I am not making this up.
There has been a race, by the major cosmetics companies, to bring the most expensive moisturizer to market.
It seems Cle de Peau may have taken the title. This summer they launch a version of their famous La Creme which will retail for $13,000 USD. That is not a typo. A 50 mL jar of cream for $13,000. That is more expensive than gold per gram (gold is $57 CAD per gram while this new product is $270 per gram). To be fair this is a collector's version of the product. The jar will be a work of art and that is where most of the cost is derived—and there will only be 3 jars made for the entire world. When I heard about this, though, I thought I should look at the regular version of the product. It carries a hefty price tag alone.
Cle de Peau is a Japanese luxury brand (it sounds French but it is not) and in recent years has positioned itself as the go to luxury offering for 20-somethings that want high-end product but do not want to buy their mother's moisturizer. Only in existence for 30 years, this brand has done a great job of being the "new generation" of luxury skincare.
The problem is the formulas are pretty standard and—in the case of La Creme—not very good at all.
Cle de Peau La Creme ($600 for 30mL)
The marketing claims this product can create firm, luminous skin that has a refines texture. These claims are made by just about every product on the market.
The first seven ingredients are slip agents, water-binding agents, preservatives and thickeners. None of which have anything to do with product benefits. Additionally, these agents are used in just about every cream in the market. Nothing here you can't find in a store brand moisturizer.
Petrolatum. Basically this product is about 30-40% petroleum jelly. Seriously, the same stuff Vaseline is made from. Not only will this occlude the skin it will also disrupt the skin's oil water balance causing more dehydration. A moisturizer that causes dehydration is not well formulated at all.
Numerous irritating plant oils, fragrances, dyes and more preservatives that can cause inflammation in the skin and cellular decay. More damaging ingredients that will require another product to correct.
The only ingredient worth note is a mild exfoliant that is derived from BHs. This is not, however, unique in any way. These types of exfoliators are found in drugstore moisturizers for as little as $20 a jar.
Overall, Peau La Creme is a joke of a product—not only is it all marketing and packaging but the formula itself is not even good for the skin. I could forgive being overpriced if it was a quality formula (I mean if someone wants to spend $600 on a moisturizer because it comes with some prestige and is in a fancy jar then ok, but to spend that and get a product that will actually cause problems on the skin is not a great idea). Overpriced, overhyped and frankly one of the worst formulas I have ever seen—I mean, ever, at any price point, in any store.
Printer-friendly version