Anti-Haul: La Mer

The concept of doing an anti-haul has been floating around my head for a little while. Basically, the idea is that you identify a product that you aren’t going to buy and explain the reasons why. My favorites are still by Kimberly Clark on YouTube because they are so thoughtful and funny. It’s a really refreshing alternative to YouTubers who LOVE everything and need you to RUN out and buy it. Some of those cases are obvious sponsorship, while others are probably just presented without any critical thought about the message that they are conveying. Because I’m a student, I try to think carefully about my purchases. That’s not to say that I’m the best with money, because I’m definitely not, but I prefer to invest any extra dollars into high quality products that I will enjoy versus just what’s popular.

I was wandering through Nordstrom in the Eaton Center recently and decided to see what was new in the cosmetics section. I browsed the aisles and came across a gleaming La Mer counter topped with little white jars. I was familiar with the brand only because it’s often touted as a celebrity favorite – and because it is ultra-expensive. I spoke to the woman at the counter briefly, and she was keen to tell me all about the brand’s cornerstone ingredient, called “miracle broth”, which is made of a rare algae. Curious, I asked for a sample of The Moisturizing Soft Cream. Nordstrom, in my experience, is great for testing out products because they are generous with samples if you show interest.

It’s hard not to treat something so expensive ($215 CAD for 1 oz.) with a little bit of reverence, despite the fact that I was a little skeptical of what exactly it would do for me. I applied a small dab to my entire face after cleansing, avoiding the eye area, as instructed by the woman at the counter. The smell reminded me of Nivea cream – nice but nothing special. It felt great on my face, albeit a little greasy, and I woke up in the morning with very soft skin. I decided to take a closer look at the ingredients to see what was so special about them.

To my surprise… nothing really. In fact, the third ingredient (by descending order of quantity) as listed on Beautypedia is petrolatum (petroleum jelly), a cheap byproduct of the oil and gas industry. For some reason, La Mer does not list all of the cream’s ingredients on their own site. It’s an ingredient that I usually avoid because it can be contaminated with toxins, and there are so many natural alternatives. It works to help heal skin purely because it barrier forming, not because it has any moisturizing properties. There are some interesting ingredients, like the famous algae extract, but nothing you couldn’t find in a less expensive product.

A lot of people seem to swear by this stuff, but I think it might be due to a placebo effect. I mean, if I were to purchase a face cream that starts at $200+, I’d want to believe that it was a miracle too. Personally I would rather invest my money in natural ingredients that work to nourish the skin, rather than just sit on top of it. That being said, a little goes a long way, and I will use up the rest of my little sample, if only so I can pretend to be Blake Lively while doing so.