Love it: La Mer's truly luxurious The Renewal Oil

Crème de la Mer is one of the most well-regarded - and luxurious - skin creams in the world, thanks to its unique use of sea kelp, eco-friendly processing and above all, the astonishing results the cream yields. It’s also one of the world’s most luxe beauty brands, with an avid following of women who collect its iconic creations by the boxful.

Celebrity lovers of the brand include ‘it’ girl Cara Delevingne and her model sister Poppy, famous faces Blake Lively and Jessica Alba and the multitalented powerhouse Jennifer Lopez, who seems to look younger by the year and confesses to covering her body in Crème de la Mer on a nightly basis. But beyond celebrity endorsement, La Mer also has a remarkable back story, which blends ingenuity and perseverance into a miraculous tale about the creation of a brand that thrives today by helping women look younger.

The story began 40 years ago with a NASA scientist named Dr. Max Huber who was badly burned in an explosion at his laboratory. An aerospace physicist, Huber was injured when a routine experiment to develop rocket fuel went wrong, leaving him with severe burns on his hands and face. Dr. Huber went on to survive the accident and set out over the course of the next 12 years to create a product that would help smooth his badly disfigured skin. What began as one man’s journey to repair his own physical imperfections resulted in the creation of a product that would become a modern beauty icon and loved by women all over the world for its ability to halt the ageing process at every turn.

Dr. Huber experimented with an amazing 6,000 combinations before he hit on a concoction that would help to smooth his damaged skin and become the cornerstone in the La Mer line. The beauty of his formula was that the ingredients were quite basic; the success depended on the quantities of sea kelp, lecithin and vitamins he used, and the months that it took to complete the bio-fermentation of the product. The outcome to these trials was a product he named Miracle Broth. From there he went on to create Crème de la Mer, the flagship product in what is now a much expanded – and beautiful - line.

Which brings me to their newest release, the revolutionary golden drop known as The Renewal Oil. I love a truly luxe beauty item – it stirs the senses and the emotions like you wouldn’t believe, and at every turn you feel like you are allowing yourself that little bit of time for extra pampering i.e. true ‘me’ time in every sense of the word. I also love the feel of using oils on my skin – face and body – and news that a brand as luxurious as La Mer were introducing an oil to their carefully curated collection was always going to get me very excited.

I must admit I was a little surprised that it took them this long to get an oil on the market, given the enormous rise in popularity that they have seen in the past few years, but judging by my initial use of the multitasking new formula, I think it just may have been well worth the wait.

The new silky, multi-faceted elixir infuses skin with what the company calls “the look of youth” and inspires endless possibilities due its status as a true beauty multitasker. Miracle Broth – the aforementioned legendary sea-blend at the heart of Crème de la Mer – and sea-sourced actives are bought together in the formula, working in tandem to help to renew and energise the look of skin.

The truly dual-phase elixir unleashes what can only be called a “wave of activity” (seafaring pun intended) in the skin, with collagen production improving dramatically to help soften the look of emerging lines and wrinkles while visibly firming skin. It also smells like pure heaven, so just the ritual of its application is a real selfcare moment in itself.

To use, start by gently shaking the bottle to activate the Miracle Broth. Sweep 3-5 drops over the face and neck morning and evening, or if you’re feeling particularly indulgent massage the nourishing formula into hair, cuticles and dry areas of the body as needed for equally stellar results. You can even add a drop or two to your favourite face cream for a boost of hydration, as the special formula is not your usual heavy-duty oil but rather a versatile and lightweight take on a major beauty trend. Impressed? I was, and I don’t think I’m alone in falling head over heels for the stuff.