Last Updated on December 17, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
Luzern skincare has built its entire brand around this idea that you shouldn’t have to choose between luxury and results. And you should never ever compromise your health for results either. And I get why that’s appealing because most of us are tired of that false choice where you either get clinical products that work but feel like you’re smearing medicine on your face, or you get beautiful, luxurious formulas that do absolutely nothing except drain your bank account while making you feel fancy for five minutes.
So does Luzern actually delivers on this promise or is it just another expensive skincare brand that’s really good at marketing and packaging but doesn’t back it up with formulas that genuinely change your skin? In this Luzern skin care review, we’re getting into detailed reviews of their best sellers so you can see exactly what you’re getting for your money and whether they actually counteract the negative effects of urban life. Let’s get started:
About The Brand: Luzern Skincare
Luzern Laboratories (or Luzern Labs for short) was founded by this Swiss chemist named Thomas Bucher who grew up in Lucerne, Switzerland (or Luzern in German). He started the company with this whole mission about combining Swiss precision and quality with clean, health-conscious formulations, meaning no parabens, no sulfates, no phthalates, no synthetic fragrances, none of the ingredients that make people nervous about what they’re putting on their skin. One of the things Bucher really pushes is this concept he calls “Biophotonic” skincare, which is essentially about storing all the formulas in these violet glass bottles that are supposed to protect the ingredients from light degradation way better than regular packaging does.
Light can break down active ingredients and make them less effective over time, so by using this special glass they’re supposedly keeping everything more potent and stable. The brand also leans heavily into their Swiss heritage. For starters, they use Swiss Alpine organics (like edelweiss flower) that grow on the Swiss alps. Plus, they’re playing into that whole association we all have with Swiss precision, purity, and quality, and whether that’s actually substance or just smart marketing positioning is something we’ll figure out as we dig into the actual products.
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Serum Absolut V15 ($175)
This Vitamin C serum is formulated properly with 15% L-ascorbic acid at a pH of 3.2, which means the vitamin C can actually penetrate your skin and do its job. The formula is clean and simple with just the vitamin C, fermented minerals like copper and zinc that boost effectiveness, hyaluronic acid, and some Swiss Alpine extracts. You get real results with brightening, evening out skin tone, fading hyperpigmentation and sun spots, that glow from good vitamin C, and improvements in texture and fine lines from collagen stimulation. The bottle lasts a while and it comes in violet glass packaging that protects the formula. The downside is this is strong stuff at the right pH to actually work, so if you have sensitive or compromised skin it might be too intense and feel drying at first, and at $175 it’s expensive .
Active Ingredients: Supercharged cocktail of actives with 15% L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Hyaluronate, Fermented Minerals (Copper, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Silicon)
Benefits: Brightens skin tone, fades hyperpigmentation and sun damage, stimulates collagen production, provides antioxidant protection, evens skin texture
Cons: Too strong for sensitive or barrier-compromised skin, can feel drying initially if you’re not used to proper vitamin C, expensive
Skin Type: Best for dry skin, but everyone 9apart from sensitive skin) can use it.
Fragrance-Free: Yes
Serum Absolut Radiance ($180)
If you’re dealing with hyperpigmentation or melasma or just dull uneven skin and you can’t use hydroquinone because it’s too harsh, and you can’t use strong acids because they leave your skin red and angry, this might actually be the answer you’ve been searching for. The formula throws everything at the problem to give you newfound radiance – alpha-arbutin which is a gentler plant version of hydroquinone, sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is stable vitamin C that won’t turn orange in the bottle, niacinamide for evening out your tone and keeping your barrier happy, licorice root for calming inflammation while brightening, and this interesting ingredient called boerhavia diffusa root extract that’s supposed to be some kind of smart brightening ingredient that evens everything out. They’ve also got pumpkin enzyme ferment for gentle exfoliation that speeds things up without irritating the hell out of your skin, and daisy flower extract that helps the arbutin work better at fading spots. What’s really good about this is it manages to actually work at brightening and fading dark spots while being gentle enough for sensitive skin, which is hard to pull off because most brightening stuff that actually does anything is way too aggressive for sensitive types.
Active Ingredients: Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Niacinamide, Licorice Root Extract, Pumpkin Enzyme Ferment, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Daisy Flower Extract
Benefits: Fades hyperpigmentation and melasma, brightens dull skin, evens skin tone, gentle exfoliation, suitable for sensitive skin
Cons: Expensive, results take time and consistency like any brightening treatment
Skin Type: All skin types, particularly good for sensitive skin
Fragrance-Free: Technically yes, but contains peppermint leaf extract which some people react to
Serum Absolut WE3 ($200)
This is supposed to be Luzern’s big wrinkle-fighting serum that targets wrinkles from every angle with peptides and Swiss apple stem cells and all this other stuff, but honestly I’m not impressed with this one and I don’t think it’s worth the money based on everything I’ve seen. The formula itself is fine – it’s lightweight and sinks in quickly without being sticky – and it’s supposed to work for everyone, but at $200 for just 1 ounce you’re paying a massive amount of money for results that might be great or might be mediocre or might actually make your skin worse depending on how your skin reacts to it. Because the truth it, all the amazing claims about peptides still come from the manufacturer and apple stem cells are just glorified antioxidants that prevent wrinkles and reduce environmental stressors (and nothing else). Just saying…
Active Ingredients: Peptide Complex (multiple peptides including tripeptide), Swiss Apple Stem Cells, Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid
Benefits: Lightweight texture and prevents wrinkles
Cons: Very expensive, not enough reliable performance to justify the price
Skin Type: All skin types
Fragrance-Free: Yes
Serum Absolut Rehydrate ($145)
This is a straightforward hydrating serum that does what it’s supposed to do – it pumps hydration into your skin without adding oil or making you feel greasy – and while it works fine and does its job, I think it’s way overpriced for what you’re actually getting when you look at the ingredients. The formula is built around two different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid so you’re getting hydration at different levels in your skin, plus niacinamide to support your barrier and stop water from evaporating out of your face, panthenol for more moisture and healing, and a careful blend of lipids (phospholipids and sphingolipids) that patch up your barrier and keep everything locked in.
It’s completely oil-free which is perfect if you’re oily or combination and you need moisture but don’t want to add more oil that’ll make you break out or look shiny, and it absorbs really fast without leaving that gross tacky feeling that some hyaluronic acid products give you, so you can layer other stuff on top or wear makeup over it without any issues. It does a decent job of plumping up dehydrated skin and making it look less dull and tired, and the texture is light and easy to work with. But here’s my problem – at $145 you’re paying luxury skincare prices for hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, which are ingredients you can find in tons of cheaper serums that work just as well.
Active Ingredients: Multi-weight Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Lipid complex
Benefits: Deeply hydrating without heaviness, oil-free, fast absorption, repairs and supports skin barrier, prevents moisture loss, plumps dehydrated skin
Cons: Overpriced at $145 for a hydrating serum with ingredients you can find in much cheaper products, doesn’t offer enough unique benefits to justify the cost
Skin Type: All skin types, particularly good for dehydrated, oily, and combination skin that needs moisture without oil
Fragrance-Free: Yes
Serum Absolut Firming Collagen Booster ($215)
This Luzern product is one of the brand’s bestsellers and look, I can see why it’s popular because it does give you that instant tightening feeling when you put it on, though whether that translates to actual long-term firming is another question entirely. The key ingredients are a “transformative” blend of four different peptides that are supposed to target firmness and elasticity, plus vegan collagen and orchid stem cells and multiple weights of hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, so you’re getting a whole cocktail of ingredients that sound impressive on paper.
Here’s the thing though – the evidence for peptides actually firming your skin is pretty limited, and most of what they do is help with hydration and maybe some minor improvements in skin texture, but they’re not going to give you a facelift in a bottle no matter what the marketing says. What this serum really does well is hydrate the hell out of your skin with all that hyaluronic acid, which plumps things up temporarily and makes your fine lines look less obvious and your pores appear smaller, and the niacinamide is good for overall skin health and barrier support. The texture is lightweight and watery so it sinks in fast without any stickiness, which makes it easy to layer, and it works across different skin types without causing problems.
Active Ingredients: Peptide Complex (4 different peptides), Vegan Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid (multi-weight), Niacinamide, Orchid Stem Cells
Benefits: Instant tightening sensation, hydrates and plumps skin, can improve appearance of fine lines and pores temporarily, lightweight texture absorbs quickly
Cons: Very expensive at $215 for only 1 oz, limited evidence that peptides actually firm skin long-term, most benefits likely come from hydration rather than firming
Skin Type: All skin types including sensitive
Fragrance-Free: Yes
Crème Nuit ($295)
Retinol absolutely works for anti-aging because there are literally decades of solid clinical studies showing it reduces wrinkles, stimulates collagen production, improves skin texture, and fades hyperpigmentation, so the 0.15% concentration in here is legit and will give you real results if you use it consistently. They’ve combined the pure retinol with 0.5% bakuchiol which has some decent evidence showing it can work similarly to retinol with less irritation, and there’s one small study suggesting bakuchiol might actually enhance retinol’s effects and make it more stable, so that combination makes sense. They’ve also loaded this with multiple weights of hyaluronic acid for serious hydration, a lipid-soluble vitamin C that pairs well with retinol, peptides for extra anti-aging support, and all their Swiss Alpine botanicals and fermented stuff.
The texture is incredibly rich and buttery like you’d expect at this price, and it does absorb well instead of just sitting greasy on your skin, and you will wake up with smoother, plumper, more hydrated skin that looks better, with real improvements in lines and texture and brightness over time as the retinol does its job. Even sensitive skin types can often work up to tolerating this if they start slowly with every third night for a couple weeks and then gradually increase frequency. But here are my issues with this cream – first, at $295 for 2 ounces this is an absolutely insane amount of money to spend on a night cream when you can get excellent retinol products at much lower prices that’ll give you basically the same results, and second, 0.15% retinol is actually a pretty low concentration when some over-the-counter retinol products go up to 1% and prescription tretinoin is way stronger, so you’re not even getting a particularly high dose of the ingredient that’s actually doing most of the work here.
And third, this comes in a jar which is the absolute worst packaging for retinol because every time you open it you’re exposing the retinol to air and light which degrades it and makes it less effective over time, so by the time you get halfway through the jar the retinol concentration is probably significantly lower than what it started at, which is just stupid formulation for a product this expensive. You’re paying $295 for a low concentration of retinol in packaging that actively destroys the active ingredient. FYI, use a small amount, it’ll go a long way.
Active Ingredients: Retinol (0.15%), Bakuchiol (0.5%), Hyaluronic Acid (multi-weight), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract
Benefits: Reduces wrinkles and fine lines, improves skin texture, brightens and evens tone, deeply hydrating, enhances collagen production, gentle enough for many sensitive skin types when introduced properly
Cons: Extremely expensive at $295, low retinol concentration of only 0.15%, terrible jar packaging that degrades retinol with air and light exposure, rcontains peppermint extract which some people may react to
Skin Type: All skin types, especially normal, dry, and very dry
Fragrance-Free: Technically yes, but contains peppermint and rosemary extracts which give it a scent
Availability
Luzern products are available at Dermstore
The Bottom Line
So does Luzern actually deliver on that whole “luxury meets results without compromising your health” thing, or is it just expensive marketing in pretty violet glass bottles? Here’s the truth: some of their clean formulations are genuinely well-designed with proven ingredients at effective concentrations, while others are overpriced for what you’re getting or have dumb formulation choices like putting retinol in a jar where it degrades from air exposure. But you’re paying luxury prices for everything, and in many cases you can find products with similar or better formulations at a fraction of the cost. If you’ve got money to blow on luxury skincare and you want clean ingredients with elegant textures, some of these will give you real results.
Luzern Serum Absolut V15 Ingredients:
Water, Aqua, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin C, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ferulic Acid, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gluconolactone, Polyhydroxy Acid, Epilobium Fleischeri Flower, Leaf, Stem Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum, Edelweiss, Flower, Leaf Extract, Magnesium Aspartate, Chondrus Crispus, Carrageenan, Extract, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Benzoate, Arginine
Luzern Serum Absolut Radiance Ingredients:
Water, Aqua, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leafjuice, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Chondrus Crispus, Carrageenan, Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Salix Alba, Willow, Bark Extract, Cyclopeptide-5, Panthenol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Lecithin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gluconolactone, Ectoin, Dimethyl Sulfone, Msm, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Gluconate
Serum Absolut WE3 Ingredients:
Water, Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Rice Amino Acids, Proline, Phospholipids, Tripeptide-29, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hexapeptide-10, Hydrolyzed Soyprotein, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Avena Sativa, Oat, Kernel Extract, Salix Alba, Willow, Bark Extract, Calanthe Discolor Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ubiquinone, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale, Ginger, Root Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata, Baobab, Seed Extract, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Dimethyl Sulfone, Leuconostoc, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Gluconolactone
Serum Absolut Rehydrate Ingredients:
Water, Aqua, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phospholipids, Calcium Gluconate, Dimethyl Sulfone, Msm, Malva Sylvestris, Mallow, Extract, Gluconolactone, Sphingolipids, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Serum Absolut Firming Collagen Booster Ingredients:
Water, Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Rice Amino Acids, Proline, Phospholipids, Tripeptide-29, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hexapeptide-10, Hydrolyzed Soyprotein, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Avena Sativa, Oat, Kernel Extract, Salix Alba, Willow, Bark Extract, Calanthe Discolor Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ubiquinone, Camellia Sinensis (green tea) Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale, Ginger, Root Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata, Baobab, Seed Extract, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Dimethyl Sulfone, Leuconostoc, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Gluconolactone
Water, Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Rice Amino Acids, Proline, Phospholipids, Tripeptide-29, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hexapeptide-10, Hydrolyzed Soyprotein, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Avena Sativa, Oat, Kernel Extract, Salix Alba, Willow, Bark Extract, Calanthe Discolor Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Ubiquinone, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale, Ginger, Root Extract, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata, Baobab, Seed Extract, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Dimethyl Sulfone, Leuconostoc, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Gluconolactone
