Would you splurge $1725 on a face cream? Eight Canterbury women lined up to do so, forcing calls for extra supplies from Australia to keep up with demand also shown in Auckland and Wellington. This was for the New Zealand arrival of one super premium product, where advance interest took La Prairie by surprise.
La Mer also reports a devoted clientele, with new launches much anticipated. To prep staff for the next one, the American company's regional training manager Asia/Pacific, Parker Steel, was in Auckland last week for staff training sessions.
Wooing clients with service beyond the ordinary is very much expected for these brands. Both say the recession hasn't dented core sales; on the contrary, women who can afford liquid gold on their skin want to slather it on - perhaps a case of trying to keep the base world at bay. And talk of precious metals isn't just about the bank balances of those who buy these expensive creams; the ingredients list of both brands reads like a jewellery order. There's
platinum, diamond dust and other precious gemstones. They're said to be included for the reflectivity they bring to cosseted skin.
Clearly those who "invest" in these luxury creams believe they make a difference, in the way certain drivers of European cars wouldn't be seen dead in a Japanese import despite AA ratings showing budget brands have much going for them.
Luxury brands, naturally, point to client satisfaction and the scientific research devoted to their ranges. They speak of how technologies they have developed filter down to cheaper products or are simply too expensive or specialised to be replicated.
Steel says the proof is in the pottle. "What really matters to us is what the client says."
The smooth-skinned Canadian, who has worked in the cosmetics industry for 20-odd years, six of them with La Mer, says he first used the eye balm before becoming a convert and then a representative for the skincare. "I couldn't believe it was as good as they said. It truly is, because it changes the skin."
Both La Mer and La Prairie have the obligatory backstory. La Mer is a product of a Nasa rocket scientist, Dr Max Huber, who came up with a healing cream after suffering chemical burns. The aerospace physicist used sea kelp extracts, minerals and vitamins, among other ingredients, to make an anti-inflammatory "miracle broth" that is the foundation of the range.
There are just 35 products in all, with several more in development, a tiny selection compared with most cosmetic companies.
"We're not newness driven," says Steel, who explains that the company's focus is developing the best skincare rather than a plethora of products such as the seasonal cosmetics collections of other brands.
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