Best Natural Moisturizer Alternative to La Mer

For years, Creme de la Mer has been the “Gold Standard” in terms of moisturizers for women.  Why this is, I’m not sure (though I have a feeling it’s due to a highly effective marketing campaign).  Personally, I prefer natural beauty products ~ so I’ve long avoided La Mer due to its lengthy list of ingredients, many of which are chemicals.  But this begs the question: what is the best natural moisturizer alternative to La Mer?  Can we get the benefits of La Mer’s best ingredients, without harmful chemicals? 

And the answer, fortunately, is: YES.  In Weleda’s super potent & affordable “Skin Food.”

Weleda’s “Skin Food” moisturizer has nearly all of Creme de la Mer’s BEST ingredients in it ~ minus the chemicals. And, at a FRACTION of the cost.

Cost of 2 oz. of Creme de la Mer (purchased from their website) = $325.00

Cost of 2.5 ounces of Weleda’s Skin Food (from Amazon) = $10.29

“Skin Food” Ingredients vs. Creme de la Mer

Creme de la Mer Ingredient List:

• 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 distearate
• Octyldodecanol
• Citric acid
• Cyanocobalamin
• Magnesium stearate
• Panthenol
• Limonene
• Geraniol
• Linalool
• Hydroxycitronellal
• Citronellol
• Benzyl salicylate
• Citral
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Alcohol Denat.
• Fragrance (Parfum)

Best Natural Moisturizer Alternative to La Mer

In analyzing the ingredients listed above, the first thing you may notice is how La Mer’s ingredient list is nearly TWICE as long as Weleda’s Skin Food.  Common sense tells us that the more ingredients ~ the more potential that one or more could be irritants for your skin.  Next, we notice that the #1 ingredient in Creme de la Mer is “Seaweed Algae,” which is missing in Skin Food.  And yet, if you look at the thousands of reviews on Amazon for “Skin Food,” which is overwhelmingly rated 5 stars ~ this doesn’t seem to affect its efficacy.

I won’t go into every single ingredient on each list, but the fact that the #2 ingredient in Creme de la Mer is mineral oil, does not bode well: mineral oil is a well-known skin irritant, as are many of the “benzyl” & “methyl”-prefixed words on their ingredient list.

Tips for Using Weleda’s “Skin Food”  

Top Tips for Using “Skin Food” by Weleda: The main complaint about “Skin Food” is that it has a very thick, rich consistency (which can be hard to spread).  This thickness means that a little goes a LONG way, so use a very small amount to start.  To make the product go on more smoothly (& make it last longer), add 2 drops of jojoba oil when applying it to your skin.  Jojoba has a near-identical PH level to your skin, making it safe for all skin types.  And finally, use “Skin Food” as your nighttime moisturizer ~ not for day.  Because it’s so rich, it can make skin appear greasy, so save it for nighttime only.

Weleda’s “Skin Food” comes in a body cream as well, & travel sizes.

Best Natural Moisturizer Alternative to La Mer

Travel is undoubtedly one of my passions, but so is finding natural, healthy beauty solutions ~ so I hope you’ve enjoyed this slightly out-of-the-box article on the “Best Natural Moisturizer Alternative to La Mer.”  If you’ve used either or both of these products, please let me know in the comments below!

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