La Mer has one of the most dramatic origin stories in skincare. Dr. Max Huber was an aerospace physicist who was burned in a lab accident and turned to the sea for healing. He spent 12 years and over 6,000 experiments developing Miracle Broth, a ferment of Giant Sea Kelp, and the first thing he made with it, Crème de la Mer, launched in 1965. The kelp is hand-harvested off Vancouver Island, fermentation takes 3 to 4 months and uses light and sound energy, and every new batch is infused with drops of the one before. That handed-down detail is what I love about it. In this first group, the Creme de la Mer Moisturizing Cream and the lighter Moisturizing Soft Cream sit beside The Concentrate Serum, The Renewal Oil and The Essence, so you can see how the routine builds from one ferment. The Genaissance eye and expression ampoule, The Eye Concentrate and The Eye Balm Intense are for the delicate area around the eyes, while The Night Recovery Concentrate and The Concentrated Night Balm are for evening. For colder months, a fall skincare routine shows where balms and richer creams fit, and a guide to collagen creams and firming eye creams covers the same ground.

The sets are where La Mer is easiest to understand, because each one is a small routine in a box. The Crème de La Mer Duet and the Rejuvenating Night Cream Duet pair the signature cream with a partner, while the Best Sellers set and the Daily Rituals Collection collect the most loved steps. The Calming Hydration Collection and The Blue Heart Glow Collection are more about a single mood, and the Genaissance anti-ageing set and the Lifting & Firming Treatment set go deeper into one concern. If you are shopping for someone who already loves the cream, a duet is the clearest choice. If they are new to it, the Best Sellers set is a good first look. Our own guides to beauty advent calendars and boxed sets and holiday gifting are a good place to compare these with other brands.

The last group is a mix of small and useful things. The Essential Tonic, The Moisturizing Fresh Cream and The Rejuvenating Night Cream with Marine Retinol Alternative fill in the daily routine, and The Lip Balm and The Lip Volumizer round out the rest. What I would skip is carrying the full-size Tonic on a short trip; the Holiday Minis and the Day & Night Routine Travel Gift Set are made for exactly that. La Mer also makes color, and The Soft Moisture Powder Foundation with SPF 30 shows how the brand carries its skincare thinking into makeup. It is part of The Estée Lauder Companies, which it has been since 1995. If you wear a foundation like this, an everyday makeup look shows how it can sit with a skin tint, concealer and cream blush.

If I were building a La Mer shelf, I would begin with the Crème de la Mer, add The Concentrate or The Essence for the first step, and keep a lip balm in my bag. It is a brand with a long story, 12 years of experiments and a kelp harvest off Vancouver Island, and the products make more sense once you know it. Whatever you choose, it is nice to know where it comes from.

If you want to keep going, The Ultimate Affordable Skincare Wardrobe and ILIA Makeup and Skincare pair well with this edit.