demystifying skincare with science

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I do a lot of content on affordable skincare and that will never change. There are some products, like cleansers, that you just don’t need to spend more on unless you have the budget and derive enjoyment from doing so. When I look at higher priced products, I ask myself questions like “is the formulation or ingredients significantly better than what I can find at a lower price point?” OTC retinoids (like retinol or retinaldehyde for example) are an area where spending a minimum of $40 really does get you a better product. Same goes for growth factors.

I’ve been trying more pro skincare lines recently as I want to be able to offer more options for those of you who love them and also so I can better compare them against affordable options as far as texture and performance vs ingredients alone. I’ve definitely stumbled on some favorites, particularly with Le Mieux. But there’s also some where I just don’t think they’re necessarily better than affordable options and I think it’s important to cover that too.

Skin BEAUTIFUL RX is my favorite place to order professional skincare. You get to support a female owned business with fantastic customer service and they have the best prices on a very well curated collection of products too. Really excited to get to partner with them on as an affiliate and if there’s anything here that interests you, you can use code “mira20” for 20% off.

Le Mieux Products Worth the Money:

• ISO-Cell Recovery Solution. This is a hydrating mist and cost wise, they’ve priced it reasonably. I got this thinking it would just be another mist but then I started using it for literally everything. I reach for it when my skin is irritated and it works amazing for that (it was the only thing to really help a rash on my neck a few months back too). I use it to get my skin damp before I apply skincare (skincare ingredients penetrate hydrated skin better) and even in between steps for added hydration. The minerals in here make it really wonderful for microcurrent since they help with conductivity and the ingredients make it very well suited to treatments in general, including cosmetic microneeedling. It’s full of amino acids, which are also humectants, and other hydrating ingredients that make this mist much more hydrating than you’d suspect. A perfect intro to Le Mieux products.
• 24 Hour Age Defying Cream. If you have dry skin or a normal skin type but like a luxurious night cream, you’ll LOVE this. I tried the Bio Cell Rejuvenating Cream first and it was too rich for even my dry skin, I would suggest that for very dry, mature skin. The 24 Hour one is the perfect balance of being rich and nourishing but not greasy in the slightest. It’s also packed with beautiful skin barrier supporting ingredients, peptides, and some antioxidants too. You’ll also see the right balance of humectants, emollients, and occlusive ingredients like a well-formulated moisturizer should have. This is just a moisturizer so at the end of the day, if it’s not in your budget then there’s other affordable options out there too. The Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream isn’t quite as rich and features a simpler ingredients list but is a favorite of mine that’s similar. If you do have the budget though, I think this moisturizer features beautiful ingredients and texture wise definitely reflects the cost there too. With the 20% off though and how long it lasts, it’s not too bad cost wise ether.
• Bio Cell+ Masks. These are my “special occasion” sheet masks. At about $6 each, I don’t use them every week but they’re great combined with the 7EWEllness Microcurrent masks and after cosmetic microneedling. What makes them worth is is the ingredients – you get a nice array of peptides, humectants, and antioxidants plus they’re hydro gels too with more of a gel serum texture that I find extra hydrating. For more regular use, I’ve spoken often about the Labute sheet masks masks which are super hydrating and brightening as well as Taiwanese brands like My Beauty Diary which feature the nicest sheet mask material and tend to be the most hydrating.

Le Mieux Products Not Worth the Money

• EGF DNA Serum. This one may be a bit controversial since it’s one of their more popular products and gets a lot of attention. I just cannot recommend a $110 serum that only features HA, proprietary EGF, oligopeptide-1, and two Saccharomyces based ingredients. I’m a big believer in encouraging the skin to function optimally and maintaining its health, whether that’s correcting cell turnover that’s slowed down with age or replacing hydration that’s been lost to the environment. Despite the handful of studies on EGF, you’d never see a single growth factor in the skin and that’s where something like Bradceuticals (“MIRA2020” to save $10, code not affiliate) comes in with its growth factor rich conditioned media and its added beneficial ingredients like peptides, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and DMAE. If you wanted EGF alone, I would suggest the High Potency EGF serum or cream from the Advanced Restoration line from Skin Actives which has better ingredients and is about $42 each with code “buynow15” (code is not affiliate, link to SA is). Another one I’ve ordered to try that looks really promising is the Catherine Jinn Age Gracefully Serum which features a 5% EGF blend that has 4-5 growth factors, peptides, and other nice ingredients. Will update with my thoughts.
• Hyaluronic Shea Mask. This one is a wash-off mask that I just found very heavy on the essential oils and didn’t find it that moisturizing. Ingredients look nice but a lot of them aren’t that helpful in a wash-off. Since it’s an expensive product and I have loved a lot of other LM products, I just expected more. I do have to admit that nothing I’ve tried from them is bad though, there’s just some like this one where I would pass.

I do have to add one pet peeve about the brand in general I have to add – their ingredients lists! Hyaluronic acid could never be the first ingredient in a formula without it just being a powder or a sticky gritty mess yet you’ll often see that with Le Mieux. I suspect it’s actually a hyaluronic acid solution with 99% water or something but by law, they’re supposed to list them separately. I often also see critical ingredient for formulations missing like emulsifiers and preservative. I think we’re just getting the key ingredients list since it makes it look nicer and perhaps not even necessarily in order. That part, I dislike.

Overall though, I’ve really enjoyed much of what I’ve tried from this brand and think that they’re effective, well formulated products. With the exception of the handful of products with essential oils, they’re free of fragrance and drying alcohol which is important for sensitive skin. They make beautiful skincare and texture wise, it feels really lovely going on in addition to the equally nice ingredients. If they’re a little too expensive, I have other favorites that will work for you and I’ve tried this include some here. But if you’re wanting to splurge, they have some great products that I’ve really enjoyed and there’s a lot to like here.

Comment below if I should continue this series and which brands you’d like to see! I can do a Le Mieux Part 2 as well if there’s interest.