Natasha said…I wanted to know if high priced creams such as La Mer and Kerastase hair products have better results than what you may find cheaper or at a drug store.
The Beauty Brains Respond:
Natasha, thanks for the question! Let’s tackle the skin side first with Creme de la Mer:
This very expensive face moistuizer ($1200 for a 16.5 oz jar!) claims to dramatically diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, scars, blemishes & dark undereye discolorations, as well as strengthen and nourish eyelashes. At least that’s what we’re told.
We’re also told that it’s hyper-rich in concentrated ingredients ranging from sea kelp, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, lecithin, Vitamins C, D, E and B12, plus oils of citrus, eucalyptus, wheat germ, alfalfa and sunflower. Unfortunately, there’s very little hard data to show that any of these ingredients will miraculously heal your skin. And if they did, they would be drugs subject to regulation by the FDA in the United States. Cosmetic companies don’t want that!
Is it a good moisturizer?
Yes.
Is it worth it?
Well, if you LIKE the product and you can afford it, then it’s worth it to you. BUT if you’re just dissatisfied with your current products and you think that by spending a LOT more money you’ll get a LOT better performance, then no, it’s probably not worth it.
But don’t just take our word for it, check out the reviews of La Mer at Makeup Alley.
Now on to Kerastase:
Let’s look at their Nutritive Bain Satin 3 shampoo as an example.
This product sells for $26.00 for 8.45 oz at Cosmeticmall.com. It claims to be for very dry and damaged hair… it smoothes the hair fiber, intensely nourishes and neutralizes static it leaves your hair soft and tangle free. These are pretty basic hair care claims; any good conditioning shampoo will perform these same functions.
If you’re in love with the texture or the fragrance and you’ve got $26 bucks to spend on shampoo, then by all means – enjoy! But if you’re on a budget, there are plenty of good mass market shampoos that can do the job just as well.
Check out these reviews for more info…
The Brains Bottom Line.
These expensive products will probably give you very nice results. But they won’t give you technically better results than high quality products that are much cheaper. Thanks for asking The Brains!
Anybody else have a question? Just Ask the Brains
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I was spending $30+ on Kerastase products and then noticed that Vive has similar packaging…they are both Loreal. Did not do a side-to-side comparison, but it seems like the ingredients are quite similar. Is Kerastase just a “European” version of what is now Vive (more in the $4 range)? Thanks!
Christine, I bet if you did a side-by-side comparison (in a blinded fashion) you wouldn’t be able to tell much difference between Kerastase and Vive. They are likely made at the same manufacturing site, with the same raw materials, and cost about the same to make. It’s just the marketing story that makes them seem different. But some people think the marketing story is worth it.