When La Prairie introduced its latest skincare product -- at $500 a pop -- Saks had to limit purchases to six at a time.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Call it a clear sign of a recovery: Sales of luxury skincare have rebounded sharply.
In 2010, sales of prestige skincare products sold in U.S. department stores reached $2.7 billion, according to the NPD Group, an 8% increase from 2009.
"That market has seen as resurgence at the end of the recession," noted Alexis Wolfer, editor-in-chief of online magazine the Beauty Bean.
When Saks Fifth Avenue celebrated the launch of La Prairie's latest skincare product, Cellular Power Infusion, last month, demand was so high that they had to limit customers to purchasing no more than six at a time. The price? Nearly $500 for four quarter-ounce bottles.
"We see a strong customer response any time a new and advanced product arrives in our stores," said Deborah Walters, senior vice president for cosmetics, fragrances and intimate apparel at Saks.
Tracy Brennan, the owner of Los Angeles-based Kalologie Skincare, says her customers have been moving into some of the higher price point products in recent months or buying the entire line instead of just one jar. Some products are constantly selling out.
"As much as we want to keep the shelves full stocked, we have to accommodate people via wait list sometimes," Brennan said.
But unlike other luxury products, the value of a face cream can be even harder to measure. Some of the priciest products on the market -- like Kanebo Sensai eye cream, which costs $320 for half an ounce and is currently backordered, or ReVive's Peau Magnifique which costs $1,500 for a four week supply -- credit complicated ingredients that claim to regenerate skin cells. But that's hard to measure.
"You are paying for this expensive ingredient, but there's not a ton of science behind it," Wolfer said. "There are really few clinical studies; you are really taking a brand's word for it."
Still, Wolfer says she also indulges in the pricier products for herself. "I am a big believer on your skin being your largest organ, but I think it's a personal decision," she said. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.80% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.09% | 3.11% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.65% | 2.69% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.77% | 3.86% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.09% | 3.21% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,454.83 | -74.92 | -0.60% |
| Nasdaq | 2,837.53 | -1.85 | -0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 1,317.82 | -2.86 | -0.22% |
| Treasuries | 1.74 | -0.01 | -0.80% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.15 | 0.01 | 0.14% |
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 2.62 | 0.09 | 3.56% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 16.33 | -0.06 | -0.37% |
| Chesapeake Energy Co... | 15.81 | 0.23 | 1.48% |
| Ford Motor Co | 10.60 | 0.01 | 0.09% |
|
The Senate hearing will focus JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading loss, which Dimon announced earlier this month. More |
The offer for mail handlers is part of the Postal Service's plan to cut 150,000 jobs by 2015. More |
In the whirlwind of its IPO fallout, there has been a sort of glee in watching the company stumble. What's driving the Facebook-schadenfreude and what can the social network do about it? More |
One in six children in the United States is obese. These small businesses have found creative -- and lucrative -- ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. More |
In Harper County, Kansas, oil companies are offering farmers up to $1,250 an acre for the mineral rights that allow them to drill for oil on their property. More |
.
