Why ‘couture skincare’ is having a moment
Like most people, I want beauty products that make my skin look like it has won the lottery. Without, of course, spending jackpot-size sums on skincare for that expensive-looking gleam.
And yet, the cost of my routine has snowballed of late. What really boggles the mind is how easily I've racked up a dizzying £742 (and 50p, if we're being picky) spend on cleanser, face mist, serums to counter different skin concerns, eye cream, day cream and night cream.
I know mine is an extreme example. I'm also in a very privileged position, as some of these products have been sent to me to test as part of my job. But still… ouch.
Despite being a beauty editor, I'm not exactly drowning in skincare products (I'm not the Imelda Marcos of vitamin C serums, promise) so this isn't about excess in that sense of the word. But big-ticket products have snuck into the space where a 50ml bottle of Advanced Night Repair used to suffice.
‘Couture skincare’ – a.k.a. serums and creams that cost triple figures – is booming, and it isn't just the preserve of the high-spending Harrods shopper anymore. These products are readily available at Sephora, where Sisley's L'Intégral Anti-Age Fresh Gel Cream is one of the store's bestsellers. And you can just as easily find a £520 pot of Clé de Peau's La Crème sidling up next to to a £6 CeraVe moisturiser at Cult Beauty.
“Just as a well-curated wardrobe blends high-end pieces with everyday staples, a balanced skincare routine can often seamlessly combine luxury products with accessible essentials," says Hannah Grimes, a buyer at Cult Beauty.
“An affordable cleanser, which is used frequently may not justify a higher price tag,” she continues. “But you might find the same person is willing to invest in a serum that claims to be ‘Botox in a Bottle’."
So what's driving us to buy these big-ticket moisturisers?
Rather than seeing a three-figure price tag as prohibitively expensive, data by the Digital Luxury Group shows that interest in luxury skincare has grown by 57% over the past four years. So what has changed?
In a nutshell, consumer behaviour – with beauty shoppers currently falling into two camps: the high spender and the aspirational shopper.
“For affluent consumers, beauty products are often viewed as part of a broader lifestyle where self-care is intertwined with luxury,” says Nateisha Scott from Vogue Business.
Aspirational shoppers, on the other hand, may not have the means for big-ticket luxury items like designer handbags but they still want a taste of the high-end lifestyle, she notes. “It’s the lipstick effect at its finest. Beauty products, especially skincare and cosmetics, offer a relatively affordable way to engage with prestige brands.”
‘Skintellectuals’ are drawn to couture skincare
The Covid pandemic, and an almost insatiable appetite for skincare during that time, has a lot to do with it, too. We became serious about scientific ingredients and a fresh raft of luxury skincare brands emerged that were buzzier than the pot of La Mer your mum uses.
These cutting-edge brands have access to the most advanced technology money can buy and capitalise on the value we place on medical expertise – criteria a lot of people associate with skincare that just works better.
“All of this has an impact versus what is currently available in the market," says Céline Talabaza, CEO of Noble Panacea, which was founded by the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart and deals in molecules 10,000 times smaller than a skin cell – that are precisely delivered throughout the day. “I think the full transparency, and the level of standout and precision that are implied by working for someone who has a Nobel Prize, is reassuring for consumers,” she adds.
Then there's Dr Barbara Sturm, who played a part in a medical discovery where a patient’s own blood cells are used to ramp up healing. Augustinus Bader was created by an expert in the field of stem cell biology and 111Skin is the brainchild of an eminent plastic surgeon.
The viral, product-pushing power of social media can't be ignored, either. Rather than relying on TV commercials, many luxury skincare brands are endorsed by beauty editors, celebrities and influencers who speak reverently about their transformative results on Instagram. TikTok has 87.8 million posts on ‘luxury skincare’ and 118.8 million posts dedicated to ‘best luxury skincare brands.’ Even Reddit has a dedicated luxury skincare forum, /r/SkincareAddictionLux.
One user on the forum said: “Dr Sturm Lip Balm: $55 for just lip balm. It's the only thing that gets rid of my chronic dry lips.” Another, speaking about Sisley, commented, “I have been trying for months to find an alternate that works just as well but for cheaper… and none have even compared.” Knowing – and purchasing – these products makes you a member of an elite club.
Heritage is the other ace up the sleeve for many luxury beauty Houses, including Chanel, which launched Sublimage L'Extrait de Nuit Ultimate Reviving Night Concentrate, its most expensive skincare product to date. And tellingly, despite costing a cool £620, it's available at high street department store John Lewis.
Is more expensive skincare really better?
All of which leaves us with one question: Is more expensive skincare really better? It depends who you ask. The top ingredients on Google search remain retinol, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C – ingredients you can easily find in a range of products with low- to mid-range price tags.
And, of course, just because a skincare product is more expensive, doesn't automatically mean it's better or more effective, says Céline. “The chemistry of the formula needs to be good and be the proof,” she adds.
It's also worth noting that scientific wizardry, ingredients, R&D and – in some cases – specially tailored manufacturing premises, don't come cheap. “Noble Panacea is highly priced because we have technology that is completely unique and patented,” Céline continues. "For such a small brand, we have our own laboratory because it is so sophisticated and only our scientists are able to create it."
Hannah also stresses that Cult Beauty isn't just introducing brands into its portfolio because they carry a luxury label. “Many of the luxury skincare brands we are now introducing, such as the recently launched LYMA, stand out for their market-leading technology and groundbreaking research," she says.
It's sound advice for beauty consumers, too. I'm wedded to skincare that goes beyond the ceiling of just smelling good or feeling cocooning, whether it's a high street hero or a more pricey option. So when I say I swear by the wrinkle-smoothing prowess of my Alastin Restorative Eye Complex or the glow from Dr Barbara Sturm's Night Serum, I've reached that conclusion by vetting it against other products I've tried, not because of its shiny packaging or luxe status.
Ultimately, though, skincare is never just about hard science. There needs to be an emotional connection, too. As Hannah points out: “for our luxury consumer, skincare is more than a daily habit. It’s a passion and a form of self-expression, a ritual and an investment in herself."
Which is just another way of saying that I can justify splurging on the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream because it makes me feel good… and gives me toddler-plump cheeks in a way that no other cream does.
The best couture skincare to know about:
A powerful formula that delivers both an instant lift – as well as firmness – with long-term, diligent use. Designed for use two to three times a week, each individual dose is powered by the brand's industry-breaking OSMV technology, which delivers tiny, encapsulated ingredients in their most potent form, including retinal (a more easily tolerated form of vitamin A) and an octapeptide to soften muscle contractions for fewer crow's feet.
“The skin is our best protection," says Céline Talabaza, CEO of Noble Panacea. “Just the size of the molecule plays a role if you really want to the ingredient to have an action on the right layers of the skin.”
Vanilla Planifolia is the star ingredient in this silky-smooth serum and was chosen from more than 117 plant varieties because it is so rich in polyketone molecules. Only hand harvested at Chanel's open-sky laboratory in Madagascar every three years, this plant extract is said to stimulate five specific growth factors in the skin responsible for firmness, hydration and luminosity.
Dior scientists have recently launched the new Prestige collection of skincare featuring Le Baume de Minuit, a night cream that harnesses high-tech botanical extracts (madecassic acid and rosapeptide produced by roses at night) to turbo-charge skin's overnight repair and collagen production.
Exosomes – fluid-filled sacs inside plant stem cells containing proteins and lipids – are one of this year's buzziest in-clinic treatments. Given exosomes deliver important information to skin cells and help older cells to act ‘younger’, it's hardly surprising that they are now being harnessed in skincare to boost activities such as collagen production or prevent excess melanin production in areas of pigmentation. Dr Barbara Sturm is an early adopter and has laced this serum with synthesised growth factors to improve skin firmness and smoothness.
Precision-engineered for long-lasting hydration, this cream is powered by Reviscentalis extract, one of the world's most powerful resurrection plants, which is able to revive itself with just a few drops of water after years of desert-like conditions.
Designed to mimic the blood-circulating benefits of cryotherapy, this gel moisturiser feels deliciously cooling. NAC Y2 then gets to work repairing any invisible damage while ginseng, polyglutamic acid and eight types of hyaluronic acid deeply hydrate and shrink wrap the skin's surface.
Augustinus Bader's creams and serums all contain TFC-8, a complex made up of 40 different ingredients, including the vitamins and amino acids your skin needs to repair daily damage and re-activate stem cells. The Rich Cream also deeply hydrates with omega-6 fatty acids and evening primrose oil.
Precious truffles also power this whipped, cosseting cream. Estée Lauder scientists have honed in on the rare Black Diamond Truffle variety, which works alongside innovative technology to activate youth proteins – sirtuins – in the skin that begin to decrease with age. 15 years in the making and presented in more than 20 publications and conferences, it's impressive science.
Laser brand Lyma had a 30,000 people waiting list for its Skincare Starter Kit, a two-step serum and cream formulated with a 80:20 ratio of active ingredients to water (traditional skincare is typically formulated with a 20:80 ratio). These include betaine to help switch off genes linked to ageing, and amino acids that protect the energy-makers inside our skin cells to speed up renewal.
Squalane, peptides and hyaluronic acid speak to the hydrating and firming power of this cream-to-water serum. But the standout here is what Prada calls ‘Adapto.gn Smart Technology’ - adaptogens that work with these actives and increase skin's resistance to whatever life throws at it every day.
The skin-intelligent formula includes a triple collagen complex for serious plumping, six different types of peptides, five vitamins and high-tech ceramides to strengthen the skin barrier. Apply a thin layer and leave on for at least 15 minutes when skin is looking lack-lustre.
High-end Swiss skincare brand La Prairie is renowned for using luxury ingredients such as caviar in its creams. In this instance, it has laced a serum with none other than a platinum-wrapped multi-peptide to target the skin's cells responsible for producing more collagen. Expect the look of wrinkles to be softened and a more even skin tone.
Jennifer Aniston's makeup artist Gucci Westman is renowned for her complexion-first approach and glowy results. This ultra-concentrated 100% vitamin C gel-oil serum (containing no silicones or synthetics) claims to fade dark spots and make skin a more luminous version of itself in just 2 weeks.
This is where powerful botanicals (yellow gentian, oat seed and codium extracts) and technology meet to target puffiness, dark circles and skin firmness during three specific stages of the skin's overnight cycle. The accompanying massager eases muscle tension and amplifies the cream's contouring effect.
