As a self-described skin care and beauty junkie I have spent thousands of dollars on beauty creams and treatments over the years. I cringe at times thinking just how much I’ve spent in my quest for flawless skin but the cringing doesn’t last long before I am handing over my credit card to pay for a new skin care cream that promises to diminish wrinkles or eliminate acne blemishes.
Granted I haven’t had the overwhelming urge to splurge and plunge myself into debt by purchasing such super high ticket items such as Dr. Perricone ($500 for a wrinkle cream), La Mer Creme ($2,100 for 1.5 OZ) or other incredibily expensive face creams but I have spent upwards of $200 on a single beauty treatment or product such as the incredible Zeno Acne Clearing Device. However, I may be one of the few skin care junkies left who isn’t mortgaging my home to pay for my anti-aging/blemish zapping/wrinkle eradicator creams. According to Rachel Dodes and Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan of the Wall Street Journal:
Women have grown accustomed to paying astronomical sums for designer jeans, shoes and handbags. Now they’re increasingly willing to spend more for super-status skin-care potions, containing Arctic cranberries, soybean cuticle extract and other exorbitantly priced ingredients.
“There’s no price resistance,” said Deborah Walters, a senior vice president at Saks Fifth Avenue who oversees cosmetics. “Our customers are after the newest skin-care products based on the latest technology.”
At Saks, customers add their names to long waiting lists to snare products like a 1-ounce, $ 350 bottle of Dior’s new L’Or de Vie serum, containing extracts from cured Sauvignon grapevines. Orlane Paris’ 1. 3-ounce, $ 750 “Global Anti-Aging System” is a package of serums and masks.
Wow…$750 that’s quite a bit of money for a do-it-yourself beauty cream. A beauty cream I might add that may or may not work. Since the FDA does not have to review claims made by cosmeseutical companies then the companies are at liberty to make whatever claims they so chose to make. Of course, that $750 anti-aging miracle cream may work but the underlying question is how well does it work compared to it’s less expensive competitor? Over the years I have learned that some expensive products like SkinCeuticals or Neova really do deliver on their promises, but I can say the same for inexpensive products like Olay, Avon and Neutrogena. Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal article writers write:
In a Consumer Reports study published this month, the top performer out of nine antiwrinkle brands with products ranging in price from $ 18. 99 to $ 335 was Procter & Gamble Co. ’s Olay Regenerist. Cost for most items in the drugstore line: less than $ 20.
Interesting indeed 
Article Source: WSJ via Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Submitted by Ms. distressedDERMA on Monday, 15 October 2007
October 16th, 2007 at 1:09 am
I am curious to try those super expensive creams, but realize they probably aren’t any/much better than cheap alternatives. I was all proud of myself when my Olay Regenerist cream ended up as #1 on Consumer Reports! I bought a $100 Dr. Perricone serum once, and it did nothing, so I’ve been sort of anti-expensive stuff ever since.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Olay Regenerist, in my opinion, is far better than some of the couture beauty creams that I’ve tried.
There are some high priced creams (but not crazy expensive like La Mer) that I’ve used and continue to use because they are effective but as you mentioned once before, it’s a catch-22. You won’t know if the expensive skin care creams work until you buy it. If the beauty creams work, great but if not, total waste of money.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:20 am
$750 that’s quite a bit of money for a do-it-yourself beauty cream. A beauty cream I might add that may or may not work.I am so exating about that!!!