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Over the past few weeks, the skincare world has been buzzing with speculation about whether Nivea’s classic moisturiser – which costs just £6 – is a viable alternative to La Mer’s cult classic moisturising cream, which will set you back a staggering £305 for 60ml.

There’s no arguing the price gap is vast but the rumours say the two creams share up to 90 per cent of the same ingredients. While both products are known and loved for their hydrating and soothing properties, can Nivea’s affordable family-favourite really stand up to La Mer’s luxurious, celebrity-endorsed formula?

Any beauty lover will know La Mer’s moisturiser is famed for its ‘miracle broth’ – a blend of sea kelp, vitamins, and minerals that promises transformative results. There’s a reason so many people consider it a holy grail formula, despite its high price tag. In comparison, Nivea’s recognisable blue tin contains a no-frills, multi-use cream that has been trusted for generations.

With the two products boasting similar ingredients lists, it probably comes as no surprise that people on social media have begun to wonder whether the differences between the two products is really worth hundreds of pounds. To settle the debate once and for all, we’ve put the two moisturisers to the test, comparing them side by side. Keep reading to discover how they fared.

How we tested

We had both of these products in our possession for a few weeks ahead of writing this review. We incorporated each cream into our night-time routine, sometimes using it as the only step after cleansing and other times layering it on top of our usual retinoid. Each cream was used for a week or so at a time, to get a feel for how it applied, the texture, how it absorbed into our skin and how our skin felt in the morning.