The Skincare Brands We Think Are Worth Spending a Little Extra On

The Skincare Brands We Think Are Worth Spending a Little Extra On

February 15, 2022 at 08:00AM

Whether you’re looking to smooth, hydrate, plump or bestow radiance, finding the perfect skincare to suit your derma needs isn’t always easy. With thousands of creams, serums and oils to choose from, it can be overwhelming, which is why many of us will make our selection based on the formula we can afford at that particular moment. 

While there are countless amazing affordable skincare buys out there, many of which are staples in our editors’ respective routines, that doesn’t mean you should disregard luxury skincare altogether.

The Skincare Brands We Think Are Worth Spending a Little Extra On

As with every purchase we make, we don’t take investing in luxury skincare lightly, but there is some truth to the saying "you get what you pay for.“ Between us, we’ve tried our fair share of products from luxury skincare brands, most of which promise instantaneous results. Of course, some fall short on that promise, but others? They’re a skincare revolution!

So whether you’re looking to up your skincare ante or you’re keen to see if the cult product you’ve been reading about for years is truly worth the hype, we’re here to help. Keep scrolling to see our edit of what we consider to be the best luxury skincare brands to spend your precious earnings on. 

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No luxury skincare roundup would be complete without La Mer. The beauty brand’s origin story is as epic as they come. It was initially developed by scientist Max Huber to treat burns sustained after a lab accident. La Mer’s signature sea kelp formula has seen its moisturiser become one of the most iconic products on the skincare scene and counts many an A-list celebrity amongst its fans. Today, the range has expanded to serums, balms, and body products, all of which deliver seriously impressive results. 

One for those with dry skin, this moisturiser is about as rich (and glow-inducing) as they come.

This lightweight serum contains La Mer’s classic Concentrated Miracle Broth along with a whole bunch of skin barrier–fortifying ingredients to keep your complexion hydrated and healthy.

One of La Mer’s unsung heroes (but under-the-radar best sellers, by the way), this essence lotion can be patted into skin post-cleanse for a thirst-quenching moisture boost.

The work of world-leading stem cell research expert professor Augustinus Bader, this skincare collection has been 30 years in the making, and it’s undoubtedly been time well spent. Augustinus Bader’s groundbreaking skincare uses a unique, patented Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8) to help visibly reduce lines and wrinkles, as well as damage caused by environmental stressors. Victoria Beckham has previously professed her love for this brand (so much so that she actually collaborated with Bader for her own line), and we all know how glowy her skin looks. 

The original and most iconic Augustinus Bader product, this moisturiser really does do it all—no serum or add-ons necessary.

Gentle and creamy, meaning it doesn’t strip the skin of essential oils, this gel delivers the perfect cleanse.

If your skin is on the drier side and requires a more intensive moisturiser, this one is for you.

While naturally derived beauty products are all the rage right now, Sylvie Chantecaille recognised the potential in botanical ingredients over 20 years ago, when the idea was less commonplace. She created a company that tapped into plants, flowers and ground-breaking science for its game-changing, high-performing skincare products. Today, Chantecaille is a family-owned, independent business that is committed to making healthy, clean beauty products as well as protecting the planet through philanthropy collections to support wildlife conservation.

A balmy face cream that is every bit as luxurious as you’d expect, this stuff contains vitamin C for glow-boosting antioxidant protection and has a delicate (but divine) rose scent.

Not only does this eye cream contain 24-karat gold and silk to boost luminosity, but it also has a rollerball applicator that helps to depuff and awaken tired eyes.

This intensive 24-karat gold mask is so moisturising and skin-soothing that it is placed on a pedestal by beauty insiders far and wide.

Upon hearing the words "Harley Street,” chances are the words “plastic surgery” swiftly follow suit. The area in London is known for its industry-leading procedures, carried out by the world’s most-skilled surgeons, one of whom is Yannis Alexandrides, MD. Recognising the gap in post-treatment skincare, Alexandrides set out to develop the perfect skincare collection for his patients. What he ended up creating was the renowned luxury skincare brand, 111Skin. Designed to protect skin against environmental aggressors, the products’ potent healing ingredients promote a youthful and radiant complexion like nothing you’ve seen before. If you’re new to the brand, we recommend starting with its face masks. They’re the best we’ve tried. 

Formulated with 1% retinol, this face oil gives you all of the line-reducing, smoothing benefits of the powerhouse ingredient without the potentially irritating side effects.

This is 111Skin’s original product, formulated to boost collagen production and elasticity. It’s a real skincare multitasker.

Utilising both enzymatic exfoliators and alpha-hydroxy acids, this face mask tackles blemishes from all angles.

Another brand that brings science and beauty together is 3Lab. This technology-led range has been rigorously developed to tackle your every skin concern, from combating environmental damage to smoothing and hydrating. Expect surprisingly lightweight formulas that stretch way beyond what you might expect—a little goes a long, long way with 3Lab’s creams, serums, and toning sprays. 

This oil contains 24-karat gold flecks and aims to hydrate, soften and smooth skin.

Yes, £320 for an SPF is crazy money, but if you have the money to spend, this is one worth looking into.

This toner helps to add hydration to the skin post-cleanse to prevent stripping the skin barrier.

As one of London’s most sought-after facialists, Sarah Chapman’s Chelsea Skinesis clinic has become a mecca for skin-savvy celebrities, editors and skin obsessives—all of whom were beyond delighted when she finally launched her eponymous range. Her products deliver results at a cellular level and on the surface, so you can apply your serums and creams confident in the knowledge that the results will be anything but fleeting. 

With plant stem cell technology and peptides, these formulas mean business. Expect visibly smoother and plumper skin from the get-go.

This cult night-time skincare product is widely adored in the beauty community thanks to its intense softening and glow-boosting abilities.

With barrier-loving omega oils, botanical stem cells to firm and vitamin A to smooth and improve texture, this is about as high-tech as it comes.

Some of the best luxury skincare brands surpass all expectations, and Albiva is one of them. Albiva blends more than 50 high-quality active ingredients, which seek to stimulate and support the skin’s cellular healing. The products are free from chemicals‚ synthetic compounds and fillers, so the impressive results you see entirely, down to its potent blend of sustainable ingredients. Owing to the active properties found within its bottles, Albiva products are best kept in a fridge (even though the wooden packaging would look stylish sitting on your bathroom shelf). 

This antioxidant eye cream works to hydrate, depuff, smooth and firm tired eyes.

An intensive face cream that aims to promote natural cell turnover, it leaves skin nourished and radiant.

One for those who want to even out their pigmentation, this serum contains a botanical brightening complex to help brighten the overall appearance of the skin.

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Skincare stalwart La Prairie utilises the latest scientific breakthroughs to provide true excellence in skincare. Developed at Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland, its products help prolong the youthful appearance of even the most delicate skin. Using the most precious ingredients (think rich caviar, rare platinum and opulent gold), the term “luxury skincare” was practically invented to summarise La Prairie’s range of cult products. 

With La Prairie’s iconic caviar extract and cellular complex, this cult cream promises to plump fine lines and leave skin looking more youthful.

This eye cream might look like a work of art, but it also helps to boost radiance around the eyes in a really luxurious way.

You might recognise this stuff from your Instagram feed. Influencers swear by its firming abilities.

Drawing on his expertise as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Gregory Bays Brown developed his luxury skincare brand, RéVive, to help restore the skin with a luminous glow. Inspired by patented and Nobel Prize–winning science, RéVive’s groundbreaking formulas help renew and rejuvenate skin by boosting collagen and elastin production for a youthful, glowing complexion. Its Radiance Oil is a great product to start off with. Though, RéVive’s anti-ageing serum is fast becoming the stuff of legend. 

If you’re looking for a way to get your skin glowing, look no further. This nourishing oil has a bronze, pearlescent finish that breathes life into dull skin in the most beautiful of ways.

Few hydrating hyaluronic acid serums plump, moisturise and refresh skin quite as expertly as this one does.

Révive’s sunscreen offering is exceptional, and this SPF50 feels almost impossibly weightless.

Epara was founded by entrepreneur Ozohu Adoh, who had long suffered from a condition that made her skin dry and uneven. She couldn’t find a product that solved her skincare woes, so she set about developing her own formulas. As such, Epara was born. An edit of high-quality, scientifically proven products, all derived from the rich soils of Africa, Epara skincare boasts potency and luxury in equal measure. The products work to repair and pamper simultaneously, leaving skin moisturised, hydrated and looking its very best. 

Lightweight but filled with antioxidants, this hydrating serum is refreshing and helps to tackle hyperpigmentation.

For oily skin types, this mask hydrates the skin to prevent irritation but also helps to regulate sebum production.

Delivering more softening nourishment to the skin than the aforementioned serum, this face oil is unarguably luxe and chic.

Barbara Strum believes that the secret to beautiful skin doesn’t lie in an exhaustive routine. Instead, she insists that you only need a minimal number of expertly crafted products to see the best results. And that’s precisely what she has created with her namesake luxury skincare brand. Based on a thorough medical understanding of cells and anti-ageing, her products protect, strengthen and detoxify without overburdening the skin and are gentle enough for sensitive complexions. While her entire range is noteworthy, her most iconic product is undoubtedly her hyaluronic serum.

This seemingly simple hyaluronic acid serum also contains a plethora of really impressive ingredients, including anti-inflammatory purslane and protective antioxidants.

Utilising the power of cress sprout extract, this antioxidant serum promises to fade dark spots, boost luminosity and plump skin with hyaluronic acid.

A powder cleanser that contains exfoliating enzymes, when mixed with water and massaged into skin, it leaves behind a suitably soft and glowing complexion.

The expert clinical team at Valmont, another Swiss skincare offering, has been creating top-of-the-line skincare on the banks of Lake Geneva for over 30 years. Utilising pure and natural ingredients and implementing them with unique cellular cosmetic research, Valmont’s efforts have resulted in highly effective products that instantly revive and rejuvenate the skin, leaving the complexion radiantly healthy and smoothed.

If you’re asking us, this is one of the very best barrier-restoring and skin-loving serums out there.

Turns out luxury skincare can also have even more luxurious lines. This skin essence addresses virtually every skin concern, including fine lines, dullness, dryness and loss of elasticity.

If you’re looking for a cream that will better the appearance of the skin on your neck, this luxury cream will do its best to help.

Sisley might not be the first French beauty brand that comes to mind, but it’s certainly deserving of your attention. Founded in 1976, Sisley was one of the first companies to use botanical essences in cosmetology and to this day remains a family business—albeit one with worldwide success. Renowned for its advanced scientific formulas, which combine the best of technology with the best of nature, Sisley skincare is known for its outstanding results and formulas of the highest quality. 

Makeup artists adore this mask thanks to its hydrating and plumping abilities.

This concentrate tackles a variety of skin concerns, such as the appearance of enlarged pores as well as general texture hang-ups.

This night cream delivers sumptuous hydration that will have you waking up looking (and feeling) like your best, most radiant self.

Barcelona-born luxury brand Natura Bissé uses groundbreaking technology with high-performance, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients for targeted smoothing results. Natura Bissé’s powerful concentration of amino acids works to stimulate skin cells, fight free radicals and erase imperfections, leaving you with glowing, rejuvenated and visibly plumped skin. What more could you ask for? 

This tinted cream uses clever colour-matching pigments to deliver a blurring, airbrushed finish.

Again with colour-matching pigments, this best-selling eye cream helps to reduce the appearance of dark circles while tackling puffiness and fine lines, too.

Behold a hard-working cleanser that doesn’t trouble the skin too severely. It uses enzymes to deliver a deep, exfoliating cleanse, but its lightweight mousse texture also aims to minimise the risk of irritation.

Up next, trust us—these are the 12 skincare brands you can always rely on.

Author Maxine Eggenberger | Whowhatwear
Selected by CWC