La Mer Creams Compared: What the Ingredient Lists Share and Where They Differ
Crème de la Mer, the Soft Cream, the Fresh Cream and the night cream: we lined up the ingredient lists La Mer publishes to see what every cream shares and what sets each one apart.
- All 4 creams share 23 ingredients besides water. The same algae extract, mineral salts (gluconates), seed powders and fragrance components appear in every list.
- What differs is the base: which ingredients come first, whether water leads the list, and how much oil, petrolatum, wax or silicone sits in the top ten.
- Every one of them contains fragrance.
At a glance
| Crème de la Mer | The Moisturizing Soft Cream | The Rejuvenating Night Cream | The Moisturizing Fresh Cream | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | 43 | 86 | 80 | 66 |
| Where water sits | #24 | #30 | #1 | #1 |
| Oils, petrolatum, waxes in the top 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Silicones in the top 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Fragrance | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Labelled fragrance allergens | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Found only in this cream | 13 | 36 | 30 | 19 |
Ingredients are listed from most to least down to about 1%, so the first ten show what the cream is mostly made of.
The first ten ingredients
| # | Crème de la Mer | The Moisturizing Soft Cream | The Rejuvenating Night Cream | The Moisturizing Fresh Cream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algae ExtractPlant extract | Algae ExtractPlant extract | WaterBase | WaterBase |
| 2 | Mineral OilOcclusive | CyclopentasiloxaneSilicone | Algae ExtractPlant extract | DimethiconeSilicone |
| 3 | PetrolatumOcclusive | PetrolatumOcclusive | Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) ButterPlant oil | Algae ExtractPlant extract |
| 4 | GlycerinHumectant | Glyceryl DistearateEmollient | DimethiconeSilicone | GlycerinHumectant |
| 5 | IsohexadecaneEmollient | Phenyl TrimethiconeSilicone | Butylene GlycolHumectant | Yeast ExtractFerment |
| 6 | Microcrystalline WaxWax | CyclohexasiloxaneSilicone | Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic TriglycerideEmollient | TrisiloxaneSilicone |
| 7 | Lanolin AlcoholEmollient | Butylene GlycolHumectant | Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose DistearateEmulsifier | Limnanthes Alba (meadowfoam) Seed OilPlant oil |
| 8 | Citrus Aurantifolia Peel ExtractPlant extract | Cholesterol | GlycerinHumectant | Alcohol Denat.Solvent |
| 9 | Sesamum Indicum Seed OilPlant oil | Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) ButterPlant oil | SilicaThickener / texture | Octyldodecyl Stearoyl StearateEmollient |
| 10 | Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf OilFragrance allergen | Steareth-10Emulsifier | Coco-Caprylate/CaprateEmollient | Butylene GlycolHumectant |
In every La Mer cream (23)
Besides water, these appear in all 4 lists. The brand’s own name for its signature ingredient does not appear on labels, which use standard (INCI) ingredient names.
Alcohol Denat.Algae ExtractCalcium GluconateCitronellolCitrus Aurantifolia Peel ExtractCopper GluconateEucalyptus Globulus Leaf OilFragranceGeraniolGlycerinHelianthus Annuus SeedcakeHydroxycitronellalLimoneneLinaloolMagnesium GluconateMedicago Sativa Seed PowderNiacinPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed MealSesamum Indicum Seed OilSesamum Indicum Seed PowderSodium GluconateTocopheryl SuccinateZinc Gluconate
What only one cream contains
La Mer Crème de la Mer 13
Mineral OilIsohexadecaneMicrocrystalline WaxLanolin AlcoholMagnesium SulfateParaffinBeta-CaroteneDecyl OleateAluminum DistearateOctyldodecanolMagnesium StearatePanthenol+1 more
What the brand saysRich face cream that helps heal dryness and improve the skin barrier for firmer-looking skin.
La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream 36
CyclopentasiloxaneGlyceryl DistearatePhenyl TrimethiconeCyclohexasiloxaneCholesterolSteareth-10Glyceryl Stearate SEPolysilicone-11Glyceryl Triacetyl RicinoleateMacadamia Ternifolia Seed OilSalicornia Herbacea ExtractPlankton Extract+24 more
What the brand saysSilky moisturizer for combination to drier skin, built on Miracle Broth and lime tea, meant to make skin look plumper, firmer and smoother with softer lines.
La Mer The Rejuvenating Night Cream 30
Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic TriglyceridePolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose DistearateSilicaCoco-Caprylate/CaprateSimmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed OilMangifera Indica (Mango) Seed ButterPolyglyceryl-10 PentastearateGlyceryl StearateBehenyl AlcoholPEG-100 StearateDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone CrosspolymerPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1+18 more
What the brand saysOvernight cream pairing Miracle Broth with MRA-3, a marine retinol alternative, to support skin renewal and density without the irritation associated with retinol.
La Mer The Moisturizing Fresh Cream 19
TrisiloxaneLimnanthes Alba (meadowfoam) Seed OilOctyldodecyl Stearoyl StearateIsopentyldiolAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP CopolymerBis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl SilaneLactobacillus FermentTrametes Versicolor ExtractSqualaneLaminaria Saccharina ExtractSigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul'S Wort) ExtractWhey Protein\Lactis Protein\Proteine Du Petit-Lait+7 more
What the brand saysFeather-light, cooling moisturizer for oilier skin, built on Miracle Broth and a moisture-matrix technology meant to deliver refreshing, lasting hydration.
How to read this
- An ingredient list shows what is in a cream, not how it feels. Texture and finish depend on amounts and processing the label does not show.
- “Only in this cream” is within this brand’s creams on our site; the same ingredient can be common elsewhere.
- Formulas change and can differ by country. Compare with the list on your own pack.
Questions
Are La Mer creams basically the same formula?
They share a core of 23 ingredients besides water, but the base around it is different in each cream — which is why the first ten ingredients look so different.
Why is water not the first ingredient in some of them?
In Crème de la Mer, The Moisturizing Soft Cream, other ingredients are listed before water, so they make up a larger share of the formula than water does. That usually means a richer, oil- or silicone-based texture.
Is there a fragrance-free La Mer cream?
Not among the 4 creams on this site — each lists fragrance. Each product page shows the labelled fragrance allergens under “Watch-outs”.
Sources: each cream’s ingredient list as published on the brand’s official website (linked on every product page). Ingredient types from this site’s ingredient dictionary.