Topic 3 of 6
Creams and moisturizers
Face creams from the luxury houses come in jars of 15 to 100 ml, in rich, regular and light textures, and often as refills. Size and texture are what to compare first.
- Common jar sizes
- 30 ml, 50 ml, 60 ml, 100 ml
- Typical amount per use
- a pea, about 0.3 to 0.5 ml
Many luxury creams come in more than one texture: a rich cream, a regular cream and a lighter lotion or gel cream built around the same ingredients. The brand's own description of each texture is the best guide to which one is which.
Jar sizes are not standard. The same cream can be sold at 30 ml and 60 ml, with the larger jar usually costing less per ml, and a refill pod that drops into the original jar can cost less again. The price per ml calculator shows the difference at a glance.
Day creams with SPF are a separate product type: the sunscreen claim is on the label, and they go on last in the morning routine.
Common mistakes
- Buying the larger jar for value and then not finishing it before its period after opening runs out.
- Scooping cream with fingers instead of the spatula that comes with many jars.
- Treating a night cream as a substitute for sunscreen in the morning.
Pages on this topic
- Lancôme Absolue Soft Cream vs Rich CreamLancôme Absolue Soft Cream vs Rich Cream: listed ingredients, how each texture feels, jar and refill sizes, price per ml and who should pick which.Comparison
- Day cream vs night cream: what changes between the two jarsDay cream vs night cream: SPF, texture, listed ingredients and price per ml, using Shiseido Future Solution LX day and night creams as the example.Comparison
- Cream textures explained: rich, soft, light, gel-cream and balmWhat rich, soft, light, emulsion, gel-cream and balm mean on a luxury cream label, how each one feels, and real examples from Bader, Lancome and Sturm.Explainer
- Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream vs The CreamAugustinus Bader The Rich Cream vs The Cream: same TFC8 complex, different texture. Sizes, price per ml, how to apply and who picks which.Comparison
- Face cream feels greasy or heavy: what to changeIf your face cream feels greasy or heavy, try using less, warming it, waiting between layers, or switching to the light version of the same line. Here is how.Fix
Buying guides for this topic
- Best luxury night creams and overnight texturesLuxury night creams and sleeping masks from $150 compared by jar size in ml, format, the ingredients each brand names and how the listing says to apply.Guide
- Best luxury face creams, compared by size and price per mlSeven flagship luxury face creams from Bader, Shiseido, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Omorovicza, Sturm and La Prairie, compared by ml, texture and listed ingredients.Guide
- Best luxury face creams for menLuxury face creams for men from Augustinus Bader, Dr. Barbara Sturm and Shiseido, compared by size in ml, fragrance, texture and when to apply.Guide
- Best rich luxury face creams for dry skinThe rich versions of Bader, Lancome, Re-Nutriv, Sturm and Omorovicza creams, compared by size in ml, texture and the emollients each brand lists.Guide
- Best luxury day creams, and which ones carry an SPFSeven luxury day creams from Shiseido, Lancôme, Omorovicza and Estée Lauder, compared by the SPF on the label, size in ml, texture and when to apply.Guide
- Best lightweight luxury moisturizers for combination skinLight, soft and emulsion-style luxury moisturizers from $150 compared by size in ml, texture as the brand describes it, listed ingredients and skin type.Guide