Crème de la Mer — Reddit Reviews
by La Mer
Updated November 2, 2026
Mineral oil and petrolatum occlusion for barrier rescue; luxe texture, brutally expensive.
What the community says
A mineral oil and petrolatum cream built for compromised, irritated skin and retinoid dryness. It leaves a dense, perfumed film that some rosacea users adore, but acne-prone or fragrance-sensitive skin may clog, sting, or flare.
What this means for you
What people love
Watch out for
- Heavy film can clog pores and trigger comedones
- Costs hundreds despite near-identical cheaper alternatives
- Fragranced formula can inflame or dry reactive skin
Product details
Skin Type
Use caution
Product Traits
Key Ingredients
Where to buy
What the science says
Skin Barrier
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 13 studies tested it directly. See all 22 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found it helped the skin barrier
- It often lowered water loss and helped skin hold more moisture
- It helped damaged skin recover faster and protected skin from some irritants
- It improved dry, itchy skin in some studies, including in older adults and babies
- A few studies found no clear extra benefit over a control or another moisturizer
Eczema
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 6 studies tested it directly. See all 8 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found petrolatum helped eczema or related skin changes
- Studies found it could lower how bad eczema was and reduce scaling
- It improved hand eczema symptoms, but was not better than another moisturizer
- It improved how much water the skin held, though another product worked better in some areas
- One study found another moisturizer helped eczema more than petrolatum
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 36 mentions across 29 threads
La Mer Crème de la Mer on Reddit, in one place — 29 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/AsianBeauty and 5 more, summarized.
“PM routine:”
Mentioned
“La Mer’s Crème de la Mer (idk is this good?)”
Mentioned
“Whatever cleanser I have around”
Mentioned
“La Mer products. Terrible and overrated it’s literally like putting perfume on your face.”
Cautionary
“La Mer products.”
Cautionary
“it’s literally like putting perfume on your face.”
Cautionary
“Creme de la mer”
Positive
“when my skin is irritated or neglected”
Positive
“this just is occlusive and gentle enough to bring my skin back to happy again.”
Positive
“The Eye Concentrate - La Mer ... But - it works for me.”
Positive
“I can vouch a little bit goes a LONG way.”
Positive
“I'm still using the samples even three months out for daytime use.”
Positive
“Nivea vs LaMer”
Mentioned
“Most say there really is not much of a difference other than the price, Nivea $5 LaMer $500.”
Mentioned
“I also have used La Mer, and I think there is some merit to the products but I don’t think the face cream is that worth it...”
Mentioned
“Apparently Nivea is a dupe for Creme de la Mer.”
Mentioned
“I was gifted Creme de la Mer and it's almost identical in texture and smell.”
Mentioned
“Some say that the European version of Nivea is a dupe for La Mer.”
Mentioned
