Creme De La Mer Dupe At The Drugstore

You've heard every celebrity in the world touting Crème De La Mer as the best moisturizer in the world.  They proclaim they would trade their first born child for a tub of it.  But did you know there's a cheaper dupe at the drugstore?  And by cheap I mean it costs $0.99 for 1 oz. here vs $155 for 1 oz. here. 



Here's the ingredients list breakdown so you can see for yourself:

Crème De La Mer Ingredients:
Seaweed (Algae) Extract, Mineral oil, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Extract, Microcrystalline Wax, Lanolin Alcohol, Sesame Seed Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Magnesium Sulfate, Sesame Seed, Medicago sativa (alfalfa) seed powder, Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seedcake, Prunus amygdulus dulcis (sweet almond) seed meal, Sodium Gluconate, Potassium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, Paraffin, Tocopheryl succinate, Niacin, Beta-carotene, Decyl oleate, Aluminium Stearate, Octyldodecanol, Citric acid, Cyanocobalamin, Magnesium stearate, Panthenol, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Benzyl salicylate, Citral, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Alcohol Denat., Fragrance (Parfum).

Nivea Crème Ingredients:
Water, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Microcrystalline Wax, Lanolin Alcohol, Paraffin, Panthenol, Magnesium Sulfate, Decyl Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Aluminum Stearate, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

If you take half of Crème De La Mer's ingredients away you will notice they are the same base (I've highlighted the ingredients both moisturizers share in red).

And you want to know something else?  The first ingredient Crème De La Mer discloses is Seaweed (Algae) Extract which has been something they've always touted when marketing the product.  Their claims are that Dr. Huber (the original creator) "hand-harvested and fermented kelp gently with simple, pure ingredients, infusing them with light and sound until they became the Miracle Broth^™, soul of the cream that renewed and helped restore his skin". 

Marketing genius!  Sounds like this cream is well worth the $155 price tag...but according to the Sage Skincare website Algae Extract has a comedogenic (causes breakouts) rating of 5 on a scale 1-5, the latter number being the worst, and an irritant rating of 4 using the same scale.  Ingredients listed on product labels are shown in order of strength in the package so the ingredient listed first makes up most of the product while the ingredient listed last has the least amount. 

So if you can overlook the first ingredient and survive without your skin breaking out then you have to ask yourself if the Lime Extract, Sesame Seed Oil, Eucalyptis Oil, and a handful of other "filler" ingredients warrants justifying paying $154 more when you can get the same basic formula from the drugstore for less than a buck.

If you are interested in looking up more ingredients from the products above or would like to check the ingredient lists of your own cosmetics and skincare products please visit here.  I have a printed copy of the list and refer to it often.  I swear this has helped keep my skin clear for years!