🇬🇧United Kingdom

Simple vs La Prairie

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Simple and La Prairie are two distinct skincare brands with dedicated followings. The British brand is known for its gentle moisturizers, makeup removers, cleansers, and toners crafted with niacinamide and glycerin, while the Swiss brand is celebrated for its eye products, moisturizers, serums, and toners featuring refined formulas. The former suits acne-prone skin and skin with dark spots best, whereas the latter serves mature skin and dry sensitive skin. Ultimately, they differ through their foundational ingredients and specific target audiences.

Simple is a British skincare brand founded in 1960 and owned by Unilever PLC since 2011.

en.wikipedia.orgsec.govprnewswire.comsimple.co.uk

La Prairie is a Swiss skincare brand founded in 1978 and owned by maxingvest GmbH & Co. KGaA since 2003.

en.wikipedia.orgreports.beiersdorf.combeiersdorf.com

This page compares some of the most popular Simple and La Prairie products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Simple vs La Prairie products

People Say

SimpleLa Prairie
  • Gentle on sensitive skin Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “Does not cause any form of irritation on the skin which I love. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “The only cleanser that doesn't turn my face red. — Simple Micellar Water”
    • “no artificial perfume — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
  • Luxurious texture and absorption Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “feels like liquid silk — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “absorbs instantly — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
  • Deep hydration and smoothing Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “gentle yet effective moisturizing — La Prairie Cellular Softening and Balancing Lotion”
    • “erased my dry patches — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
    • “skin feels plump — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
  • Hydration and non-drying formulas Mostly MentionedNot noted
    • “banished dryness within days — Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser”
    • “Instantly boosts skin's hydration... face doesn't feel dry and tight. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “Leaves my face feeling soft, not tight. — Simple Micellar Water”
  • Firming and lifting effects Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “felt skin tighten immediately — La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift”
    • “opened my eyes — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”
    • “jawline genuinely looks lifted — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Affordable price point and value Often MentionedNot noted
    • “great value for money — Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner”
    • “super affordable — Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser”
    • “Can't beat the price for the quality. — Simple Micellar Water”
  • Exorbitant price Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “eye-wateringly expensive — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Strong fragrance Not notedMostly Mentioned
    • “smells like a rich grandma — La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream”
  • Packaging and leaking issues Rarely NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Worried about the snap top bottle leaking when travelling. — Simple Micellar Cleansing Water”
    • “The cap broke off immediately. — Simple Micellar Water”
    • “hard to get last bit out — Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser”
    • “one side stopped — La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift”

Simple vs La Prairie routines for dry skin

Buy La Prairie routine · £1,217.95 · 87% fitBuy Simple routine · £136.73 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 99% fit

Simple vs La Prairie routines for oily skin

Buy Simple routine · £221.50 · 87% fitBuy La Prairie routine · £1,303.65 · 82% fitSee multi-brand routine · 97% fit

Simple vs La Prairie routines for combination skin

Buy Simple routine · £185.60 · 85% fitBuy La Prairie routine · £1,264.98 · 83% fitSee multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

Simple or La Prairie: which is better?

Simple offers affordable value and is better for avoiding strong fragrances, whereas La Prairie delivers luxurious textures with lifting and firming effects at exorbitant prices. For sensitive and mature skin, Lovi rates La Prairie as Superior and Simple as High.

What is the difference between Simple and La Prairie?

Simple offers affordable, fragrance-free products that are gentle on sensitive skin, whereas La Prairie provides luxury anti-aging formulas with lifting and firming effects that often feature strong fragrance.

Simple or La Prairie for dry skin?

For dry skin, the routine fit levels for both Simple and La Prairie are High. Reviewers note that Simple offers lightweight, value-friendly moisturizers, while La Prairie provides luxurious, lightweight textures with deep hydration and smoothing.

Simple or La Prairie: which moisturizer is better?

Simple offers lightweight and value-friendly moisturizers with key ingredients like glycerin, whereas La Prairie features luxurious, lifting moisturizers containing ginseng. Reviewers mostly mention Simple's formulas as great for budget-friendly hydration, while La Prairie is noted for its deep hydration and smoothing effects.

Journal of Ginseng Research, 2017

Which is more affordable, Simple or La Prairie?

Simple offers an affordable price point and value, whereas reviewers often mention that La Prairie has exorbitant prices.

Which brand is better for mature skin, Simple or La Prairie?

La Prairie is better for mature skin, as Lovi rates its fit as Superior while Simple has an Average fit for individual mature skin products on this page. Reviewers mostly mention lifting and firming effects for La Prairie, and every product on this page by Simple lists no fragrance.

Do Simple products contain fragrance compared to La Prairie?

Simple products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients, whereas La Prairie features strong fragrance in 4 of its 5 products.

What key ingredients are found in Simple products versus La Prairie?

Simple features key ingredients such as niacinamide and glycerin across the products on this page. In contrast, La Prairie features key ingredients like ginseng across its products. Glycerin helps provide hydration to the skin by acting as a moisturizer.

Simple or La Prairie for oily skin?

For oily skin, Lovi rates both Simple and La Prairie as having a High routine fit on this page. Reviewers report that Simple offers lightweight, value-friendly moisturizers, while La Prairie provides luxurious, lightweight textures.

Simple or La Prairie for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, Lovi rates La Prairie as Superior and Simple as High. Reviewers mention that Simple is gentle on sensitive skin, while La Prairie features strong fragrance in 4 of its 5 products on this page.

Simple or La Prairie for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, Lovi rates both Simple and La Prairie as a High routine fit. Simple stands out for offering value-friendly moisturizers with key ingredients like niacinamide and glycerin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated 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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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