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High street vs. high-end: Nivea Creme vs. Augustinus Bader The Body Cream

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Shutterstock

For some reason the language we use to describe beauty products borrows its terms from that used to describe dairy produce.

Think about it: a cleansing milk, a body cream, a whipped moisturiser. The words imply indulgence, connotations of something delicious and desirable, not dissimilar to the act of beauty and caring for yourself.

But the polarising prices of beauty products is where things can start to get tricky. A cleansing milk or its moisturising counterpart may be wonderful, but their costs can differentiate so much, that one can be left wondering just what the difference is between the bargain buy and the re-mortage-your-house buy.

So we thought it might be worth giving both ends of the spectrum a trial run, so that you don't have to. This week, it's two cult classic body creams, Nivea's classic 'Creme' and Augustinus Bader's newly launched 'The Body Cream'. Is the latter worth a price tag of over £100 more? We tested both for a week to find out...

Nivea Creme

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Nivea Creme 200ml, £4.39, buy now

This omnipresent blue pot of hydrating goodness is a staple of almost every bathroom cupboard in the UK; you're more than likely to find one nestled away in an army of people's homes, as it really is some seriously efficacious and heavy-duty stuff.

The Creme, which was launched by Nivea in 1911, relies on eucerit, which is essentially an emulsifier that combines water and oil into a durable mixture.

Smell: It smells clinically clean and familiar, a nostalgic scent that is sure to evoke some sort of memory, perhaps of your youth or a loved one. I found that post-shower on a scorching hot day, using the Nivea Creme helped me to feel additionally clean once I was out of the shower, an ability I attribute to its fresh scent.

Texture: The Nivea Creme may possess a familiar fragrance, but its texture leaves a lot to be desired. The cream, which is chalky-white in colour, has a texture like thick butter which, as I'm sure you can imagine takes a considerable amount of rubbing and massaging into the skin.

Result: I used the Nivea Creme while my skin was gasping for hydration after too many days spent sun-seeking in my poky garden. It would be a stretch to say that my skin drank up the Nivea Creme, it was a decidedly more slap-it-on-and-hope-for-the-best type affair, but my body was notably more hydrated after using for just a week. For its price tag, I'm not sure you can go far wrong with a pot of Nivea Creme which will always have a space in my bathroom cupboard, no matter the decadent and luxurious creams which find their way into my possession.

Augustinus Bader The Body Cream

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Augustinus Bader The Body Cream, £130, buy now

This is some seriously life-affirming moisturiser. Globally recognised as a leader in the field of stem cell biology, Director and Professor of Applied Stem Cell Biology and Cell Technology at the University of Leipzig, Professor Augustinus Bader, launched his eponymous skincare line in 2018 with his celeb-approved The Cream. The face cream which rapidly ascended to the heady heights of cult-status contains Bader's patented Trigger Factor Complex technology, which he originally formulated in 2008 as a groundbreaking topical gel that was shown to heal third-degree burns in children without surgery or skin grafts.

The Trigger Factor Complex, or TFC8, found in all of the brand's products — alongside replenishing oils and plant-based antioxidants — is a technology comprised of amino acids, vitamins, and peptides. It not only helps to deeply hydrate, but it also strengthens the skin’s barrier and aids the reparation of damaged skin. The cream also boasts a buffet of medical-grade vitamins and synthesised molecules which are naturally found in the skin. The latter guide "key nutrients and powerful natural ingredients to cells, creating an optimal environment for regeneration,” the brand explains.

Indeed, in the brand's own user trials, 92 per cent agreed the luxe body cream helps to reduce the appearance of cellulite; 90 per cent said the same for stretch marks, and that skin feels firmer and plumper; while 98 per cent agreed the product improves skin’s texture in terms of smoothness and tone.

Its cobalt packaging is not dissimilar to its invariably cheaper Nivea dupe, but there's something considerably more thrilling and endorphin-releasing about un-packaging a delivery from Professor Bader. A cardboard box conceals a bed of padded tissue paper, which then reveals the award-winning The Body Cream. In short, the moisturiser's vessel is absolutely not to be overlooked.

Smell: The Body Cream is scentless and, while I loved the seemingly endless bouts of hydration it offered my skin, I enjoy the act of lathering my body in a fragranced cream. There's a reason Laura Mercier's Ambre Vanille Soufflé Body Crème (£53, buy now) is one of Space NK's best-sellers - we, the people, like our bodies to smell of dessert!

Texture: Now this is where the money is. The Body Cream - and this is no exaggeration - melts into the skin. Where the Nivea Creme sort of just sits on the surface of the skin, almost like a sticky marinade, the whipped texture of The Body Cream means that it takes just one swipe to massage onto skin et voila! It's absorbed. Despite its lack of a discernible scent, the ease of applying The Body Cream made considerable amends.

Result: I don't know if spending too much time in my own home has given me squiffy vision, but I am sure that my cellulite has all but gone in the ten days that I've been using The Body Cream. Not only that but scars from childhood on my body are noticeably smaller and my skin, which has been parched, is actually glowing. Bader's products are an investment, but they gained cult-status for a reason.