Road Test: La Prairie’s New $820 Face Serum
Pros:
Improves skin texture and tone
Reduces appearance of wrinkles and fine lines
Works quickly
Cons:
At $820 for less than one ounce, it’s an investment product
Thirty-five years after La Prairie first debuted the Skin Caviar line, the Swiss brand is bringing a new product into the fold. Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait, a skin-strengthening, wrinkle-reducing facial serum, is an innovative—if expensive—way to update your skin care routine.
Introduced at the 2022 Art Basel fair in Basel, Switzerland, the serum is housed in an artistic cobalt blue glass vial that stands out from the rest of the Skin Caviar collection. It was inspired by the Bauhaus movement, and the brand is celebrating the unique packaging through a digital exhibition featuring five emerging female artists. “The thing that you see here is a harmony in the proportions between the lines, the curves, the visual elements—they are arranged in a way that you feel that it’s a harmonious appearance of the packaging,” Dr. Daniel Stangl, Research & Development at La Prairie, explains. “Because that was so important to underline that we want to restore harmony in the face.”
What Is the New Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait?
The luxe packaging may be art fair worthy, but it’s the wrinkle-reducing serum inside that makes it special. Despite the high cost (nothing in the collection is less than $200, and the Harmony L’Extrait is now the most expensive in the line at $820), Skin Caviar has a dedicated following of fans who use the entire routine.
It begs the question: With such a loyal legion of customers, why add something new to the fold, more than three decades into Skin Caviar’s success? The brand wanted to go deeper—quite literally—by addressing skin ligaments in the skin’s hypodermis.
“Talking from a science point of view, with this product, we can really say we introduce a paradigm shift in how we can—with cosmetic products—firm, volumize, and even reduce wrinkles,” Stangl explains. “For me, they’re the root cause of sagging, root cause of loss of volume in the development of deep wrinkles.” The technology in Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait, he says, is revolutionary “not only for La Prairie, I think it’s something that’s completely new with the cosmetic industry.”
What Is Skin Caviar?
For those unfamiliar with Caviar Infinite as an ingredient, it has a long history as an anti-aging powerhouse. And yes, these products are made with real Swiss caviar extract.
"Caviar is an outstanding natural product that is able to support life, and its richness in nutrients inspired us to explore its potential as a skincare ingredient," Dr. Jacqueline Hill, La Prairie's director of strategic innovation and science, previously told BAZAAR.com. "We discovered that it nourishes the skin and offers a range of exciting benefits. This triggered the audacious idea to include a caviar extract in a skincare treatment."
The benefits go on and on, according to the brand. “It’s really about lifting. It is about restoring volume, creating new volume in the cheek area, reducing wrinkles—the three major benefits,” Stangl explains. “So anyone who wants to really to [sculpt] out the contours, who wants to add volume in the areas where you start losing [it] when you’re aging, anyone who has concerns about wrinkles, that’s the right product.”
How I Tested It
I received the product in June and have been using it ever since. I apply it as directed; although, if I’m being honest, I use it every other day—and only at night—to help extend the life of the 20-milliliter vial. The product contains tiny microbeads that dissolve as you massage it into the skin, and it feels as luxe as it looks. Once I’ve let the serum absorb for a minute or two, I follow with moisturizer (naturally, the brand recommends its iconic Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, but I’ve been committed to Dr. Whitney Bowe’s Beauty Bowe Glowe this summer).
I’m in my early 30s and in the transition period from preventive anti-aging to actual anti-aging. The lines are beginning to etch in a bit more, and I’m much more interested in results, rather than simply effective hydration. After just a few days of using the serum, I could see a difference: My skin looked plump, more hydrated, and more even toned. I can’t speak to the claims about repairing skin ligaments, of course, but on the outside, things are looking pretty harmonious.
Final Rating: 4.0
If money is no object when it comes to skin care, the Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait will make a lovely addition to your routine. It plumps, hydrates, and tones, and looks gorgeous on your vanity to boot.
Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait is available now for $820 online at laprairie.com.
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