Using a heavy dose of retinol (vitamin A), Sisley's $202-per-ounce moisturizer also contains a "vegetal extract rich in ursolic acid" (a cancer-cell-fighting acid found in fruits such as apples and cranberries). Sisley recommends the cream for those over age 30 who need free-radical protection and stress relief. (Sorry, no mental therapist included).
At $235 per ounce, Chanel's most expensive cream contains Planifolia PFA, "an ultra-pure, ultra-powerful ingredient created through an exclusive purification technique developed by Chanel." Huh? Let us clarify. That ultra-powerful ingredient, "unique plant" and "potent fruit" is vanilla, from the antioxidant-rich Vanilla Planifolia orchid "unearthed from the farthest reaches of Madagascar" (otherwise known as vanilla's primary growing region). According to Chanel, 231.5 pounds of Vanilla Planifolia are needed to produce 35.2 ounces of Planifolia PFA (which is about 11 pounds of orchid per individual pot).
Designer lipstick? $29. Top-of-the-line eyelash curler? $19. Eternal youth in a jar? Evidently, the sky's the limit. While beauty and skin care secrets go from today's obsessions with Botox and sunscreen all the way back to Cleopatra's milk-and-honey baths, maintaining a youthful appearance has always involved smooth, hydrated skin. That said, although the world's most legendary beauties regularly get expensive facials and splurge on high-tech treatments, we bet even they think twice about dropping an entire grand on a palm-sized tub of anti-aging moisturizer. (You read that right; we said "an entire grand.")
So what makes skin care so ridiculously expensive? Well, aside from the selling power behind a luxury brand name or celebrity spokesperson, trendy ingredients such as gold, platinum and caviar, time-intensive research, and impressive packaging are some of the main contributors to the whopping prices of face cream. And while many of these pricey products seem to work according to their fans, resentment over high prices can sometimes undermine their success. For example, Chanel's much-hyped Sublimage Essential Regenerating Cream was once called "a waste of time" that was "most certainly not worth even close to the price" despite pleasant reviews that called it a "miracle cream." Ouch.
While you need not be a Kardashian to afford effective, sans frills skin care), you can still get a kick out of these freakishly expensive anti-aging skin care creams — and the key (ingredients) to their success. Let your eyes do all the splurging on this one.
