When I reviewed Creme De La Mer, I compared it to Nivea Creme. The two have more in common than the fancy seaweed cream dares to admit. But just how similar are they? Could you just use Nivea Cream as a dupe of La Mer – and save yourself hundreds of dollars each year without compromising the youthfulness and brightness of your skin? To find out, let’s take a look at the ingredients of all three creams. No, that’s not a typo. There are two versions of Nivea Creme. The German version (sold in Europe and almost impossible to find in the US), and the US version (sold, well.. in the US). Let’s get started:
What Ingredients Do Creme De La Mer And Nivea Creme Have In Common?
MINERAL OIL TO MOISTURISE SKIN
Mineral oil gets a bad rep because it’s derived from oil. But half of the ingredients used in cosmetics are, and most of them don’t attract the same vicious criticism… And nope, they’re not dangerous. Not even mineral oil. All the nasty and toxic stuff in petroleum has been removed through a rigorous purifying process.
Cosmetic grade mineral oil is safe, and one of the most moisturizing ingredients available today. It works by creating a barrier on the skin that slows down water loss. But that’s not the only reason why it is so widely used. Mineral oil is also non-irritating and noncomedogenic (but if you use products with comedogenic ingredients, they will get trapped under the barrier mineral oil creates, and that could lead to breakouts).
Related: 5 Myths You Need To Stop Believing About Mineral Oil
PETROLATUM TO WATERPROOF AND MOISTURISE SKIN
Like mineral oil, petrolatum is derived from oil, purified and safe. It doesn’t penetrate skin, but remains on its surface, where it forms a water-repellent film that keeps skin moisturized. It also helps reduce inflammation and heal skin. But only Creme De La Mer and the US version of Nivea Creme use this ingredient. It’s why they are greasier and stickier than the German version.
GLYCERIN TO HYDRATE SKIN
It seems like every skincare product contains glycerin, doesn’t it? That’s because glycerin is a good humectant that can attract water from the environment into the skin, hydrating it. Together with mineral oil and petrolatum, it makes these thick creams godsends for dry skin.
Related: Why Is Glycerin In All My Skincare Products?
What Else Is In Creme De La Mer And Nivea Creme?
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
Red: What is this doing here?!
CREME DE LA MER INGREDIENTS
Seaweed (Algae) Extract: La Mer’s Miracle Broth, it has seaweed extract that underwent a fermentation process to make it produce lactic acid. Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that has exfoliant properties: it can make skin look brighter, smoother, and more even-toned. But there really is no need to spend so much for it. So many products have lactic acid or other exfoliant that work better for a fraction of the cost.
Isohexadecane: A solvent that dissolves other ingredients in the formula.
Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Extract: A citrusy extract that makes the cream smell good, but can irritate sensitive skin.
Microcrystalline Wax \Cera Microcristallina\Cire Microcristalline: It thickens skincare products and gives them a smooth texture.
Lanolin Alcohol: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil: Derived from sesame seeds, it creates a protective barrier on the skin that keeps moisture in, making skin softer and plumper.
Eucalyptus Globulus (Ecalyptus) Leaf Oil: It makes the cream smell good, but it’s a common allergen that can irritate sensitive skin.
Magnesium Sulfate: Known as Epsom salt, it thickens the texture of skincare products.
Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed: It’s loaded with fatty acids that deeply moisturise skin.
Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder: This plant extract is said to have collagen-boosting properties that work as well as retinol. If that were true, everyone would be using it. Just saying…
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake: a residue from the expression of oil from theseedcake of the sunlfower, it has moisturising properties.
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal: It lubricates skin, providing a soft feel to it.
Sodium Gluconate: A humectant that increases moisture level in your skin while keeping the formula stable.
Potassium Gluconate: Another humectant that increases moisture level in your skin, leaving it softer and smoother.
Copper Gluconate: It has soothing properties that keep skin in a constant state of repair, helping it to always look its best.
Calcium Gluconate: It has soothing properties for skin.
Magnesium Gluconate: It makes skin softer and smoother.
Zinc Gluconate: A preservative that keeps skincare products safe from nasty bacteria for longer.
Paraffin: It provides a protective barrier on the skin that keeps it hydrated and safe from environmental aggressors.
Tocopheryl Succinate: A form of Vitamin E that has powerful antioxidant benefits for skin.
Niacin: A type of Vitamin B3, like niacinamide. It has powerful antioxidant properties.
Beta-Carotene: Another powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals.
Decyl Oleate: A skin conditioning agent that quickly increases skin’s moisture levels.
Aluminum Distearate: A stabilizer and thickening agent.
Octyldodecanol: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother. It’s also an emollient that improves the texture of skincare products.
Citric Acid: It helps to adjust the pH of skincare products.
Cyanocobalamin: A form of Vitamin B12, an antioxidant. It gets a yellow rating cos there’s not much proof it does much for skin.
Magnesium Stearate: A lubricant that makes skin softer.
Panthenol: A humectant that soothes and hydrates skin.
Limonene: Found in citrus fruits, it makes skincare products smell great. But it must be listed separately on the packaging because it’s a common allergen.
Geraniol: A fragrance ingredient extracted from geranium. It makes the cream smell good, but it’s a common allergen.
Linalool: Found in citrus fruits and lavender, it makes skincare products smell good. But it can irritate skin.
Hydroxycitronellal: It has a floral scent that makes the cream smell good. You’ve guessed it, it’s irritating.
Citronellol: Another fragrant ingredient. Smells good, may irritate skin.
Benzyl Salicylate: A fragrance additive. It helps the cream smell good, but it can irritate skin.
Citral: It smells like lemon, but it can irritate skin.
Alcohol Denat.: It thins the texture and enhances the penetration of skincare ingredients. In high doses, it can irritate skin, but it’s unlikely to do it in the trace amounts present here.
Fragrance (Parfum): The most irritating ingredient in skincare products, it does make them smell good.
NIVEA CREME (GERMAN VERSION) INGREDIENTS
Aqua: The main solvent in the cream, it helps to dissolve other ingredients. It hydrates skin, too.
Cera Microcristallina: It thickens skincare products and gives them a smooth texture.
Lanolin Alcohol (Eucerit): An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
Paraffin: It provides a protective barrier on the skin that keeps it hydrated and safe from environmental aggressors.
Panthenol: A humectant that soothes and hydrates skin.
Decyl Oleate: A skin conditioning agent that quickly increases skin’s moisture levels.
Octyldodecanol: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother. It’s also an emollient that improves the texture of skincare products.
Aluminum Stearate: A thickening agent and stabiliser.
Citric Acid: It helps to adjust the pH of skincare products.
Magnesium Sulfate: Known as Epsom salt, it thickens the texture of skincare products.
Magnesium Stearate: A lubricant that makes skin softer.
Parfum: The most irritating ingredient in skincare products, it does make them smell good.
Limonene: Found in citrus fruits, it makes skincare products smell great. But it must be listed separately on the packaging because it’s a common allergen.
Geraniol: A fragrance ingredient extracted from geranium. It makes the cream smell good, but it’s a common allergen.
Hydroxycitronellal: It has a floral scent that makes the cream smell good. You’ve guessed it, it’s irritating.
Linalool: Found in citrus fruits and lavender, it makes skincare products smell good. But it can irritate skin.
Citronellol: Another fragrant ingredient. Smells good, may irritate skin.
Benzyl Benzoate: A volatile fragrance ingredient that makes the cream smell good, but is a common allergen.
Cinnamyl Alcohol: A fragrance ingredient that contains extracts from cinnamon and balsam of Peru. It smells great, but can irritate skin.
NIVEA CREME (US VERSION)
Water: The main solvent in the cream, it helps to dissolve other ingredients. It hydrates skin, too.
Microcrystalline Wax: It thickens skincare products and gives them a smooth texture.
Lanolin Alcohol: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
Beeswax (Apis Mellifera): A thicken agent that also has emollient properties for skin.
Panthenol: A humectant that soothes and hydrates skin.
Alcohol: It thins the texture of skincare products, but can be drying. There are enough emollients to counteract that here, but if you know your skin is very sensitive to it, be careful.
Magnesium Sulfate: Known as Epsom salt, it thickens the texture of skincare products.
Decyl Oleate: A skin conditioning agent that quickly increases skin’s moisture levels.
Octyldodecanol: An emollient that makes skin softer and smoother. It’s also an emollient that improves the texture of skincare products.
Aluminum Stearate: A thickening agent and stabiliser.
Fragrance: The most irritating ingredient in skincare products, it does make them smell good.
Citric Acid: It helps to adjust the pH of skincare products.
Magnesium Stearate: A lubricant that makes skin softer.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone: A preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, and yeast in your skincare products. But it can irritate sensitive skin.
Methylisothiazolinone: Another preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi, and yeast in your skincare products. But it can irritate sensitive skin.
WHICH FORMULA IS BETTER?
All these creams use the same emollients and thickening agents, including mycrocrystalline wax and lanolin alcohol. This means the base of Creme De La Mer and Nivea Creme (US version) is pretty much identical.
Although super similar, Nivea and La Mer aren’t 100% identical. Creme De La Mer contains a bunch of antioxidants, which, at first sight, makes it a much better option than the cheaper Nivea Creme. Unfortunately, it’s packaged in a jar that makes the antioxidants go bad quickly. Antioxidants are very delicate ingredients and they lose a bit of their effectiveness every time they are exposed to light and air (every time you open the jar, basically).
But what about the Miracle Broth that makes Creme De La Mer so popular? It has seaweed extract that underwent a fermentation process to make it produce lactic acid. Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that has exfoliant properties: it can make skin look brighter, smoother, and more even-toned. But there really is no need to spend so much for it – especially when it works better as a single ingredient than in an algae.
The base of Creme De La Mer and Nivea Creme (US version) is pretty much identical. The main difference is that the German version doesn’t contain petrolatum, so it’s lighter.
Nivea Cream lacks the algae and antioxidants in Creme De La Mer. But, the algae can’t really exfoliate skin as claimed, and the jar packaging won’t keep antioxidants effective for longer.
Even if you use Creme De La Mer, I’d still recommend a separate antioxidant serum and a separate exfoliant. You can get Nivea + the other two products for less than the price of Creme De La Mer. Just saying…
Related: My Full Review Of Creme De La Mer
Want more dupes? Click on the image below to subscribe to the newsletter and receive the “Skincare Dupes” cheatsheet with all my fave dupes:
What’s The Texture Like?
Creme De La Mer has a rich and creamy texture that takes a minute or so to absorb.
Nivea Cream has a rich and creamy texture too. The German version of Nivea Creme is the smoothest and less greasy of all of them. That’s what happens when you take Petrolatum out of the equation.
Review: My Full Review Of Nivea Creme
What’s The Packaging Like?
Creme De La Mer comes in a white jar. I don’t like it because it has antioxidants that get spoiled when exposed to light and air. It may have some antiaging properties when you first open the jar, but they won’t last too long if you leave it open.
Nivea Cream comes in a blue jar. I don’t mind it as much. There’s nothing here that can go bad quickly when exposed to light and air.
Related: Why You Should Avoid Jar Packaging
How To Use Them
Like all moisturisers, you can use them twice a day. In the morning, apply them just before sunscreen. At night, they’re the last step of your skincare routine. You don’t need to use a facial oil with these – unless you want to.
Which Of The Two Should You Go For?
I’m not a huge fan of either cream. Nivea Creme is too basic: it only moisturises dry skin. Creme De La Mer is a fancier version that’s not worth the high price tag, in my opinion. If you really need a basic moisturizing cream, go with Nivea. Why pay more when you don’t have to?
Availability
Creme De La Mer ($200): available at Creme De La Mer, Cult Beauty, Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom, Sephora, and SpaceNK
Nivea Creme (US version) ($6.97): available at Target and Walmart
Nivea Creme (German version) ($5.99): available at Boots and Superdrug
Is Nivea Creme A Dupe For Creme De La Mer?
CREME DE LA MER
NIVEA CREME (EU)
NIVEA CREME (US)
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin.
Mineral oil and glycerin.
Mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Antioxidants and exfoliating algae.
Nothing of note.
Nothing of note.
TEXTURE
Rich and creamy, takes a couple of minutes to absorb.
Creamy, but lighter than the other two versions.
Rich and creamy, takes a couple of minutes to absorb.
PACKAGING
Jar. If you leave it open, you compromise the effectiveness of the antioxidants.
Jar, but there’s nothing that goes bad when exposed to light and air here.
Jar, but there’s nothing that goes bad when exposed to light and air here.
PERFORMANCE
Makes skin softer and smoother, protects it from environmental aggressors and has some antioxidant properties. But it doesn’t exfoliate skin well.
Makes skin softer and smoother and protects it from environmental aggressors.
Makes skin softer and smoother and protects it from environmental aggressors.
IRRITATING POTENTIAL
Low.
Low.
Low.
So, Is Nivea Creme A Dupe For Creme De La Mer? Creme De La Mer and Nivea Creme are very similar but not exact dupes. They’re both basic moisturizers that make even the driest of skin feel soft and smooth for hours. Creme De La Mer is slightly better because it contains seaweeds that produce lactic acid, but that’s not enough to justify the high price tag imo.
Personally, I’d go with Nivea and use the money so saved to buy a AHAs exfoliant or antioxidant rich serum. And, that way, I’d still have plenty of money left to splurge on makeup. 😉
Creme De La Mer Ingredients
Seaweed (Algae) Extract , Mineral Oil\Paraffinum Liquidum\Huile Minerale , Petrolatum , Glycerin , Isohexadecane , Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Extract , Microcrystalline Wax \Cera Microcristallina\Cire Microcristalline , Lanolin Alcohol , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil , Eucalyptus Globulus (Ecalyptus) Leaf Oil , Magnesium Sulfate , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed , Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder , Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal , Sodium Gluconate , Potassium Gluconate , Copper Gluconate , Calcium Gluconate , Magnesium Gluconate , Zinc Gluconate , Paraffin , Tocopheryl Succinate , Niacin , Beta-Carotene , Decyl Oleate , Aluminum Distearate , Octyldodecanol , Citric Acid , Cyanocobalamin , Magnesium Stearate , Panthenol , Limonene , Geraniol , Linalool , Hydroxycitronellal , Citronellol , Benzyl Salicylate , Citral , Alcohol Denat. , Fragrance (Parfum)
Nivea Creme (German Version) Ingredients
Aqua, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cera Microcristallina, Glycerin, Lanolin Alcohol (Eucerit), Paraffin, Panthenol, Decyl Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Aluminum Stearates, Citric Acid, Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Stearate, Parfum, Limonene, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, Cinnamyl Alcohol.
Nivea Creme (US Version Ingredients)
Water, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Petrolatum, Glycerin, Microcrystalline Wax, Lanolin Alcohol, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Panthenol, Alcohol, Magnesium Sulfate, Decyl Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Aluminum Stearate, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
About Gio
Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.
