These are some of the best clean beauty eye creams to shop for a little under-eye TLC.
You can always count on a strong cup of coffee to mask the fact that you only got five hours of sleep the night before. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the dark circles lingering under your eyes. Enter: eye creams. An under-eye skin savior, eye creams are often touted as a means for reducing puffiness, targeting fine lines, and brightening skin. But just how effective are they?
Do eye creams work?
So, are those little jars of eye cream actually worth all the $$$? Well, according to dermatologists, it depends on which products you buy in addition to certain hereditary factors.
“When we’re talking about the efficacy of eye creams, it’s not fair to lump all eye creams together,” Dr. Sara Perkins, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Yale Medicine’s Department of Dermatology, told The New York Times. “Because some of them may just be glorified moisturizers without any biologically active ingredients in them.”
Studies show that active ingredients like ceramides, peptides, vitamin C, over-the-counter retinols, prescription retinoids, and hyaluronic acid may improve the appearance of skin, including reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Although regular face moisturizers may feature the same active ingredients, they aren’t formulated for the sensitive skin underneath the eyes—which isn’t as thick as the rest of the body. Due to the fact that it lacks oil glands, the skin also tends to dry out more and is typically more easily irritated.
“The skin around the eyes is particularly thin and delicate and prone to irritation, and therefore using products that are specifically formulated for the eye area can be beneficial,” Gretchen Frieling, MD, told Insider.
One thing dermatologists agree on is that eye creams aren’t a complete cure for all under-eye issues. Certain conditions like bags and dark circles can be hereditary or exacerbated by factors like sun exposure, smoking, stress, and allergies.
Clean beauty eye creams to shop
Want to give the skin underneath your eyes its best shot? Cover the basics: eat healthy, drink lots of water, get regular exercise, wear sunscreen, etc. And for a little extra under-eye TLC, shop these clean beauty eye creams.
1. Kypris
From its formulas down to its packaging, this high-performance skincare brand prioritizes sustainability. Makers of luxury, organic skincare featuring sustainably grown botanicals, the company opts for recyclable glass containers and 100 percent post-consumer recycled unit cartons. For added moisture, shop the Ad Astra Rich Nighttime Eye Cream.
2. Alpyn Beauty
Featuring sustainably harvested wild plants sourced from the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Alpyn Beauty is your go-to for dry skin. The brand’s PlantGenius Line-Filling Eye Balm features skin-nourishing ingredients like vitamin C, licorice root, bearberry leaf, and caffeine to help smooth the skin and reduce puffiness. Shop for a cause — a portion of proceeds go to help fund forest restoration efforts.
3. Dime Beauty
Known for its luxury vegan and cruelty-free skincare, sustainability is at the heart of Dime Beauty. The Utah-based company uses ethically sourced glass packaging for its bottled Fountain of Youth.
In 2020, it reformulated its entire range to meet the higher standards of the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database, which evaluates the safety of various personal care products. The company rates the ingredients of each product according to these standards so consumers know exactly what they’re purchasing. For a little help in the under-eye department, shop the brand’s Luminosity Eye Serum, which features ingredients like aloe leaf juice, caffeine, and goji berry fruit extract.
4. Clark’s Botanicals
Certified vegan and cruelty-free, this clean beauty brand is powered by natural botanicals. Shop the Anti-Puff Eye Cream, which contains caffeine extract, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E to give your under-eyes a helpful boost.
5. Juice Beauty
Transform your skin with Juice Beauty. The California-based brand carries a number of under-eye products made with organic ingredients, including the Green Apple Brightening Eye Cream, the Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Eye Treatment, the Smoothing Eye Concentrate, and the Signal Peptides Firming Eye Balm.
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