Everyone seems to have an opinion on if eye creams are worth it. Some think they're just repackaged moisturizer, while others praise eye creams and can't go without it.
In this article, we review through studies and some professional opinions to determine if eye creams are actually needed and worth it, or if you should pass on eye creams.
What's Eye Cream?
Products labels as eye creams are types of moisturizers that are formulated specifically to be used around the eye area. Be careful not to apply eye cream too close to your lash lines.
Eye creams contain a more gentle concentration of potent skin benefiting ingredients to make them safe around the eye.
Difference Between Skin Around The Eyes Vs Rest Of Face
For those of us who have acne prone skin, we may very well know that skin on different parts of the body are different than on other parts.
The skin around the eyes is a lot more thin and delicate compared to the skin on the rest of our face.
The skin around the eyes also have fewer oil glands so the skin is drier around the eyes.
"Hydration is key around the eyes because the skin in this area is extremely thin and has fewer oil-producing glands. Eye creams should be applied gently with light pressure whilst taking precautions to ensure the cream does not go inside the eye itself" - Hayley Leeman, consultant dermatologist
The skin around the eyes tend to be the first place where signs of aging skin appear such as fine lines, discoloration and sagging.
General facial products made to address those issues shouldn't be used around the eyes because they can be too strong and may irritate the skin around the eyes making matters worse.
Imagine getting retinol burn around the under eyes? Ouch!
When to use an eye cream?
Eye creams should be used if you have specific concerns like eye bags, sagging, increased puffiness, dark circles, or an increase in fine lines.
If you don't have any under eye concerns, you don't need to use an eye cream. A basic facial moisturizer without any 'active' ingredients can be used around the eyes to keep the area hydrated in this case.
What to look for in an eye cream?
It depends on what your under eye concerns are, different ingredients are good for different issues.
Some eye creams have a more complex formula with several ingredients that can tackle many issues, while some formulas are more simple and are only good for 1 to 2 undereye issues.
Puffiness + Baggy Eyes
Puffy eyes are usually due to fluid build up around the eyes. Products that contain caffeine or green tea are good at depuffing the eyes and can also firm the undereye area. Witch hazel can also control bags by tightening the blood vessels of skin.
If you have bags under your eyes, or notice your eyes are becoming more droopy, this is usually due to loss of collagen around the eye area.
Look for collagen promoting and firming ingredients like peptides, there are types of peptides like matrixyl 3000.
Wrinkles + Fine Lines
Look for an eye cream that contains retinol as an ingredient. Retinol is one of the best collagen increasing ingredients for well-aging.
Peptides are also great for increasing collagen in the skin to reduce fine lines.
MSM is also shown to enhance collagen in the skin to tackle and reduce wrinkles.
Some eye creams may even have AHAs like lactic acid in them to help stimulate collagen.
Dark Circles
Dark circles around the eye is another major concern that we hear quite often.
If you are dealing with dark circles, look for ingredients known to brighten and even out discoloration such as Vitamin C, and Licorice Extract.
Both these ingredients both are shown to prevent and reverse hyperpigmentation to combat dark undereye circles. They are also potent antioxidants on their own.
AHA's like Lactic and glycolic acid can also help brighten hyperpigmentation.
Moisturizing
A good eye cream should also have moisturizing ingredients in them so you don't need a separate moisturizer. Moisturizing ingredients may include oils, glycerin, hyalauronic acid, ceramides, or squalane.
How To Use Eye Cream?
Follow the instructions that come with your eye cream.
To apply eye cream, use a pea sized and split it in half to be used for both eyes.
You can dab a few dots around both under eyes and up to under your brow to spread it evenly.
Gently tap the product in with your ring finger and you should apply the eye cream all around the eye area, to right below the brows. You can use your orbital bone as a guide.
If you have an applicator with your eye cream, you can use that just be careful of the amount of pressure you put on your eye area. You want to be gentle and delicate.
Avoid getting too close to your lower or upper lashline to make sure you don't get product into the eyes.
Is An Eye Cream Worth It?
The conclusion is that if you have undereye concerns and issues, then yes an eye cream is very much worth it. Eye creams are formulated specifically for the thinner and more sensitive under eyes compared to facial products.
However, if you don't have any undereye concerns, then an eye cream isn't necessary for you.
Do you use eye creams? Let us know in the comments if you think they are worth it!
References:
Cosmeceuticals for Hyperpigmentation: What is Available? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3663177/
Effects of Oral Supplementation With Methylsulfonylmethane on Skin Health and Wrinkle Reduction https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/effects-oral-supplementation-methylsulfonylmethane-skin-health-and-wrinkle-reduction
Anti-Wrinkle Benefits of Peptides Complex Stimulating Skin Basement Membrane Proteins Expression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6981886/
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