Moisturizer dupes: La Mer, Tatcha and Drunk Elephant
A moisturizer is mostly its base, and the base is where these pairs meet: mineral oil, petrolatum and glycerin under both Crème de la Mer and Nivea Creme, water, dimethicone and glycerin under both Tatcha's Water Cream and Hydro Boost, ceramide NP in both Ceramidin and CeraVe.
What are the best dupes for La Mer, Tatcha, Drunk Elephant and other luxury moisturizers?
NIVEA Creme Moisturizing Cream, about $11.80 ($0.87 / fl oz), against the $200 La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream, 99% less. Both are built on a mineral oil, petrolatum and glycerin base, which does most of the moisturizing. NIVEA lacks the kelp ferment and has a stronger scent. The price difference is more than 250× per ml.
1. NIVEA Creme Moisturizing Cream
for La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream
$11.80vs $200−99% per oz
#32 in Body Creams on Amazon
Both are built on a mineral oil, petrolatum and glycerin base, which does most of the moisturizing.
What it does worse: NIVEA lacks the kelp ferment and has a stronger scent.
2. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
for Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream
$21.74 $25.99vs $315−97% per oz
#1 in Face Moisturizers on Amazon
Same barrier-repair job with ceramide-3, niacinamide and glycerin, the workhorse ingredients doing most of the visible work in The Rich Cream.
What it does worse: No TFC8 growth-factor complex, a lighter texture and a far plainer jar, so it reads as a pharmacy cream rather than a luxury one.
3. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
for Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream
$15.97vs $52−97% per oz
Same barrier-repair base: glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, caprylic/capric triglyceride and ceramide NP lead both formulas.
What it does worse: Jart+ adds shea butter and a bifida ferment.
4. Vaseline Advanced Repair Body Lotion, Unscented
for Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+
$9.98vs $34−96% per oz
Made the same way: glycerin, mineral oil and petrolatum held in a stearic acid and triethanolamine emulsion with glyceryl stearate, the system under Clinique's yellow lotion, and both are fragrance-free.
What it does worse: Clinique adds sesame oil, urea, lanolin alcohol and hyaluronic acid and is sold for the face, while Vaseline adds panthenol, dimethicone and sunflower oil and is sold for the body, in a bottle nearly eight times the size.
5. NIVEA Soft Moisturizing Creme
for Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré
$10.99 $11.99vs $32−95% per oz
Same old-school recipe: mineral oil, stearic acid and glyceryl stearate in a light cream that sinks in and sits well under makeup.
What it does worse: Embryolisse adds beeswax, shea butter, aloe and soy protein, while NIVEA uses myristyl alcohol and glycerin with a little petrolatum, jojoba oil and vitamin E, and contains some denatured alcohol.
6. CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
for SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2
$15.44 $21.99vs $155−90% per oz
#1 in Facial Night Creams on Amazon
Both rebuild the skin barrier with the same lipids: ceramides NP and EOP (SkinCeuticals calls them ceramides 3 and 1) and cholesterol in a glycerin cream, and CeraVe's is the budget pick in A Beauty Edit's test of three Triple Lipid Restore dupes.
What it does worse: What CeraVe doesn't copy is the ratio: SkinCeuticals puts cholesterol fifth on its label and says 4%, while in CeraVe it comes 28th of 40, after the niacinamide and hyaluronic acid it adds with two peptides. CeraVe has no added fragrance; SkinCeuticals is scented with lavender, rosemary and peppermint oils.
7. POND'S Fresh Hydration Gel Face Moisturizer
for Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator
$9.87vs $65−88% per oz
The same kind of gel-cream: water, dimethicone, glycerin and butylene glycol lead both labels, set with the same gelling polymer (ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer), so it feels light and sinks in fast.
What it does worse: Clinique adds trehalose, aloe bioferment, caffeine and green tea and is fragrance-free, while POND'S adds niacinamide and vitamin E and is scented.
8. e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Face Cream
for Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
$13vs $74−82% per oz
#30 in Face Moisturizers on Amazon
Similar bouncy texture and a dewy finish, in the same jar size.
What it does worse: It's lighter, so very dry skin may need an oil on top. Fragrance-free.
9. The INKEY List Peptide Moisturizer
for Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
$12.60 $18vs $68−81% per oz
Same signal-peptide-plus-amino-acid build in the same whipped cream texture, aimed at firmness rather than heavy hydration.
What it does worse: Fewer peptide types and no growth factor blend, and it absorbs faster, which suits oily skin better than dry.
10. Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer
for Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
$13.29 $14.95vs $39−81% per oz
#2 in Face Moisturizers on Amazon
Squalane and glycerin lead both formulas, in a light cream that absorbs fast and layers under sunscreen or makeup.
What it does worse: Kiehl's adds dimethicone and apricot, avocado and olive oils for a softer finish; Vanicream skips the oils and adds hyaluronic acid and five ceramides.
11. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream
for Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Moisturizer
$23.99vs $105−76% per oz
#12 in Face Moisturizers on Amazon
Same rich, fast-plumping texture and a similar peptide plus hyaluronic acid approach, in the same jar size.
What it does worse: No rosehip oil and a more clinical scent.
12. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
for Tatcha The Water Cream
$20.24 $24.35vs $74−72% per oz
#63 in Face Moisturizers on Amazon
The same oil-free, silicone-slippy gel that sinks in without a greasy film, on the base Tatcha starts from: water, dimethicone and glycerin, with hyaluronic acid on both labels.
What it does worse: None of Tatcha's rice ferment, Japanese botanicals or gold, and it is a polymer-thickened water gel rather than a water-in-silicone cream, so it never gives the burst on contact the Water Cream is bought for.
How this list was made
What the luxury jar adds is the ingredient it is sold on, a kelp ferment, a growth-factor complex, a rice ferment, and no dupe here carries it. Each comparison names that ingredient, so you can decide whether it is what you are paying for.
