Is Eye Cream Really Worth its Steep Cost?

There comes a time for everyone when you question everything that comprises your skincare regimen. Maybe you believe the products aren’t quite as effective as you thought they’d be. Or you’re spending longer than you want to every morning and night in front of a mirror.

More often than not, it’s the cost of a particularly expensive product that spurs such reflection. Eye cream, we’re looking at you.

While the cost can be exorbitant, rest assured that it’s money well spent. The delicate skin around our eyes is usually one of the first spots on the face to show signs of aging, sun damage, and stress. Eye creams can be an effective preventive and reparative measure for addressing all of that. So, even if you only use cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen, an eye cream would be a worthwhile addition to your skincare lineup.

Not all eye creams are alike, though. Each contains a certain combination of ingredients in order to effectively target specific concerns. Here, I’ll highlight which ingredients you should be looking for.

Dark circles

To help gradually brighten under-eye skin, look for an eye cream with nonirritating lightening ingredients. One of the best is vitamin C. A potent antioxidant, it helps slow down the production of abnormal pigmentation under the eye. It can also improve the appearance of dark spots, lines, and wrinkles.

Puffiness

Puffiness can be caused by a number of things, including lack of sleep, allergies, a poor diet, and age-related volume loss. Topical caffeine is good for a quick fix. It helps constrict blood vessels, which reduces puffiness under the eyes. If under-eye bags are more of a consistent concern, and it’s related to skin and volume, retinols, peptides, and antioxidants can provide relief.

Signs of aging

Only injectables and cosmetic procedures can dramatically reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and crepe-y skin around the eyes. But there are some ingredients that can provide noticeable improvements gradually. Among them, retinol is the gold standard. It stimulates collagen, strengthens the skin, and improves the appearance of wrinkles. Eye creams are typically formulated with a low concentration to avoid being too harsh.

Skin laxity

Again, no eye cream will yield the same kind of improvement as a cosmetic procedure, but there are some ingredients that can make an improvement. Peptides, for one, boost collagen and elastin production. Collagen gives skin its firmness, while elastin minimizes sagging. Another is hyaluronic acid, which can plump up the skin and improve the appearance of hollow under-eyes caused by sagging skin.