Insider’s Guide to the Best Luxury Skincare Products

New season, new skincare routine. As you contemplate the start of a new season, it’s the perfect time to get smart about the latest in luxury skincare. Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has the scoop on what you need to know right now. From luxury cleansing and moisturizing products, to serums, eye cream, masks, and sunscreen: here’s our insider’s guide to the best luxury skincare products right now.

its time to revitalize your skin care regimen

There is no better time than the start of spring to revitalize your skin care regimen. We’ve shared the latest on the best luxury facials. But at the end of the day, we all have to go DIY on a daily basis. So what changes should you consider for your optimal skin-care routine right now?

If you’ve been splurging on heavy duty creams to protect your skin all winter, now you can lighten the load and invest in other skincare categories. Treat your skin well now for the confidence to be that bare-faced au naturale beauty come summer…and maybe, even all year round.

We’re all familiar with high-end skincare lines like La Mer, Sisley Paris, Natura Bisse and La Prairie. They’re endorsed by countless celebrities, heavily supported with brand advertising, and prominently displayed in luxury department stores the world over.

But what if we told you that there was a secret world of luxury skincare that only dermatologists and ultra-high end facialists (and their well-heeled clients) know about?  And what if we told you that our beauty insiders tell us that these products work even better than the brands we just mentioned?

Care to hear more?

insider’s guide to the best luxury skincare products

Recently, we got the inside scoop on some of these under-the-radar (and crazy-expensive) luxury skincare products. From cleansing and exfoliating to moisturizing and masks, we’re sharing our top picks, collected from skin care gurus and women-in-the-know.

1. Cleansers and Exfoliators:

Medical Beauty Research Beta Enzyme 

Medical Beauty Research (MBR) is a German spa exclusive brand offering high-performance skincare using concentrated premium ingredients for optimal skin compatibility.  This gentle exfoliator sloughs away dead cells and excess oil, leaving skin baby soft. It’s a favorite of skin care gurus and master aestheticians like New York’s Vicki Morav – $173.

Amanda Lacey Cleansing Pomade

Lathering face washes might trick us into feeling like we’re getting our skin really clean but the truth is, they can be very harsh and strip our skin of their natural moisture. This British by-referral-only facialist bottled her expertise into a luscious balm that melts into the skin to remove makeup and impurities, while soothing it with essential oils and antioxidants. – $110.

Clé de Peau Beauté Gentle Cleansing Milk

Users describe Clé de Peau Beauté Gentle Cleansing Milk as not too harsh and yet extremely effective.  This cleanser helps remove light makeup quickly; the alcohol-free formula helps counteract the effects of air pollution on the skin’s surface. The texture is ideal for drier skin types and those that prefer an alternative to trendy cleansing oils – $75.

2. Toners:

Dr. Barbara Sturm Balancing Toner

This hardworking toner by Dr. Sturm, famed German aesthetician, removes the last traces of impurities left after cleansing, reduces pore size and restores the natural pH level of the skin. Hyaluronic Acid provides a boost of moisture leaving skin balanced and well-nourished. – $75.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

We can’t have a category for toners and NOT include SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. This is the staple product found in all of our youthful looking Asian friends’ vanities and medicine cabinets.  Its signature ingredient, Pitera, is a yeast-derived extract containing amino acids, minerals and vitamins discovered when scientists happened upon the soft and ageless hands of sake brewers. It improves skin’s radiance, decrease wrinkles and lightens dark spots. -$179.

3. Moisturizers:

3Lab “M” Cream

3Lab “M” Cream hydrates and firms the skin thanks to a combination of Apple Stem Cell Technology and Bio-Engineered Renewal Complex. In fact, “M” Cream uses stem cells from “a rare Swiss apple,” which sounds like something out of a fairy tale; it very well may be for how amazing this cream makes your skin look and feel. This de-stressing cream works to increase resiliency, while also giving the skin a natural radiant glow – 2 oz., $300.

PCA Skin HydraLuxe Intensive Hydration

Meet the future of skincare.  Thanks to adaptive technology, PCA Skin’s Hydraluxe moisturizer adjusts to varying temperature and humidity levels to deliver the optimal level of hydration you need at any given moment. So if you apply it while you’re skiing in Jackson Hole, it’s going to work differently than if you use it while you on the beach in Spain. How cool is that? – $147.

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream  

This 50 year-old Korean beauty brand has combined the time-honored wisdom of traditional Korean herbs with cutting-edge science. Formulated with roots, berries and water of rare five-year-old Korean ginseng, this consistently sold out cream stimulates cell regeneration, revitalizes and ultimately restores youthful looking skin. – $240.

4. Facial Treatments:

Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant 

This mask does it all – it balances, brightens, tones and refreshes your complexion.  Users and experts alike swear by it, including skin expert and owner of Rescue Spa, Danuta Mieloch.  She says “if you do Masque Vivant at least twice a week you’ll never age.” This unique mask contains live yeast extracts which are packed with amino acids and famously nourishing Vitamin B. It’s frequently sold out.  And we are placing our order in 3,2,1… – $70.

May Lindstrom The Problem Solver Correcting Masque

Everything you need to know about the May Lindstrom The Problem Solver Correcting Masque  is in its name. If you have any problems with your skin—hyper-pigmentation, whiteheads, blackheads, redness, literally anything—this mask will solve it. And as an added bonus, it’s all-natural! – $100.

iS Clinical Active Serum

Beloved by reputable skin care clinics on both coasts, this serum targets the unfortunate, but all too common problem of having fine lines and acne simultaneously. Users reports seeing a difference in a few days thanks to its effective formula of mushrooms, lactic, glycolic and salicylic acids. And if you love that tingly “it’s working” feeling, this serum is for you. -$135.

Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum

Cult brand Vintner’s Daughter’s Active Botanical Serum gets rave reviews from the fashion and beauty press. They launched with one iconic product: a “multi-correctional” face oil infused with 22 of the world’s most nutrient-rich botanicals. At the heart of Active Botanical Serum is the brand’s Phyto Radiance Infusion. Its ingredients are whole plants sourced from conscious growers around the globe – and the distillation process takes three weeks to complete. Need proof that it’s a hot brand? Lady Gaga wore it to the Oscars. – $185.

You might also be interested to know that after five years, a second product from Vintner’s Daughter is making its debut this spring: the Active Treatment Essence. Stay tuned for the response to this SK-II facial essence competitive product.

5. Eye Creams:

Valmont L’Elixir Des Glaciers Vos Yeux

Devoted users of Valmont L’Elixir des Glaciers Vos Yeux Eye Cream swear that fine lines and wrinkles are reduced, unsightly shadows and puffiness are smoothed away and the eyes sparkle with new-found brightness. Expert facialitsts agree that it leaves your skin wonderfully soft, hydrated, supple and radiant. – $340.

NeoCutis Lumiere Bio-Restorative Eye Cream

If you haven’t heard about NeoCutis Lumiere Bio-Restorative Eye Cream from your dermatologist, then you heard it from us first. This expert-recommended eye cream hydrates with hyaluronic acid and reps a combo of vitamins A and E plus antioxidants to help undo puffiness and smooth over fine lines. – $97.

Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream with Diamond Powder

“You look tired.” “Are you sick?” Banish these dreaded words once and for all. This must-have emollient blend of Hyaluronic Acid and Shea Butter provides a time-released cushion of rich and lasting moisture. While it works to successfully reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles and loss of elasticity, the diamond powder and minerals subtly illuminate with photo-luminescence for that youthful glow. – $95.

6. Sun Protection:

3Lab WW Day Cream SPF 40 

3Lab WW Day Cream is a multi-functional cream that provides every day protection from damaging UVA/ UVB rays while also fighting against the signs of aging. It’s an ideal makeup base, moisturizer and SPF 40 broad spectrum sunscreen. Fans say that improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, brightening, tightening and soothing the skin while protecting against the sun and environmental damage – $385.

Medical Beauty Research High Protection Face Cream SPF 30

Medical Beauty Research High Protection Face Cream SPF 30. MBR’s High Protection Face Cream is has been formulated based on the latest findings in medicine and biotechnology. The velvety-soft and highly-effective cream reliably protects, cares for and regenerates skin that is not yet acclimatized to the sun (and yes, sunscreen is necessary, even in the winter) – $155.

Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk Ex SPF50+

Many of our serious skincare fanatic friends swear by this popular Korean beauty brand’s “sun milk.” The essence is lightweight, hydrating and melts into your skin like a serum. If you haven’t tried K-beauty products yet, make this your first. – $22.

There you have it – our insider’s guide on the latest in luxury skincare products.

If you’re ready to do some spring cleaning in your medicine cabinet, and up for trying some chic and effective new brands in other personal care categories, check out our round-up of the best luxury toothpaste, mouthwash, and other oral care products. 

Freshen up, dear reader – spring awaits!

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.