Cookie banner

This site uses cookies. Select "Block all non-essential cookies" to only allow cookies necessary to display content and enable core site features. Select "Accept all cookies" to also personalize your experience on the site with ads and partner content tailored to your interests, and to allow us to measure the effectiveness of our service.

To learn more, review our Cookie Policy, Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.

or
clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

This $20 Moisturizer Is a Great Dupe for a $500 Favorite

Racked has affiliate partnerships, which do not influence editorial content, though we may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. We also occasionally accept products for research and reviewing purposes. See our ethics policy here.

Lumene Overnight Bright Sleeping Cream
Lumene Overnight Bright Sleeping Cream ($20)

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Have you ever had a moment where you experience something for the first time and you immediately know you never want to live without it? That was me the second I applied Clé de Peau’s La Creme. It has incredible anti-aging benefits thanks to retinol, rosemary extract to improve skin density, and skin-firming licorice root extract, but it was really the smell, the soft creamy texture, and the dewy results that made me fall in love. What could possibly be the downside, you ask? It costs $535 for a 1-ounce jar and $785 for a 1.8-ounce one.

When I ran out, I had to say goodbye and find an affordable option. My much more modest substitute is Lumene’s Overnight Bright Sleeping Cream. I love its faint citrus scent and the smooth luxe-feeling texture. At first it feels like it’s going to be ultra-rich, but once it’s applied, the cream absorbs incredibly quickly and evenly. Not to mention it delivers the most important thing: results. Thanks to its vitamin C and hyaluronic acid-packed formula, my skin has never looked so fresh or bright, and my complexion has taken on a whole new level of radiance that rivals any highlighter.

Oh yeah, and it only costs $20 — so even though I’ve cleaned out this jar too, it didn’t take weeks worth of paychecks to buy another.