With evidence revealing that many eye creams have the same characteristics as basic moisturizers, their high-ticket price gets called into question. Know the difference and get the most for your money. I started trying to cover up my dark circles in middle school, surreptitiously blending nude-colored eye shadow (from my “play” make-up; I wasn’t allowed to wear real make-up just yet) under my eyes. It didn’t work. No surprise there. By the end of eighth grade, I was deemed eligible to wear real makeup and given a lesson by my aunt on how to tastefully apply, particularly around the eyes. Thankfully, my mother understood the importance of applying good products around sensitive areas such as the eyes and bought me an eye cream. A good name brand and it wasn’t cheap. But it took me over six years to admit that my nicely packaged expensive eye cream made no difference. My eye issues have always been dryness, dark circles, and puffiness. Don’t all eye creams do the same thing? Are they really any different than a run-of-the-mill facial moisturizer? And if not, why on earth am I paying all this money?! I contemplated morning and night.Eye creams are touted to be specifically formulated for skin wellness measures like moisture, protection against and reparation of wrinkles, the reduction of dark circles, and de-puffing. But though their teeny tiny portions ask for beaucoup bucks, some may do little more than what your facial cream does. How can we spot the difference? Trial and error is one way, but ain’t nobody got time or money for that. There’s a better way. In a New York Times article, dermatologist Dr. Perkins, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine, and Dr. Zakia Rahman, a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University both agree that “there is evidence that eye creams — and even regular facial moisturizers — can help prevent and repair wrinkles. But there’s one big caveat: They must contain some key active ingredients: retinols (or prescription retinoids) or vitamin C.”1 In other words, know the ingredients in your eye cream. Looking back at the cream I used to carefully dab under my eyes each morning and evening, it was really just a basic moisturizer — none of the key ingredients I should’ve been looking for included! Our eyes deserve special attention and care specifically formulated to our needs. For wrinkle prevention and repair, vitamin C or retinoids are necessary. If we’re talking hydration, an eye cream with hyaluronic acid will help to keep the eye area, a delicate area with thinner skin more prone to drying out, moisturized. De-puffing will require (in conjunction with a healthy diet, always) antioxidant ingredients like vitamin E or ferulic acid, among others, to help prevent environmental damage and decrease unwanted swelling. Here are our eye cream recommendations based on target issues.For firming, hydration, and a good depuff: Dermalogica Age Reversal Eye ComplexFor an increase in nutrients and maintenance of cellular hydration, and wrinkle prevention: Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for EyesFor the reparation of wrinkles and cell damage: SkinCeuticals Eye Balm 

Sources:

1. Sneed, A. (2022, July 19). Do eye creams actually work for wrinkles?. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/well/eye-cream-wrinkles.html