Naturally, when I see an $860 price tag on any kind of skincare product, I’m immediately skeptical. Although I do love high-end skincare, I only love it when it actually works and offers something to the market that’s incredibly innovative. Luxury beauty brand La Prairie is doing just that. The brand’s best-selling Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait is a revolutionary serum that targets fine lines, sagging, and a loss of volume within the skin using La Prairie’s luxurious blend of caviar ingredients along with a few new tricks of the trade.
Being the beauty editor that I am, I knew I had to get my hands on this formula to give it a try for myself and see if it’s worth the money. If you’re curious about my experience with the product and want to learn more about what it has to offer, keep reading below.
Trust me, I know. The price tags on La Prairie products might give you a minor heart attack, but if there were ever a brand I would say is worth it, it would be this one. La Prairie reigns supreme in the category of youth-enhancing products—they’ve reached full-on cult status. Editors and celebrities like Margot Robbie swear by the brand’s Skin Caviar Luxe Cream ($595) and its Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Cream ($435).
Today, I’m going to share my honest thoughts on the brand’s newest offering, the Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait ($860). This youth-boosting serum is unique because it targets skin ligaments—the skin’s vertical pillars. Skin ligaments are directly related to the skin’s health and overall harmony. They form a flexible network throughout the hypodermis (bottom) layer of your skin and build stability. With age, the ligaments tend to weaken and get pulled down by gravity. L’Extrait aims to target this through groundbreaking technology that allowed the brand to identify the components of skin ligaments and replicate them. It contains micro-fluidic beads within the formula that melt into the surrounding gel, lifting and firming the skin. Over time, contours will appear resculpted, volume will be regained, and wrinkles vastly reduced. Hence, the $860 price tag. It’s pretty revolutionary stuff. I gave it a try for a few weeks—see my thoughts below.
I’ll start by admitting that I may not be the best test subject for this kind of product. I’m 30 and don’t have many wrinkles yet, but I’m a firm believer in starting a youth-enhancing skincare routine at a young age if you want to see those lasting results. I was also just incredibly intrigued by the technology this product offers.
Housed in the brand’s iconic cobalt-blue bottle, Harmony L’Extrait immediately looks and feels luxurious. Although using the product for a week wasn’t a whole lot of time, I definitely noticed that my skin started to feel firmer and even looked brighter. I also have to note that the product does have a strong fragrance, which I don’t love. If this bothers you or your skin is sensitive to fragrance, you might want to skip this one.
I’ll also admit that I have crow’s-feet forming around my eye area. No matter how much eye cream I use, my eye area still gets dry (ugh). After using the Harmony L’Extrait for a bit, though, I noticed a visible difference in hydration around that area and a softening of those lines. I was definitely happy about that and even noticed a difference around my smile lines, which are getting pretty deep. What can I say? I love to laugh. I also struggle with breakouts from time to time. The formula isn’t really designed to target breakouts, but my skin still had a bit of extra radiance to it that wasn’t there before.
Overall, I really like this product and think that it actually works. I’m going to continue using it for the next few months to see what kind of results I see then. Again, I knew that given my young age and the use of this product for a few weeks, there wouldn’t be dramatic results. If anything, it can be a great serum to use preventatively. I’ve shared a photo of what my skin looks like now anyway. The fine lines around my eyes have definitely softened, and you can tell when I smile. After just one week of use, I’d say that’s extremely impressive.
If you’re looking for a product that’s groundbreaking in its technology and could possibly even act as an alternative to things like Botox or a face-lift, this just might be it. The technology is so revolutionary, and if you were to start using this in your late 20s or early 30s and stuck with it for some time, I think it could eliminate the need for more invasive treatments altogether. If you’d like to dip your toe into using a serum like this without fully committing to an $860 price tag, keep scrolling below for a few wallet-friendlier options.
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.