Choose Your Skincare Weapon Against Aging

Designer lipstick $30, top-of-the-line eyelash curler $29 …….. “Eternal Youth” in a jar??? I know it’s really difficult to put a price tag on eternal youth –Evidently the sky is the limit! While beauty and skincare secrets go from today’s obsessions with Botox and sunscreen all the way back to Cleopatra’s milk-and-honey baths, the quest for maintaining a youthful appearance with smooth, hydrated skin will always keeps people shopping for “what’s new” and “what’s really works”. That said, although the world’s most legendary beauties regularly get expensive facials and splurge on high-tech dermatological treatments, I bet even they think twice about dropping an entire grand-plus on a palm-sized tub of anti-aging moisturizer –You read that right; I did say “an entire grand-plus.”

The high price of high-end skincare creams has recently soared to new heights “La Crème” the most expensive anti-wrinkle cream ever was launched this September in Tokyo, priced at $13, 213 for just a 50gm jar.

This limited edition cream is produced by Cle de peau Beaute, a beauty line by the Sisheido group. Said to lift and tighten skin, it apparently has powerful anti-aging properties and the celebrities are already in love with this product. For people who eclipsed after hearing the price emblem on this super moisturizer …….wait! good news is there is a version that will be available at Barney’s for a mere $775 a jar.

Time to clarify things Scientifically: The price of this product has nothing to do with its action on the skin, but it is entirely based on the uniqueness of the product and its design.

“La Crème Price-justification Golden Expensive-product Rules”:

1. Limited Edition: Just three jars of this precious cream have been created to mark the 30th anniversary of Cle de peau Beaute.
2. Unique Craftsmanship: The jar that holds the cream is handcrafted by French glass-maker Crystal Saint-Louis and has 30 layers of crystal and three platinum rings.
3. Celebrity Endorsement: Of course the cream is justifiably expensive as it is being endorsed by a Big Hollywood Star -Amanda Seyfried.

Another high priced Super cream by “3LAB” was launched at Barney’s department stores in LA and NY this October. Within three weeks, the stores sold 30 jars for $875 each. This was no fluke. There’s a current demand for a $560 Bee Venom Mask from a British company and Carita’s $600 Diamond Cream was re-launched this year due to popular demand. Key people from cosmetics/fragrances and big luxury retailers are predicting there’s no price resistance when it comes to skincare and that they’re seeing the greatest industry growth in all high-end luxury skin care brands.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “Consumer research firm NPD Group says that prestigious skin-care products, priced at $150 or more, generated $418 million in department store sales in the U.S. during the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2012. That represents an 18 percent increase over the preceding year. The average selling price was $236.54.”

You will probably never see a dermatologist buying these luxury creams for self use, reason being that there are no proven studies showing that these products do what they claim.

Luxury cosmetic companies have their hands on the market pulse precisely right: produce something mediocre, market and publicize it big time with celebrity endorsements and by the time public discovers it doesn’t work pull it off the shelves and replace it with something entirely new. Hyped-product marketing cycles have produced revenues for big companies for decades. These new round of pricey skincare products often pitch an exotic ingredient that promises to work miracles on the complexion without necessarily offering any clinical evidence that it actually does so. The dermatologists still stand by the old standbys – retinoids, vitamin C and glycolic and alpha hydroxyl acids. These are still the ingredients that do the trick – and you can find them in products that sell for $29.95- $50. If you want real results spend your money on a chemical peels or RF facial because everything else is just an expensive moisturizer.

It’s hard to resist the luxury of a personalized consultation at the beauty counter but what it should boil down to is –What benefits is this providing to your skin?

Do your research before plunking down your dollars. A chemical peel or RF Facial could cost the same as an expensive cream, but the results could be longer lasting, more dramatic and help your skin absorb the beneficial ingredients in your skin creams. If you’re curious about the benefits of a chemical peel or RF Facial, talk to an experienced skin professional like a certified dermatologist.

My skincare advice to you: “Your skin has to last you a lifetime, so look after it!”