Has it crossed your mind that you might need to add an eye cream to your lineup? You may be going back and forth with the decision to splurge on an eye cream and you wonder: is it actually worth it? We are constantly asked: “Is eye cream necessary or can I skip it?” Let’s talk about why eye cream is so great and who can benefit from using one!
SKIN ON THE FACE VS. THE SKIN AROUND THE EYES
While many skincare items are personalized to each person, eye creams will work great for almost everybody! This is because they are specifically designed for the skin surrounding the orbital region. The skin in this area is delicate and must be treated differently, as it is structurally different from the skin on the rest of your face. It is also vulnerable to more damage because of how thin it is naturally.
Your eyes are a region that can be affected easily thanks to your lymphatic system, immune system, vision and eye muscles, and sinus cavities. Since the eye area can be impacted by so many things, it is easy to become victim to dark circles, puffiness, droopy skin (bags), fine lines and even wrinkles. Specially formulated eye creams will help improve skin concerns that you may be having pertaining to the eye area. And hey, eye creams are great for preventative measures as well, so that you can strengthen the skin around your eyes and prevent signs of aging or dullness from ever happening.
CAN I USE FACE PRODUCTS AROUND MY EYES INSTEAD?
Remember how we talked about how thin the ocular area skin is? This is important to think about when applying face creams around the eyes. When we use face products like moisturizers or thick night creams around the eye area, this can actually cause a couple of issues.
- We worry about irritation from thicker products being used on thin skin. Our thinner eye skin can inhibit the absorption of thicker creams and cause irritation and sensitivities.
- Since face products aren’t absorbed as well on thinner skin around the eyes, this can result in milia. Milia is a collection of tiny white bumps and are trapped skin cells. If the cream is too thick, it can inhibit the skin from properly shedding around the eyes. This is another benefit of eye creams, because they are designed to reduce incidence of skin irritation and milia.
TARGETING EYE AREA CONCERNS
If you’re targeting specific skin concerns around the eyes like stubborn dark circles, crow’s feet, or puffiness, you’ll want an eye cream that hits each of those concerns. Dark circles are one of the hardest skin concerns to tackle because the eye area is so fragile that rubbing your eyes too hard or even applying skincare too roughly can break capillaries (blood vessels) under the skin and create unwanted dark circles. It's important to understand that we can strengthen the skin around the eyes with special eye creams to help reduce and prevent dark circles. When addressing any skin concern, it’s important to look for the right ingredients that will deliver the results you desire!
Diminishing dark circles: Look for an eye cream that contains Chrysin, which is a botanical ingredient that helps to eliminate pigmented Bilirubin and Iron deposits underneath the skin (dark circles). Another ingredient you’ll want to look for is N-Hydroxysuccinimide, which activates the elimination of blood originated pigments that are responsible for darkened color and inflammation leading to a decrease in dark circles. And lastly, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, this powerful ingredient works to ease blood circulation and strengthens capillaries to reduce blood pooling and dark circles.
Minimizing fine lines & wrinkles: Opt for an eye cream that contains Hyaluronic Acid. This lightweight ingredient is gentle enough for the eye area, yet effectively hydrates and binds moisture into the outermost layer of skin. Because the under eye area is so thin, it is more susceptible to becoming dry. The added hydration helps to improve skin’s appearance to look more healthy, plumped, and youthful. Vitamin E is yet another powerhouse ingredient and antioxidant that works to fight against free radicals, reducing signs of aging. We also recommend using an eye cream with peptides. Peptides help reinforce firmness and skin tone while repairing damaged skin and stimulating collagen production for a more youthful and brighter eye area!
Reducing under eye bags and de-puffing: Look for an eye cream with caffeine. This natural ingredient Invigorates the blood vessels under the skin and helps to reduce the appearance of puffiness. Caffeine can help reduce inflammation and tighten up that delicate eye area! The use of peptides can also help de-puff and reduce sagging skin because of its emphasis on elastin production stimulation.
*Wink wink* Our Restorative Eye Cream contains all of these healing and hydrating ingredients listed above, and more!
APPLYING EYE CREAM
Because eye creams are specialized skincare, there is a special way to apply cream to the fragile eye area! We recommend applying half a pump of our Restorative Eye Cream to your ring finger or pinky finger and applying gently around the eyes as your last skincare step. Your ring and pinky finger will have the lightest touch compared to the other fingers and is more suitable for this area of the face.
MAYBE I DO NEED THAT EYE CREAM AFTER ALL!
Still on the fence on if you need eye cream or not? We understand that eye creams can feel like a bit of a splurge when you start to think about how small the packaging is. However, we want to remind anyone on the fence about purchasing an eye cream that specially formulated eye creams require far less product to be used. Because you’re using only a small amount of product on a small area of the face, your eye cream will last you a long time and you will reap BIG benefits.
So go ahead, add that cute little bottle of eye cream to your cart so it can join your countertop skincare collection! When incorporating a product made specifically for the eye area, you will notice a drastic difference in the way your skin responds to the eye cream and how much positive improvement you can see! You will experience soothed, smoothed, and refreshed eyes!