Ruby Wax described La Prairie face cream as ‘better than Botox’. But is it?
Brutal facials, tubs of vitamins and the scary option of the hypodermic needle and scalpel — for many women, chasing youth can feel infuriatingly elusive and complicated.
But comedian and writer Ruby Wax, 64, claims to have found it — at the bottom of a very expensive pot of moisturiser.
She described La Prairie face cream as ‘better than Botox’. But is it?
Sarah Rainey looks at the science behind this ‘magic’ skin cream — and speaks to the women who say no price is too high for eternal youth.
Celebrity devotees include film star Angelina Jolie, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks and model Helena Christensen
FOUNDING DOCTOR WHO PLAYED GOD
The cream takes its name from the famous La Prairie clinic, located on the shores of Lake Geneva, and founded by Dr Paul Niehans in 1931.
The ambitious young Swiss believed that molecular science held the key to preserving life and halting the aesthetic onslaught of time.
His unorthodox approach was dubbed ‘live cell therapy’ and involved harvesting cells from cows and sheep embryos and injecting them directly into the buttocks of patients to supposedly stimulate regeneration of their cells.
In doing so, he asserted he was able to reduce cancer rates and grow back damaged organs — lofty claims that were never actually proven or endorsed by orthodox medicine.
There were even a few rare cases of patients dying following treatment. Nevertheless, his name and reputation grew and some of his earliest clients included actress Marlene Dietrich, Winston Churchill, several Popes and, later, Margaret Thatcher.
The clinic launched its skincare range in 1978, while the iconic caviar collection was debuted in 1987.
Victoria Beckham, who uses the £271 Cellular Radiance Eye Cream every night before bed
A £329 POT OF CAVIAR, BUT NOT FOR EATING
A 50ml pot of La Prairie’s trademark ‘skin caviar luxe cream’ costs a staggering £329 (or £597 for a 100ml pot) — and has some pretty wacky ingredients.
Chief among these is ‘caviar extract’, which comes from fish eggs.
The caviar we eat usually comes from mature sturgeon or salmon, but caviar for skincare can come from a much wider range of fish — and may be from unfertilised eggs or the fluid released when they hatch.
The extract is isolated in a laboratory, where scientists remove minuscule amounts of oil or cellular material from the eggs, filter it and add it to the skincare product.
La Prairie insists it ‘helps to st imulate col lagen production in order for the skin to maintain its firmness and elasticity’. Bu t e xpe r t s a r e n’ t convinced.
Harley Street aesthetic doctor David Jack says the hype about caviar is unsubstantiated — and you’d be better off eating it than smearing it on your skin.
‘The results are most likely due to the moisturising and exfoliating effects of some of the ingredients — like shea butter and silicones,’ Dr Jack explains.
‘The claims of being “lifting and firming” are very non-specific. It would have to be used for a long period of time to have any lasting or significant effect.’
Also stirred into the La Prairie range are ginseng root complex, which comes from an Asian herb and is said to promote cell regeneration; horsetail extract, another herb dating back over 270 million years, said to strengthen the skin’s connective tissues and reduce fine lines; and algae extract, to keep the skin hydrated.
Some of La Prairie’s products even contain tiny quantities of precious metals, such as gold and platinum, which La Prairie claims give your face a ‘youthful radiance’ — and not just from the shock of the price tag.
But again, some professionals suspect that this is little more than an expensive hype.
I’m a GP – and I’m convinced!
Dr May Jay Ali, 37, spends around £1,000 a year on La Prairie products
Dr May Jay Ali, 37, is a GP working in Birmingham. She spends around £1,000 a year on La Prairie products.
She says: Though the bad acne of my youth was successfully treated with medication, I had scarring, which I covered with heavy make-up.
In addition, when working as a junior doctor, I found that lack of sleep and dehydration during 12-hour shifts gave me terrible dark circles under my eyes.
I’m no skincare snob — I’ve tried everything from Clarins to Nivea — but nothing has quite compared to the results I’ve seen from a few select creams, including La Prairie.
It was sheer luck which led to my discovery of the products. My sister has a senior job in Duty Free and she gave me a gift set for my birthday five years ago. I never looked back.
After a few weeks, I noticed that I looked far more wide awake and my dark circles had faded. I attributed this to La Prairie’s Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Eye Cream — it costs £181.
And after a few months I realised my acne scars were faded, which I believe was down to the £239 face cream from the same range.
As a doctor, with some knowledge of topical ingredients, I think I’m far too sensible to be taken in by high prices or swanky packaging. I search for creams containing such ingredients as nourishing oils, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and retinol.
Acne sufferers can worry about over-moisturising, but dr y skin produces more oil, thus making acne worse, and the balance in La Prairie is just right for my skin.
I know it’s not superior to Botox — nothing can compare to an aesthetic treatment in terms of results, but it has certainly worked for me.
SUPERMARKET RIVAL COSTS £3.49
With caviar costing approximately £1.50 a gram — and gold at £30 a gram — it’s perhaps no wonder that La Prairie will set you back a small fortune.
A single 100ml pot of La Prairie is meant to last a whole year, putting it at £1.64 a day.
The concentrated ingredients mean you only need a tiny blob of cream, and pots come with tiny spatulas to measure out the correct amount.
But when you consider there’s a very simi lar product, costing £3.49 at Lidl, it seems a scandalous waste of money.
WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?
Studies testing the efficacy of caviar skincare are few — and mostly carried out by the brands themselves.
La Prairie research reportedly shows that caviar extract enhances the production of collagen in fibroblast cells, which make and regenerate human tissue, as well as boosting the production of ceramides — the natural fats and oils which help skin retain moisture and make it glow — in the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin.
A study by a long-established Swedish cosmetics brand, Kerstin Florian, found that a cream containing caviar extract reduced the depth of wrinkles in participants by up to 27 per cent in two months.
And another study by Norwegian biotechnology company Aqua Bio Tech ASA, back in 2011, found that women between the ages of 40 and 65 saw an improvement in wrinkles over three months.
Unfortunately, independent experts don’t agree with these findings. For example, Londonbased cosmetic dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting says that the most effective components of La Prairie face cream ‘are readily accessible in a much more affordable format on the High Street’.
Basic suncream or moisturiser containing retinoids — derivatives of vitamin A, proven to unclog pores and minimise wrinkles — are far better anti-ageing products than caviar, Dr Bunting adds.
It’s an investment in my future self
Dalila Salgueiro Trillo, 31, is a freelance marketing expert and spends around £2,000 a year on La Prairie
Dalila Salgueiro Trillo, 31, is a freelance marketing expert. She lives in London and spends around £2,000 a year on La Prairie.
She says: I have a 52-year-old aunt back in Spain who barely looks in her 30s. She — and I — think her incredibly youthful complexion is down to decades of using La Prairie.
I began my own love affair with it aged 25, and I can’t see myself ever looking back. I’ve always been interested in beauty products; as a child I used to look with fascination through my aunt’s bathroom cabinets, admiring the mysterious glass bottles and vials, and especially the elegant silver La Prairie pots.
I probably have every single product, and stock up in Harvey Nichols department store every three months or so. I particularly like the neck cream (£162) — everyone my age is concerned about ‘tech neck’ — where you develop wrinkles from nodding your head over a laptop for hours on end.
I also love the Caviar Cream, which starts at £329, although it whiffs a bit, so I only use it at night. Yes, it’s expensive, but you don’t slather it on and I think it lasts a long time, and Latino skin has a tendency to pigmentation, which neither I, nor more importantly my aunt, have developed.
As to whether or not it’s better than Botox, well, I’ve tried both so feel qualified to comment. I had a little Botox in my forehead last year — just to alleviate one little frown line which had appeared between my eyes. It’s great, but given the choice, I’d go with La Prairie — I think that it’s great preventative skincare.
‘I began my own love affair with it aged 25, and I can’t see myself ever looking back’
IT’S CHEAPER THAN BOTOX
Yes, and it’s certainly less invasive. Botox is a chemical which is injected into the skin to partially paralyse mus c l e s and inhibi t their movement.
Its effects are immediate and last from three to six months. The results are much slower — and more subtle — with face cream, which i s much more about ‘prevention’.
There’s also the cost — at between £150 and £300 per session, Botox is much more expensive.
Another difference is the areas they work on: Botox specifically targets fine lines, while La Prairie caviar cream works more generally over the whole face, but doesn’t penetrate as deeply.
Dr Bunting explains: ‘The ingredients in La Prairie moisturiser prevent water loss from the skin’s surface and plump its appearance, temporarily reducing wrinkles.
Botox is proven to reduce wrinkles by targeting over-active muscles in key trouble zones, such as the frown area. To compare the two is like comparing chalk and cheese.’
POSH AND BECKS ARE LOYAL FANS
Celebrity devotees include film star Angelina Jolie, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks, model Helena Christensen and Victoria Beckham, who uses the £271 Cellular Radiance Eye Cream every night before bed.
Husband David has admitted to stealing it from her, too.
Another male advocate is Rolling Stone Sir Mick Jagger, 74, who’s reportedly a fan of £300 La Prairie facials, while the clinic has also been visited by singers Cher, Diana Ross and the late David Bowie.
The Lake Geneva location has played host to more publicity-shy royals and sports stars over the years — with their identities zealously protected by the discreet La Prairie staff.
ARE THERE ANY SIDE-EFFECTS?
While the caviar in La Prairie has been meticulously sterilised, experts say there may still be risks from some of the active ingredients in the cream.
First, some of the components are classified as irritants, and a number of users have reported red, dry and itchy skin after using La Prairie for the first time.
The company’s creams also contain parabens — preservative chemicals which prevent the growth of bacteria or mould, but which have also been shown to mimic the hormone oestrogen in the body’s cells.
Parabens have been found in breast tumours, so many beauty products are now made without them.
What’s more, Dr Jack says some of the ingredients in La Prairie moisturisers are derived from palm oil, the harvesting of which is destroying rainforests around the planet.