eye cream does it work scam

INVESTIGATION: Do You Actually Need To Use Eye Cream Or Is It A Big Scam?

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There isn’t a much more divisive skincare product than eye cream. Typically people will fall into one of two categories: you will be a ride-or-die fan, or you will think that eye cream is just a marketing scam.

Eye creams aren’t cheap and they usually claim a whole lot of benefits like smoothing and brightening under eyes, along with addressing puffiness, under eye bags, dark circles, fine lines and signs of ageing.

Growing up with advertising from anti-ageing brands like Olay and L’Oreal all over TV, I always thought that eye cream wasn’t just an optional part of skincare — it was an integral step. But in recent years, I haven’t seen eye cream always listed in people’s skincare routines to the extent that it was years ago, which made me wonder: is eye cream over?

In the past year on TikTok, skincare experts have been posting a lot about eye creams, debunking the product’s effectiveness over just a regular moisturiser.

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At the same time, skincare brands continue to release new ranges of eye creams every year. So, do we actually need to use the product, or is it a big scam created to make consumers buy more? To understand more about eye cream and what it does, we spoke to dermatologist Dr. Katherine Armour and Head of Digital and Ecommerce of Skincare at Skinstitut, Zoe Devine.

Is eye cream a necessary step in a skincare routine?

“Absolutely not!” Dr. Katherine Armour told us. “It is important to look after the skin barrier around your eyes, and protect it from sun exposure, just as you do for the rest of your face. However, it is entirely appropriate to apply your usual day or night cream around your eyes. We have been led to believe that it’s necessary to buy something special and magical to treat this area. It’s just not true.”

But Zoe Devine said that because the skin is thinner under the eyes, it needs to be treated differently. “As we age, naturally this already fine skin will become finer (through collagen degradation) and less elastic. Elasticity for the eye area is very important and can easily become compromised through avoidable habitual activity. Phenomena such as rubbing the eyes, aggressive pressure when removing eye makeup, allergies and even crying can negatively impact the skin elasticity.

“The skins ability to retain moisture becomes compromised as we get older leading to dehydration which will exacerbate all signs of ageing in the eye area. Static lines, expression lines, puffiness, and dark circles are all typical signs that want to be addressed for the eye area. This fine skin around the eyes also tends to be more sensitive than other areas,” she said.

Dr. Armour agreed on this point. “The only real exception to this is if you are using a night cream which contains a very high concentration of retinoids, vitamin C, or alpha hydroxy acids. These ingredients in very high concentration may cause irritation anywhere on the face, but, especially on the delicate periorbital skin [under the eye],” she said.

Is eye cream any different to regular moisturiser?

“In truth, there is usually nothing different when you compare an eye cream to a regular moisturiser. Eye creams which aim to just moisturise are usually the same product in smaller, more expensive packaging,” Dr. Armour said.

“If you are trying to combat pigmentation or fine lines, the under eye area does not require a different formula compared to the rest of your face.  The only reason that eye products have become ‘a thing’ is because the beauty industry has told us that we need them. All the same ingredients that we use to produce new collagen, improve texture, and fight patchy pigmentation on the rest of our face are appropriate in the eye area. The only caveat here is to be careful not to use products that contain very high concentrations of Vitamin C, retinoids or AHAs.”

Devine echoed this sentiment, noting that some of these chemicals can be too potent for the area under your eyes. “The skin around the eyes is unique as it is 10 times thinner than the skin on other parts of the face, additionally it possesses less sebaceous activity, meaning the skin itself is dryer and more easily sensitised.”

Do eye creams include any special ingredients tailored to under eyes?

“Ingredients to be on the look out for specifically for the eyes would include nourishing fatty acids, high peptide activity, moisture-binding ingredients (eg. like hyaluronic acid) and lastly circulation booster (eg. caffeine or similar),” said Devine.

Dr. Armour agreed that caffeine is an ingredient that can reduce puffiness. “Eye creams may contain caffeine which will temporarily lead to slight reduction in puffiness around the eye, or pigments such as mica to make the skin appear luminous. However, these ingredients are like makeup, in that their action is only temporary. There is nothing wrong with using eye creams, but you can still improve your skin’s health and beauty in the eye area without having to splurge on a whole separate product,” she said.

Do eye creams actually help with dark circles, puffiness and eye bags?

“In terms of under eye bags, not really,” Dr. Armour said. “These are due to gradual loss of the integrity of our skin’s support structures (collagen, elastin, fat, ligaments) due to age and sun damage. Dark circles are a very complex problem to treat. They are often multifactorial in nature, and may be due to genetics. Whilst skin brightening cosmeceuticals may lead to slight improvement in dark circles, this is really something that does better with energy-based treatments. Again, some eye creams contain pigments to make the eye area appear brighter. A good concealer can achieve the same outcome, of course! ” Dr. Armour said.

Devine also mentioned that some issues are genetic and therefore difficult for eye creams to treat. “Dark circles often naturally occur with age. This is because we lose density in the thin tissue surrounding the eyes, as this thins the capillaries within the dermis become more visible giving rise to the appearance of dark circles,” Devine said.

“Lifestyle induced dark under eye circles can often be somewhat diminished, however, for genetically prone individuals it can be more challenging. For those with deep set eyes that create shadowing, some people are happy to consider cosmetic injectables such as dermal filler to reduce shadowing. However, natural pigmentation in the eye area cannot be removed by topical product application.

“Dark under eye circles that appear due to constriction of capillaries are the easiest to target with homecare products and lifestyle modifications. Look for eye cream products that utilise caffeine, as this acts as a vasodilator to open up constricted vessels and get the stagnant blood flow going. My favourite eye corrector is Skinstitut Ultra Firming Eye & Neck Cream, this uses green coffee extract to target dark under eye circles but also assists in promoting collagen production (to increase the density in the under eye tissue).”

Should everyone be wearing eye cream?

If you have super sensitive skin, then eye cream is going to be far gentler than most facial moisturisers. “It’s more that those who are very sensitive to skincare in general may struggle to tolerate a lot of active ingredients that stimulate new collagen production. Niacinamide is a good option in the eye area for those who have very sensitive skin, as it will combat pigmentation as well as stimulate new collagen production to fight fine lines,” Dr. Armour said.

As far as age goes, if you’re still in your early 20s — then you probably need not worry. “Collagen production starts to slow from the ages of 30 onwards,” Devine told us. “A general rule of thumb for incorporating eye correctors is to start from 25 years. This proves fruitful as the we know that extrinsic factors (like sun, diets high in sugar and sodium, or smoking) coupled with the anatomical differences in skin results in accelerated ageing within the eye area. Eye correctors can also help to target lifestyle-induced eye changes that aren’t just age-related, like puffiness and dark circles, which can be seen in our 20s.”

Our Verdict?

The jury is still out. But personally, if you have super sensitive skin and can afford eye cream — great! Invest in eye cream! And if you’re specifically looking to reduce puffiness, make sure the formula includes caffeine.

However, if your under eye skin can withstand your regular moisturiser without any nasty reactions, then I wouldn’t bother spending extra money on eye cream. Be free!

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Header via Hyram on YouTube.