best eye creams | skinmedix

Are Eye Creams a Waste of Money?

By Canoe Group on November 17, 2022 in Creams & Moisturizers, Skin Care Routine, Skin Care Science

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 Complex

For an increase in nutrients and maintenance of cellular hydration, and wrinkle prevention: Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes

For 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

Don’t Turn a Blind Eye to Finding Your Best Eye Cream

By Maura Lieberman on March 17, 2016 in anti-aging, beauty, FAQs

Don't turn a blind eye to finding the best eye cream

It doesn’t take much to notice that the area around the eye is the most delicate region on a person’s face. The skin around your eyes is thinner and vulnerable to outside forces, such as pollution and UV damage, so investing in a good eye cream to both soften and protect the eye area is important at any time in your life. But when it comes to finding the best eye cream for you, age is an important factor.

If you’ve never bought an eye cream to treat puffiness, dark circles, or to lessen the appearance of blood vessels under the eyes, you will find an endless number of product choices. There are so many options, brands, and ingredients, but the more you understand your skin type and how it reacts to different ingredients, choosing the best eye cream will be a much easier task. The best eye cream for you will have the most effective impact on the sensitive skin under and around your eyes without clogging your pores and creating further problems.

When Should I Start Using an Eye Cream?

The skin around the eyes is very fragile and prone to dryness, while also being more prone to show fatigue and age. Unfortunately, the area near the eyes tends to show signs of aging the quickest, which means that your everyday moisturizer isn’t going to do the trick for your entire face.

When did we start associating eye creams with age? Eye cream, like moisturizer and face wash, is a product that benefits people of all ages. It’s not until you start to see lines forming that you should switch to an eye cream with anti-aging ingredients.

If you experience dark circles, eye puffiness, and the like on occasion or daily, you can see the many benefits of using an eye cream for different eye needs.

In your 20s

Best Eye Cream in Your 20s

Don’t you wish there was a way to turn back time? Well, you can’t actually go back in time, but you can actually slow down the aging process.

In your 20s, on top of keeping up with cleansing and everyday sun protection, you should take the preventative measures farther and start using an eye cream. Regardless of whether your face shows age of not, you don’t want to put yourself at risk for aging prematurely. In your 20s, a simple skincare routine is the best routine. Be sure to keep using a mild everyday cleanser, using sun protection daily, and taking the preventative measures a step further–if you haven’t already, start using an eye cream.

Whether you’re in school, work, or both, your 20s are a very busy time. In your 20s, dark circles and puffy eyes are often a reflection of your lifestyle — staying up late and getting up early can really harm your delicate skin.

Of course, your eyes may be puffy as a result of allergies, genes, a poor diet, or sun damage, as well.

It doesn’t matter what age you are, an eye cream is beneficial for anyone in protecting the area around the eye, which is the most delicate part of your face. Opt for a product like Dermatologica Total Eye Care SPF 15, which is an advanced eye treatment (with sunscreen!) used to protect and repair the delicate eye area. With a chemical-free formula, you’re able to protect and prevent any damage to the eye area and look wide awake at work. Puffiness be gone!

In your 30s

how to find the best eye cream in your 30s

Even if you have kept up with a perfect skincare regimen all of your life, you may start to see some fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes at this time in your life as the collagen and elastin in the facial tissue start to break down.

As you get older, your skin becomes thinner and weaker and isn’t able to hold the fat pads back as well as it once did.

The dreaded “bags under the eyes” effect occurs as a result of the sagging and protruding of the fat pads in this region. The layer of fat beneath the skin contributes to the overall facial structure, and when it sags, it results in the baggy under eye effect.

To combat aging, using an eye cream like the Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes provides the delicate eye area with nutrients for increasing and maintaining cellular hydration. For more youthful looking skin, choose a super-hydrating eye cream.

In your 40s

how to choose an eye cream in your 40s

In your 40s, you may begin you may start to notice crow’s feet in the corner’s of your eyes or more dark circles. Buying an eye cream with retinol or glycolic acid, which both boost collagen production, can help.

If you feel your eye region is starting to droop more, it may be a good time to start using an eye cream with growth factors which can help to build up the collagen and elastin.

In your 40s, you can benefit from using the IS Clinical Youth Eye Complex which works to combat aging at a cellular level. Formulated with proteins, this eye cream is clinically proven to help to regenerate skin which has shown signs of aging.

With nutrient-rich antioxidants, this product works to reduce wrinkles, puffiness and dark under-eye circles to keep protected all day long.

In your 50s

how to pick an eye cream in your 50s

In your 50s, your skin starts to dry out more and become even thinner, so using an eye cream with a rich moisturizer is crucial. Just like a facial moisturizer for dry or sensitive skin, you’ll want a provide to increase hydration give you a little lift.

A product such as the SkinCeuticals Eye Balm is formulated to counter the three prime signs of aging— moisture loss, collagen breakdown, and free radical damage while also formulated with chamomile to calm irritated skin.

Finding the best eye cream isn’t a challenge!

best eye cream doesn't mean stressed eye cream

Don’t let your search for the best eye cream become your stressed find for eye cream. Put your fears and worries aside because the best eye cream is out there waiting for you — you may just not know it yet!

When determining the best fit for you, you need to know your skin type and your skin’s sensitivity. You may think that your face moisturizer can double as an eye cream, but hold that thought! Your eyes are sensitive, right? That makes they need their own special treatment. Treat them well!