There's a separate cream for almost every part of your body. You may understandably pass over those miniature tubes and pots of eye cream. But you're missing out on the benefits of specially chosen actives.
There's body cream, face cream, hand cream, foot cream, cuticle cream, neck cream, and even eye cream. With multiple creams fighting for your attention, it makes you wonder: how are they any different?
The most mystical of them all has to be eye cream. Often packaged in teeny, tiny tubes with futuristic applicators (Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, we're looking at you!), these products certainly carry a mystique. We don't blame you for wondering what it is they actually do.
While eye creams are somewhat similar to facial moisturisers, the former differ in a trifecta of ways. Eye creams:
- Target concerns specific to the under-eye area, e.g. dark circles and puffiness
- Are safe for sensitive skin
- Embody lightweight, fast-absorbing formulas that facilitate delicate application
Just as foot creams are formulated to target skin that's thick, rough, and tough, eye creams are formulated to work best for under-eye concerns.
1. Eye creams can help reduce under-eye puffiness.
The under-eye area, which consists of especially thin skin, tells all sins. In fact, the skin in the eye area is the thinnest skin you have on your body.
When you've experienced a stressful situation that's caused your body to scramble, under-eye puffiness is extremely likely. That stressful situation could be an experience, a lack of something, or even a dietary change. Some of the most common triggers of puffy eyes include:
- Fatigue and sleep deprivation
- Allergy-induced congestion
- High salt intake, which encourages fluid retention
- Any kind of physical, mental, or emotional stress
A well-chosen eye product helps to tackle swelling and other signs of stress and inflammation. Ingredients like caffeine help to constrict blood vessels in the local area, which encourages drainage and helps to reduce puffiness.
Our favourite anti-puffiness creams include:
- Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage, which combines active caffeine with a ball applicator to manually stimulate under-eye drainage
- Cosmedix Eye Genius Brilliant Eye Complex, a formula based on skin-firming peptides, also great for reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- StriVectin-TL 360° Tightening Eye Serum, a reliable go-to for under-eye puffiness
2. Eye creams can help lighten dark under-eye circles.
While a few late nights won't faze most other parts of your body, your eyes tell all. The thin skin in this area easily reveals blood pooling in the vessels beneath its surface, commonly known as dark under-eye circles. Dark circles are aggravated by periods of sleep deprivation, which provoke deoxygenation of blood.
When blood is well oxygenated, it appears bright red. When blood is deoxygenated, it darkens, sometimes appearing almost black. Anti-dark-circle eye creams contain active ingredients that:
- Hydrate and plump skin to decrease its transparency
- Actively brighten by encouraging microcirculation
- Improve the resilience of skin by stimulating production of collagen and elastin
If you want to add an anti-dark-circle treatment to your skincare arsenal, we recommend one of the following:
- Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
- Medik8 Dark Circles, which has been trialled to show a 35% reduction in dark circles after 8 weeks
- asap advanced eye complex
Looking for a little more help with your eye cream selection? Reach our trained skincare experts by email at service@adorebeauty.com.au or by phone on 03 9486 7179.
