Miracle Broth

Crème de la Mer: The Ultimate Miracle Cream

It sounds more like the plot of a superhero movie than the story behind a real-life skin care line: A celebrated doctor creates a magical cream made from rare sea kelp to repair his own skin after a terrible lab accident. But that's the true story behind La Mer, and the main reason its Crème de la Mer line is a Luxist nominee in the best skin cream category.

Some 40 years ago, aerospace physicist Dr. Max Huber suffered severe chemical burns when an experiment exploded in his face. Though he was fortunate to survive, he quickly found that there weren't any adequate treatments available for his skin, and went about creating one for himself. After 6,000 experiments over the course of 12 years, he finally came up with what he declared his "Miracle Broth."

Gallery: La Mer

Made from a combination of natural ingredients including eucalyptus, alfalfa, sunflower, and special sea kelp harvested twice a year off the coast of California, Miracle Broth is at the core of all La Mer's offerings. According to Huber, it's not the ingredients-but the unique process through which they are distilled-that accounts for his broth's healing powers.

La Mer's flagship offering, Crème de la Mer, includes a healthy dose of Miracle Broth and other skin-saving components. Perfect for daily use, it's available on La Mer's website (1 oz: $130; 2 oz: $230) along with the company's other offerings. As a bit of relief to your pocketbook, shipping is free.

Vote for the skin care line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through May 31st and winners will be announced on June 1.

Tags: awards-main, beauty-main, creme de la mer, La Mer, luxist-awards, Miracle Broth