Tried & Tested
On trial: Clarins’ new luxury face crème
This moisturiser is the full package
What is it?
Beauty powerhouse Clarins has launched a luxury line of La Crème lotions and Precious potions – and our skin is excited.
Why? In part, because Clarins knows great skin – just ask anyone who’s dabbled in its multi-award-accumulating Double Serum.
Clarins’ Precious range marks a monumental step in skincare, a new vision of luxury that pledges a commitment to responsible beauty and heralds one helluva headline-grabbing ingredient. Decadent and decent, indulgent and innovative – Precious is packed with so. Much. Good. Stuff.
What’s in it?
The key ingredient? Moonlight. No, seriously – moonlight is a rare flower that blooms only once a year (in Brittany) and is harvested by hand when it’s reached its full molecular richness. The flower is immediately processed at -196C (to freeze the fragile molecules), allowing chemists to obtain the moonlight flower’s cryo-extract, said to have a preventative anti-ageing effect on the skin. Clarins lab chemists then amplify the power of moonlight, adding a replenishing peptide trio to reverse existing signs of ageing for a two-pronged approach.
What does cryo-extract do for skin?
It might sound woo-woo, but Clarins says the process ‘better harnesses the extraordinary power of the moonlight flower, resulting in plumper, smoother, stronger and firmer-looking skin’.
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My Precious
How much to apply and how often
Apply a hazelnut-sized amount of La Crème, and the size of a grain of rice of La Crème Eye, AM and/or PM, or whenever you (or your skin) need a little ‘lift’.
The Rare Routine includes: 1. La Crème – a daily moisturiser promising ‘bounce back’ and leaving skin looking plumped and toned, with natural radiance restored. 2. La Crème Eye – a luxury eye cream enhanced by a cold metal tip applicator (developed by Clarins Professional Experts) to erase dark circles and puffiness.
Why should you try it?
If you love Clarins (who doesn’t?) and are looking for a new, suits-all-types skincare treat, Clarins Precious is destined to be one of 2023’s buzziest beauty launches.
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Can’t fight the moonlight
The metrics that matter
Planet-friendlyMade using Brittany-grown flowers, scented with a floral fragrance created in Grasse, and packaged responsibly in Paris, each outer carton is fully recyclable and made with paper sourced from sustainably managed forests. Plus, each batch number allows us to trace the manufacturing process, and each plant-based ingredient, from field to jar.
Value for moneyHow much you spend on skincare is subjective but at £299, Clarins Precious La Crème is precious by name and nature.
EfficacyLa Crème Eye and La Crème both glide gloriously on to skin, delivering instant lit-from-within luminosity.
Is it worth it?
So, is Clarins’ Precious skincare worth the luxury price tag? Ranging from £125 for La Crème Eye 15ml to £299 for the 50ml La Crème, there’s no denying this is premium.
Many of us would feel nervous about spending £100-plus for a new skincare routine, but fans of Clarins won’t be disappointed. And if being first to a hyped new one-of-a-kind ingredient is kinda your thing, you’ll love it.
Does it work?
I’ve been using Clarins Precious La Crème and La Crème Eye for 10 weeks and I have to admit, both glide on like a dream. La Crème feels suitably decadent, rich in consistency – like a cashmere blanket for your face – and is an early morning perk-me-up when my skin (and mood) needs it most.
As for the results? Truthfully, I’m a skincare cynic at the best of times, and with kids who watch Disney’s Tangled on repeat, all the moonlight flower talk did feel a bit Mother Gothel meets Gollum. Niche references, sure, but it needs to be said, for luxury skincare can sound a bit la-di-dah.
The reality? This moisturiser is the total package – it feels like I’m massaging velvety-soft unicorn tears into my face, and it does perk up my dull skin in seconds. Thanks to a recent bout of adult acne for my 40th (thank you, skin) and a very strict two-step routine of aqueous-based products, my face has been looking lacklustre. In sashayed Precious and lo and behold: luminous skin (without aggravating flare-ups). More than that, Precious has allowed me a majestic morning ritual that has lifted my skin and my spirits.
This is skincare that stands out – a rare routine reserved for paydays, big birthdays and oligarchs. Indulgent? Sure. Luxurious? Absolutely. Do I love it? Most definitely.
