Versus

Clé de Peau Beauté Hydro-Softening Lotion Versus La Mer The Treatment Lotion

Essence
Facial Treatment
Japanese Brand Japan
American Brand United States

Updated on October 23, 2023

Overview

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Hydro-Softening Lotion
The Treatment Lotion

Water

Skin Conditioning

Algae Extract

Emollient
May worsen Oily Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Methyl Gluceth-20

Humectant

Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Emollient

Sucrose

Humectant

Yeast Extract

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil

Emollient
1-3 / 0 Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Medicago Sativa Seed Powder

Skin Conditioning

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Helianthus Annuus Seedcake

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Perfuming
Fragrance IconOil IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Sodium Gluconate

Skin Conditioning

Copper Gluconate

Skin Conditioning

Calcium Gluconate

Humectant

Magnesium Gluconate

Skin Conditioning

Zinc Gluconate

Skin Conditioning
Helps fight Acne Icon

Tocopheryl Succinate

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Niacin

Smoothing
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder

Skin Conditioning

Citrus Aurantifolia Peel Extract

Cleansing
Fragrance Icon

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Skin Protecting

Laminaria Saccharina Extract

Skin Protecting

Plankton Extract

Skin Conditioning

Palmaria Palmata Extract

Skin Protecting

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Caffeine

Skin Conditioning

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Humectant
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Humectant
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Glycereth-26

Humectant
0 / 0

Alcaligenes Polysaccharides

Emollient

Trehalose

Humectant

Lactobacillus Ferment

Skin Conditioning

Maris Sal

Skin Conditioning

Tourmaline

Urea

Buffering
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Sodium PCA

Humectant
0 / 0

Glycine Soja Protein

Emulsifying

Glycosaminoglycans

Emollient

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning

Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate

Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

PEG-8

Humectant

Magnesium Chloride

Calcium Chloride

Astringent

Sodium Sulfate

Sulfate Icon

Potassium Phosphate

Buffering

Potassium Nitrate

Soothing

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning

Triacetin

Antimicrobial
0 / 0

Lecithin

Emollient

PPG-5-Ceteth-20

Emulsifying

Jojoba Wax PEG-120 Esters

Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Polysorbate 20

Emulsifying
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Polyquaternium-51

Skin Conditioning

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Masking

Alcohol Denat.

Antimicrobial
Alcohol IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Parfum

Masking
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Limonene

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Linalool

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Hydroxycitronellal

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Citronellol

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Geraniol

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

BHT

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Disodium EDTA

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Chlorphenesin

Antimicrobial
Preservative Icon

Sorbic Acid

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.
  • It has mild preservative properties.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
Humectant, Solvent

PEG-8 is a synthetic polymer used as a humectant and solvent.

This ingredient is able to help dissolve active ingredients, including water. This gives it humectant properties.

It is soluble in water. The number '8' stands for the molecular weight of the ingredient.

Learn more about PEG-8
Humectant, Moisturising

Trehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.

As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.

Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.

In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.

Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.

Learn more about Trehalose
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate comes from licorice root.

Extracts of licorice have demonstrated to have antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant properties.

One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.

Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.

Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.

Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.

Licorice root is native to Southern Europe and Asia. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with respiratory issues.

Learn more about Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Skin Conditioning

Polyquaternium-51 is a polymer salt. It helps hydrate the skin by creating a film on top. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

When to use

1 Routine
100% use in am
0% use in pm
100% use every day
85 Routines
52% use in am
48% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Clé de Peau Beauté Hydro-Softening Lotion 42 ingredients

Hydro-Softening Lotion hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

La Mer The Treatment Lotion 70 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Expensive (1) Sticky (1) Strong Scent (1)
moon01's avatar

Meena D

16 days ago
Review

This is so expensive and for what 😐 sure it's hydrating, but there are other much better toners out there that do the job. This has heavy fragrance, so it's not pleasing to the skin. Also it stings when I apply it and leaves my skin feeling sticky after some time. Not for me

#expensive
#sticky
#strong scent