This is taken from: http://www.ivenus.com/beauty/features/Fulllength30.asp The cream was first developed by Max Huber, an aerospace physicist from NASA, who suffered serious chemical burns on his face and eyes after working with rocket fuels. During the course of his recovery, he went through a number of medical treatments and therapeutic preparations and then became obsessed with skin care. The main ingredient in Creme de la Mer is sea kelp. As a keen environmentalist, Huber knew that sea kelp picked off the coast of California during certain times in the lunar cycle has excellent healing qualities. He then added other natural ingredients, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, lecithin and Vitamins C, D, E and B12, as well as extracts from sunflower, alfalfa, wheatgerm and citrus. So what's so special about that? Well, Huber also invented a bio-fermentation process that is so precise that each batch takes three to four months to make. Yikes! The cream also goes through a process known as "sonic chemistry", which works by taking sound waves from the solar system and wiring them into the cream as it ferments. Estee Lauder bought the company from Huber in 1994, but soon found that the cream had to go through exactly the same process in order for it to be effective. Each jar is still hand-filled to keep Huber's formula from being altered.