Here you see the harvest in action. The land is owned by Canada's First Nations People, who harvest and then sell the kelp to the company. The kelp grows on long stems that reach to the ocean floor. The two-man team takes their boat out and hand cuts the kelp off, leaving the stalks intact so that they stay alive and can continue to produce more kelp leaves.

While it would be easier and more cost-efficient to just drag up the kelp stalks and remove the leaves that way, this would cause the kelp not to grow back and basically destroy an entire eco-system — myriad sea creature depend on this plant for survival.

This eco-friendly method of hand-harvesting, along with the complex biofermentation process, and the hand-packaging of the product, are just a few of the reasons Creme de La Mer carries that hefty price tag.

Photographed by Jer Crowle/Courtesy of La Mer