As people who are really passionate about skin care, it’s natural that the more we learn about it, the more questions we have! In Skin Care FAQ, our new ongoing series, we’ll be taking every week one of the top-searched skin care questions and bringing it to top dermatologists, aestheticians, and skin care specialists to give you the most complete and accurate answer. This week’s theme is: Do you really need to use an eye cream?
Eye cream. It’s a simple idea: a cream made specifically for your eyes. And countless brands have formulated multiple versions of it. But the question is, do you need it? Sure, the skin around your eye definitely needs love, but what makes eye cream so different from the moisturizers and serums you use on your face? Here, we ask two dermatologists to share if they think you really need to spend your hard earned cash on an eye cream or not.
According to Rebecca Tung, a dermatologist in La Grange, Illinois, an eye cream is essential to a good anti-aging regimen. “The skin around the eyes is extremely delicate and with age this skin can thin, and eye creams can help encourage collagen growth in this area,” she says. “We can use help around the eyes as the years progress. People often gauge another person’s age by appearance of the periorbital (around the eyes) region, so why not take advantage of products that can make your skin its healthiest?”
On the other hand, Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, says eye creams are definitely helpful, but not a must. And if you’re just starting to see some little fine lines, you don’t need to go spring for an eye cream just yet. “If you’re young and have only early signs of aging skin around the eyes, you certainly can start out by extending your general face cream to the eye area,” says Zeichner.
If the aging around your eyes is particularly noticeable, then you will want to find a good eye cream. When dealing with puffiness, Tung says to “look for products that contain caffeine derivatives.” For a powerhouse cream that contains caffeine, resveratrol, and niacin, look no further than the StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles. “If you have super dry skin under your eyes, creams with silicone derivatives and hyaluronic acid can provide needed hydration,” says Tung. The Goodal Moisture Barrier Eye Cream contains hyaluronate for intense moisture and niacinamide to brighten the under eye area.
“If you tend to have under eye darkness or pigmentation, look for an eye cream that contains vitamin C,” says Zeichner. He recommends the La Roche Posay Active C Eyes which contains pure vitamin C to even out skin tone.
But if you’re looking for a great eye cream, you should find one that offers multiple benefits in one, so you’re hitting all your marks. The Erborian Seve de Bamboo Eye Matte is a bestseller and the winner of the Soko Glam Best of K-Beauty award for utilizing the properties of bamboo sap to create a gel that seriously hydrates sensitive skin and reduces the appearance of dark circles.
Oh, and here’s a final free tip from Tung on how to prevent aging around your eyes: “Protect the skin around your eyes with broad spectrum sunscreen and wear sunglasses.” Sounds obvious, but we always forget to do this.
+ We want to hear from you: What is your favorite eye cream? Share it in the comments below!
