims and be made in a clean and smart way but people buying this cream don’t REALLY care too much about the science stuff, they just want to look successful and this cream delivers that in spades!

So my verdict?

If you have the money, want it and believe in it then go for it, you will not be disappointed.

If you have the money but only want it because you feel like you HAVE to have it to keep up appearances then don’t buy it, it won’t work.

If you don’t have the money but want people to think you do then ask yourself this, what are you trying to achieve?  Why does what these other people think matter?

If you don’t have the money but think it would be nice to try it then either a) become a cleaner for a really, really rich person or b)  dress up in your poshest clothes and try to get your hands on a department store sample.

Real beauty can’t be bought but expensive products can.

That’s what I think.