Eye creams seem to be a particularly controversial subject among skin care enthusiasts. This is mostly because there is no agreement whether we truly need a separate cream for our eye area. Nevertheless, eye creams still hold a special place in women’s cabinets, and many swear by their efficiency in keeping the skin around the eyes looking youthful. If you are having some doubts regarding the necessity of eye creams, here are things you need to know before deciding whether to make a purchase:

1. Eye creams are different from regular moisturizers

While eye creams may contain the same ingredients found in your daily moisturizer, the concentration of these ingredients and the thickness of the formula is usually different. Some eye creams tend to be thicker than regular moisturizers while others contain a significant number of active ingredients that are not found in facial moisturizers. This is because the skin around the eyes is thinner and dryer than the surrounding area which demands a different kind of formula. However, whether you need a separate cream for your eye area will depend on the condition of your skin.

2. Eye creams target specific skin concerns

If your eye area is relatively healthy, then using a moisturizer in place of an eye cream is perfectly ok. However, if you have puffiness, dark circles, discoloration, fine lines, and wrinkles, you should consider using a cream designed to target the specific skin concern you might be having. For instance, creams containing vitamin K can significantly improve dark circles while those containing caffeine help with under-eye puffiness. Most facial moisturizers don’t contain these ingredients which are exactly why eye creams were designed. Furthermore, some eye creams were designed to target all these concerns at once which is great when you have some concerns you’d like to address.

3. It all comes down to the ingredients

While the feel and smell of a certain product may be the determining factor in purchasing an eye cream for some women, it is the ingredients that count when it comes to eye creams. Ingredients like antioxidants, growth factors, and peptides were extensively studied for their efficiency in rejuvenating the skin around the eyes. Furthermore, you need to check if the formula is designed with the ideal pH to ensure the stability of these antioxidants and their ability to penetrate the skin. The best eye creams will contain an ideal blend of these ingredients to help protect and rejuvenate the delicate skin around the eyes.

4. Packaging is equally important

Because eye creams frequently contain active ingredients such as antioxidants (vitamin C, E, niacinamide), and because these antioxidants are prone to degradation upon light and air exposure, the type of packaging is of great importance to prevent degradation. Products containing these active ingredients should ideally be dark-colored, in pump or tube form and, ideally, made of glass. If your eye cream is packaged in a tub, that is also ok providing the cream does not contain any antioxidants, and whose sole purpose is to provide hydration to the under-eye skin are. However, most skin care manufacturers are turning away from the traditional tub packaging and favoring more hygienic and practical tubes and pumps.

5. Look for an eye cream with sunscreen

For some reason, many eye creams don’t contain sun protection. Because sun damage is the number one factor leading to premature skin aging, protecting your eye area from sun damage is important when trying to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Eye creams are usually designed as nourishing and moisturizing products that don’t focus that much on sun protection. If your favorite eye cream does not contain any sun protection, you could simply apply a facial sun cream after your eye cream, and you are good to go. Another option is to purchase a specialized sun protecting cream for the eye area. Sunscreens can contain irritating and drying ingredients, so you need to be careful when applying these to the area around your eyes.

Conclusion

Eye creams are still considered essentially superfluous among skin care products even though they do address skin concerns that are specific to the eye area. Dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines and wrinkles are the first signs of aging that you will notice on your face. The thick and enriched formula of some of the today’s eye creams could help with some of these common skin concerns. But in case you don’t feel like spending that extra money on eye creams, serum or moisturizer will also do the trick.

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