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It may be that time of year when you’re preparing to bunker down beside an open fire and pack away the bikini for another six months, but just because winter is upon us doesn’t mean that you have to avoid the ocean completely.
In fact, we positively encourage you to make the most of the healing properties of the sea as the cooler weather descends. But choose your sources wisely.
If the thought of dipping your toes into the Pacific Ocean as the mercury drops has you reaching for the doona, then get your dose of marine life through La Mer’s cult product, The Concentrate. Since its launch in 2005, The Concentrate has garnered global devotees for its luxe, and highly nourishing, properties – the perfect antidote to dry and damaged winter skin.
The ultra-potent elixir is also known for its intensely renewing properties, with the formula assist with the appearance of scarring and help to visibly diminish the appearance of irritation and redness. Beauty buffs will know the history of La Mer, and how this story created a brand philosophy based around these key concepts of renewing and nourishing.
How it Began
La Mer began in California in the 1960s, when German-born aerospace physicist Max Hubert looked to the sea, sky and earth to find a healing solution for his own skin. Hubert suffered serious burns during a lab accident, and was searching for a way to not only moisturise, but to also heal his wounds and restore his skin to its pre-accident condition.
Over the course of 12 years and some 6,000 experiments using Macrocystis pyrifera, a variety of kelp found in the ocean near his California home, Huber created the key ingredient used in all La Mer products: the Miracle Broth.
The broth was incorporated into the first La Mer skincare product, Crème de la Mer, in 1965, and also became the star ingredient in The Concentrate when it launched some 40 years later.
Hubert passed away in 1991, and sadly didn’t leave records on how the Miracle Broth was conceived. Hubert’s daughter talked to Estée Lauder, who purchased the La Mer brand the same year, with the goal of deciphering what was left in the lab to recreate the La Mer broth. Which they did, of course, and that original formula is still the heart of every La Mer product.
The Miracle Broth
Like its sister products, The Concentrate is infused with a high dose of La Mer’s soothing Miracle Broth, a blend of sea kelp, calcium, magnesium, potassium, lecithin, iron, vitamins, C, E and B12, plus oils of citrus, eucalyptus, wheat germ, alfalfa and sunflower. The ingredients are combined over three to four months using a process of biofermentation. The formula also contains Concentrated Miracle Broth, and a blend of Lime Tea and marine plant extracts, to give skin the energy it needs to naturally repair itself and protect against environmental aggressors.
This powerful yet healing formula is suspended within what La Mer aptly describe as a “breathable liquid bandage”, to slowly and optimally deliver goodness to the skin.
True to Hubert’s original goal, The Concentrate is a key force when it comes to helping renew skin and improve the appearance of scars. Ideally used in tandem with that original Crème de la Mer formula, it’s also a treat for damaged winter skin, replacing any feelings of skin of tightness or tautness with silky soft suppleness and smoothness.
