The Regenerating Serum from La Mer

I waited to tell you about La Mer's new powerhouse, The Regenerating Serum ($250). I wanted to use it long enough to speak intelligently about it, although I was tempted to rush notice of its availability into print. As a loyal La Mer customer, I was waiting for its introduction. La Mer spent over four years developing it, and I knew that it was developed using a combination of tried-and-true La Mer ingredients and new technology.

The Regenerating Serum is called a "soothing elixer," which conjures up magical powers. Most of La Mer's products are magical, and this one lives up to its subtitle.

Here is an edited version of La Mer's description of The Regenerating Serum.

Borne from La Mer’s heritage of healing, this transformational serum dramatically diminishes the look of lines and wrinkles and infuses skin with youthfulness.

A powerful anti-aging trio, a high concentrate of The Miracle Broth, The Marine Peptide Ferment, and The Regenerating Ferment, infused with marine plant stem cells and colloidal gold (a hot ingredient in skin care), helps skin trigger this natural production of “youth proteins,” collagen, and elastin. It's even got the antioxidant lime tea in it. Together, the ingredients work to help radically diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles, as well as pores, revealing a vibrant, smoother, and firmer complexion.

In a day, skin looks rejuvenated, glowing with youthful radiance. Over time, skin appears "seemingly ageless."

Why have I become a fan of the new serum?

We have to start with my love for La Mer's Crème de la Mer, The Eye Concentrate, and The Concentrate - all of which are part of my regular skin-care routine. I also love my La Mer masks. La Mer products are good for my skin, and I don't think I'll ever give them up. Do I use other products? Sure! I mix up a cocktail morning and night, layering on various state-of-the-art skin care products, all carefully selected for their ingredients. For much-needed moisture and healing? La Mer!

I always wear a serum, applied first after cleansing morning and night. My skin slurps the first product I apply, so serums are instantly absorbed. They "pave the way" for my next products, always including a moisturizer with anti-aging ingredients.

Toward the end of winter, when I was testing some new serums, I started to notice that my skin didn't seem to have the elasticity it had in the fall. I returned to daily treatments with The Concentrate, and within days, my skin had more bounce. I'm supposed to be telling you about the new serum, but I wanted you to know my baseline - the luxury La Mer product against which I evaluated The Regenerating Serum. I substituted The Regenerating Serum for The Concentrate. Did I dry up again? Nope!

The Regenerating Serum is not as thick as The Concentrate. Not many serums are. The Concentrate is designed for fragile, post-trauma skin on the face and body. The Concentrate complements the skin's own natural healing process. It works to reduce the appearance of scarring resulting from surgery or burns and to soothe the irritation and redness caused by chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, and life. I use it all the time; my skin loves it. There I go again, talking about The Concentrate!

The Regenerating Serum is a lightweight "milky" lotion. It's a lot like the Armani Beauty Crema Nerum Obsidian Mineral Restoring Serum (which I love) in weight, texture, and absorption. Apply The Regenerating Serum, and it will be your second skin within seconds.

It "primes" my skin for the next step perfectly. The next step for me can be Crème de la Mer or one of the other fabulous moisturizers I have been rotating. Recent favorites include MEG 21 Advanced Formula and Chantecaille Nano Gold Energizing Cream.

Does it work, adding value for the money? Yes! I have been using it for about a month, and while I can't isolate its effects from the treatments that share space on my face, I'm hydrated, smooth, and as radiant as it gets. It did diminish fine lines. Did it make all of them totally disappear? No. Anyone who expects that from a serum is delusional (which might be kind of fun for a day or two, but not longer).

The Regenerating Serum will take The Concentrate's place on my face over the summer months when a lightweight serum is de rigueur. I'll rotate it with Armani's Crema Nera serum for my daytime "first layer." Yes, I know you are supposed to use it twice a day, but I have a different night cocktail. If you don't have another serum, definitely use it morning and night.

I am very pleased with The Regenerating Serum! The supreme test? I would rather buy it than more jewelry. Now that's saying something!

You can purchase The Regenerating Serum at the La Mer Web site, Saks, Neiman Marcus, and select Nordstrom locations. La Mer is offering free shipping and samples.

Photo courtesy of La Mer