La Mer The Serum Essence for sensitive skin
Algae Extract
Niacin
Squalane
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other serums fit it better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate benefits for normal skin, with ingredients like Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate providing essential hydration, but lacks targeted components to address your specific concerns of redness and irritation.
- While Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 and Hydrolyzed Algin contribute to smoothing skin texture, the overall formulation does not prioritize anti-inflammatory action for your sensitive skin.
- The product presents a low risk of irritation, making it generally safe for sensitive skin due to the absence of harsh chemicals and the inclusion of soothing agents like Algae Extract.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsLa Mer The Serum Essence is widely praised by long-term users for its ability to hydrate, firm, and improve the overall texture of aging skin. While many report a more youthful, plump, and resilient complexion, some users with sensitive skin or specific climate needs have experienced irritation or dryness, and the high price point remains a significant point of contention.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “Keeps older skin moisturized and less dry”
- “Feels very nice and hydrating on the skin”
- “Helps keep my face more hydrated”
Extremely expensive Mostly Mentioned
- “It's expensive and there are many serums out there for half the price”
- “It's a little expensive but one bottle lasts a year”
Improves skin firmness Often Mentioned
- “Helps reveal firmer, smoother, more lifted-feeling skin”
- “My skin was firm, I had less wrinkles”
- “Skin felt and looked more firm and plump”
Poor bottle design Often Mentioned
- “No way you're going to be able to get all the product out”
- “Paddle applicator does not allow you to reach the bottom”
- “Hard to overturn the bottle to get the rest of the product”
Refines skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “Effective in addressing wrinkles and improving skin texture”
- “Pores and fine lines were less visible”
- “Texture of my skin was satiny smooth”
Potential irritation Rarely Noted
- “I noticed my skin seemed a bit red and irritated”
- “Experienced a burning sensation”
- “Product dried out my skin and created a bit of texture”
Sources: lovi.care, cremedelamer.com, nordstrom.com, bloomingdales.com, wmagazine.com, mywomenstuff.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does La Mer The Serum Essence work for sensitive skin?
La Mer The Serum Essence works moderately well for sensitive skin, offering hydration and a low risk of irritation, but it lacks targeted ingredients to address redness. A treatment for sensitive skin needs soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients and components that specifically calm redness and irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for sensitive skin?
This serum works for sensitive skin mainly due to soothing ingredients like Algae Extract and hydrating components like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, while presenting a low risk of irritation. However, a treatment for this skin needs anti-inflammatory action and targeted components that address redness and irritation.
What does Algae Extract do for sensitive skin?
Algae extract helps calm sensitive skin by reducing irritation and protecting against daily environmental stress. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated and supports the skin barrier to keep your face feeling smooth and comfortable.
What does Niacinamide do for sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps calm sensitive skin by strengthening the skin barrier and reducing redness and irritation. It is unlikely to cause trouble and is well tolerated because it has strong anti-inflammatory effects.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine after cleansing and toning. Sensitive skin needs a product of this type that also includes calming, anti-inflammatory ingredients to target redness and irritation.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment alongside retinol by applying the serum first and letting it absorb before layering retinol on top. This product presents a low risk of irritation and is generally safe for sensitive skin, though a treatment of this type needs soothing, anti-inflammatory ingredients to properly calm redness and irritation.
How often should I use it?
This treatment is best used in the evening as part of your routine. Because this product fits sensitive skin only on an average level, sensitive skin needs a product with soothing ingredients and anti-inflammatory action to calm redness and irritation.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for sensitive skin because it presents a low risk of irritation and lacks harsh chemicals. However, it does not prioritize anti-inflammatory action, so sensitive skin needs formulas with soothing ingredients to keep redness and irritation calm.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (parfum, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, and limonene) and drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Treatment with lipid algae extract reduced the level of oxidized proteins in human keratinocytes and stratum corneum skin cells.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004Topical astaxanthin-loaded algae extract hydrogel and lipogel formulations exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and successful in vitro release, suggesting their potential as anti-aging formulations.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Antarctic marine algae extracts increased cell viability, protected against inflammation, and enhanced the barrier integrity of human intestinal and keratinocyte cell lines damaged by lipopolysaccharide or ultraviolet radiation.
Marine Drugs, 2022Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream significantly improved global clinical scores, increased skin microrelief density, and induced elastic tissue repair in photoaged skin compared to excipient control in healthy female volunteers.
Experimental Dermatology, 2003Ascorbic acid 2-glucoside gel significantly reduced gingival melanin pigmentation after 4 weeks compared to placebo in 73 subjects with symmetric pigmentation.
Journal of Periodontology, 2009Topical application of VC-IP cream twice daily for 8 weeks reduces periorbital wrinkles in female subjects compared to a placebo cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022Treatment with cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based microneedle patches combined with acetyl hexapeptide-8 or epidermal growth factor significantly improved wrinkles and skin hydration compared to the patch alone in Korean females over 29 days.
Annals of Dermatology, 2019Argireline treatment twice daily for 4 weeks produced a significant anti-wrinkle effect with 48.9% total efficacy and decreased skin roughness in Chinese subjects compared with 0% efficacy and no decrease in roughness in the placebo group.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013Acetyl hexapeptide-3 and tripeptide-10 citrulline demonstrated antiwrinkle efficacy and decreased transepidermal water loss in twenty-four healthy volunteers compared to control groups, though synergistic effects between the two peptides remained unclear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2017
Why other serums fit sensitive skin better
Topical application of TAT-SOD significantly suppresses UVB-induced erythema formation, blood flow rise, and apoptotic sunburn cell formation in human volunteers compared to a vehicle control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2016
Ingredients
Algae Extract, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate Caprate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Medicago Sativa Seed Powder, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake Sunflower Seedcake, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal Seed, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf Eucalyptus Oil Leaf, Sodium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, Tocopheryl Succinate, Niacin, Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder, Whey Lactis Du Petit-Lait Protein, Caffeine, Acetyl Glucosamine, Pisum Sativum Extract, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract Coffee Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract Rosemary Leaf Extract, Wheat Extract Germ Extract, Rubus Idaeus Leaf Extract Raspberry Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Sucrose, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract Soybean Seed Extract, Jania Rubens Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Polysorbate 20, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Sodium Pca, Urea, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Acrylamide Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycosaminoglycans, Parfum, Isohexadecane, Pentylene Glycol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tetracetylphytosphingosine, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Vinyl Dimethicone Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Squalane, Hydrogenated Oil, Ruby Powder, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Hydrolyzed Rice Extract, Tourmaline, Hydrolyzed Algin, Potassium Sorbate, Gold, Glucosamine Hcl, Caprylyl Glycol, Yeast Polysaccharides, Polysorbate 80, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Hexylene Glycol, Yeast Faex Extrait De Levure Extract, Cholesterol, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Alcohol Denat, Xanthan Gum, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Disodium Edta, Bht, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene, Caramel, Red 4 Ci 14700
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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