Eye creams are a hard sell, and many don’t live up to their bold claims. If you’re looking for an eye treatment, chances are you’re looking for something that will make a visible difference to fine lines and those inevitable crow’s feet. Our advice? Skip the unpronounceable plant extracts and precious metals and go to the one thing we know actually works: retinol.
Whether you’re crying, laughing, or squinting, your eyes are doing a lot more work than you realize, meaning the skin around them is more prone to premature aging. Retinol – a derivative of vitamin A – is the gold standard when it comes to anti-aging ingredients. Many dermatologists praise its ability to stimulate cell turnover and collagen production, leading to a smoother, plumper and brighter complexion.
However, with real results come real side effects. We know that retinol is strong, and an overly potent formula can cause redness, dryness, and irritation. So when it comes to finding the right retinol-based cream, it’s critical that it brightens and smoothes your under-eye equally, without causing any side effects related to the active.
If there’s one brand that gets retinol right, it’s Medik8. We’ve been fans of its Crystal Retinal serums for a long time — which come in five ascending strengths — and now the brand has introduced an eye treatment to the lineup.
The new Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye is an extension of the Crystal Retinal range, which promises to reduce crow’s feet, wrinkles, crepiness and puffiness. The skin around your eyes is a lot thinner and more sensitive compared to the rest of your body, so it requires a little more TLC. This smart serum has been carefully formulated to give you all the benefits of retinol, without the risk of irritation.
Since this innovative formula landed on our desk, we’ve been trying it out to see how it differs from other eye creams, and so far we’ve been impressed. The main ingredient is naturally encapsulated retinaldehyde: it is a slow-release, stabilized active that provides hydration and effective results without irritation. This form of vitamin A is stronger than your standard retinol, meaning it will help smooth and brighten faster. The formula is also fortified with ceramides to ensure surface hydration and to seal the deal, there are hyaluronic acid-filling spheres that help plump fine lines and wrinkles with moisture.
Another plus is the way the formula absorbs instantly – a welcome factor if you don’t like the feeling of rich formulas around your eyes. It does not cause a tingling sensation, but leaves a moisturizing seal on which you can apply the rest of your skin care. And, like our favorite Crystal Retinal face serums, the eye cream comes in a variety of concentrations so you can tailor your specific retinol needs. The brand recommends pairing your eye cream with your face cream, so if you’re new to retinol, start with Ceramide Eye 3 and then slowly progress to Ceramide Eye 6 and then 10. As you can see, this launch is really a boost the bar in the eye cream category.
An amount equal to a grain of rice is all you need here, which makes the price a bit more palatable. As with anything, the results won’t be instant – but stay loyal and after a few weeks you’ll notice brighter, fuller and younger-looking eyes. We know that many eye creams can disappoint, but this is one we really believe in.
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