Augustinus Bader is often considered a celebrity brand. The eponymous founder’s fame in the skincare world is only rivalled by the long list of A-listers who have invested, applied and consistently wax lyrical about its formulas.
The doctor label was founded by Professor Bader, the director of Cell Techniques and Applied Stem Cell Biology at The University of Leipzig and harnesses a signature ingredient known as TFC8 or Trigger Factor Complex.
The patented technology is what sets the brand apart. It features across the range – beyond just skin to haircare too and calls on Bader’s expertise in skin regeneration. The smart component encourages and supports the skin’s renewal process.
Officially launching in 2018 with just two products, the brand has been a hit from the outset. The Cream and The Rich Cream which cost £230 each for 50ml (£415 for 100ml) reported $7 million in sales in just its first year of business, growing to 10 times that in the two years that followed. Of course, many more SKUs have followed but these two formulations have come to define the label.
Victoria Beckham is said to use The Cream religiously, Leonardo DiCaprio stocks up in bulk and it has even had the seal of approval from Goop’s own Gwyneth Paltrow. Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie, Dakota Johnson – the list goes on. So why do these stars, with unlimited budgets and top treatment access at their fingertips, keep reaching for bottle after bottle of Augustinus Bader’s star products?
It comes down to a simple reason: it works. These hydrating heroes are to be used as a daily moisturiser to nourish the skin’s barrier and leave it plumped, smooth and supple. The clean label has a whopping 50 patents with ingredients that include sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, shea butter, hydrolysed rice protein and camellia sinesis leaf extract.
While strengthening and brightening the skin, it also works to combat the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
The Rich Cream, the thicker of the two, is one of the most desirable skincare products on the market but the price tag means it’s not accessible to all. This is luxury at its finest. But what if we told you that you could get many of the same benefits without having to fork out quite so much of your hard-earned pounds?
We have scoured lengthy ingredient lists and liberally applied lotions and potions to find the moisturisers to rival that of the legendary The Rich Cream. The following give it a good run for its money.
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Lipid Replenishment Skincare for Mature Skin
Often compared to Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream for its plumping, anti-ageing benefits, the SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is brimming with restorative ingredients, from the ceramides and natural cholesterol contents to the fatty acids in the ratio detailed in the product’s name.
It has a rich texture but is quickly and easily absorbed, leaving your complexion smooth and silky soft. You only need a small amount too so it goes a long way.
Buy now £150.00, lookfantastic
Kate Somerville Peptide K8 Cream
This moisturiser from Kate Somerville is a godsend for parched complexions. Whether it’s air con, central heating or the ever-changing weather that has got your skin dry, dull and down in the dumps, this high-performing cream is on hand to turn it all around. The combination of babassu and hemp seed oils offers nourishment and leaves skin looking bouncy and soft - a feat further enhanced by the complex at its heart.
It has been formulated to be rich in peptides as well as oligopeptides and ceramides to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Each application feels like a luxury experience and the effects speak for themselves - just be consistent with usage. Layer up with SPF and even makeup as it sits nicely underneath without causing pilling and flaking.
Buy now £132.00, Kate Somerville
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5 Multi-Purpose Repairing Balm 40ml
Soothing sensitive skin is French pharmacy label La Roche-Posay’s bread and butter - and it does so in the most luxurious way possible. Whether you are prone to irritation due to rosacea or eczema, have overused active ingredients or due to menopausal skin dryness, employ the nurturing benefits of this multi-purpose balm.
As a treat to the skin’s barrier, it is formulated with cicaplast and vitamin B5 that care for and fortify it, while also locking in hydration to start repairing on first application. The cream forms a protective layer on the skin against external aggressors and encourages a more effective recovery - all while remaining lightweight enough. It can be used on all skin types, even acne-prone as it’s non-comedogenic.
Buy now £8.50, lookfantastic
Biologique Recherche Crème Masque Vernix
Luxury French label Biologique Recherche is an insider’s best-kept skincare secret where the efficacious product line-up is only matched in its opulence by its professional facials. The Crème Masque Vernix was created with stressed-out skin in mind.
It has an ultra-nourishing formula that contains hard-working components like cell oligopeptides, ceramides, omega 6 and 3-rich raspberry oil, squalane, lanolin and more. These moisturising ingredients work in tandem with ones designed to rejuvenate and antioxidants to prevent further stress on the complexion.
Buy now £226.00, Liberty
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
With immediate glow and plumping benefits, it is no wonder that Tatcha’s The Dewy Skin Cream has become a cult buy. The Japanese label has infused its day cream with botanical extracts and its signature Okinawa algae ingredient which is renowned for its intense hydration.
There is also Japanese purple rice, an antioxidant to support the skin against external aggressors. The rich purple-hued cream is thick so a little goes a long way yet is soothing and non-comedogenic.
Buy now £67.00, Space NK
Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser
Ole Henriksen has managed to include almost every buzzed-about beauty ingredient into this one moisturising formula. The Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser includes anti-ageing peptides but that’s just the start.
There are amino acids, ceramides and collagen too that are selected for their ability to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, boost the skin’s hydration levels and calm stress. Slather it over your face and watch your skin plump up under your fingertips.
Buy now £42.00, Boots
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Drunk Elephant is up there with the most hyped-about beauty labels, renowned for its no-nasties approach to product formulation. The entire line-up has been created without any SLS, silicones, essential oils, fragrances or anything that can cause skin irritation, instead opting for biocompatible actives that are either synthetic or derived from plants.
This water-gel moisturiser is a bestseller for a reason. It is brimming with amino acids, growth factors and of course, peptides that combine to offer firming, hydrated and revived effects. There are nine of these specialised signalling peptides to get to work from the very first application in seeing to fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage and loss of elastin.
It has the seemingly miraculous ability to be both lightweight in texture and highly nourishing - this is one you’ll be repurchasing for years to come.
Buy now £59.00, Cult Beauty
Meder Salva-Derm Cream
Meder is a science-backed label that calls on Swiss expertise to bring results. It’s renowned for its wrinkle-filling heroes but the Salva-Derm deserves attention in its own right for bringing high-powered formulation to sensitive skin.
It’s a lightweight, almost serum-like consistency that imparts the benefits of macadamia oil and ceramides that support the skin’s barrier. There are also prebiotics to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria and calm irritation. To round it off, parched skin will be thankful for the hyaluronic acid and natural algae extract that support the complexion’s moisture retention capabilities.
Buy now £76.50, Meder
Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream
Devoted to supporting the skin’s barrier, Skinfix uses only clinically proven and clean ingredients. This cream is made to be slathered all over the complexion with a formula enriched with shea butter, peptides, hyaluronic acid and active lipids to plump and moisturise in spades, leaving dryness, redness and flaking skin as a thing of the past.
The combination also tackles fine lines, wrinkles and elasticity. The push dispenser is strangely satisfying, while the cream itself is fragrance-free and non-irritating.
Buy now £52.00, Sephora
Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream 100ml
Every inch of The Rich Cream is a luxurious experience; from the packaging, to the bottle to the formula itself. One of the heroes in the Augustinus Bader collection, it is the embodiment of 30 years of research, combining anti-ageing benefits, while nourishing the complexion at the same time. As is clear from the name, this is a counterpart to the original and lighter The Cream with a more intense, thicker composition, but it remains an easily absorbed moisturiser that is gulped down greedily by parched skin without leaving a greasy finish.
The brand’s signature and proprietary TFC8 is at the heart and is a blend of natural amino acids, vitamins and synthesized molecules to enrich the skin with important nutrients to even out texture and firmness at the same time. This is combined with argan, avocado and evening primrose oil that are ultra moisturising and restorative with calming and soothing benefits. This cream can be used by all skin types, even those with acne-prone as it’s non-comedogenic and sensitive as it’s vegan and free from nasties like sulphates and silicone, for a healthy, dewy glow.
Two pumps of the product are all you need to layer onto the face, neck and decollete so a little goes a long way, making that initial layout seem far more palatable.
It is now available in a travel-friendly 100ml size.
Buy now £332.00, Augustinus Bader
