Holistically Haute: Do I Really Need to Use Eye Cream?

When I was in school for aesthetics, and was learning the different steps and products used for basic facials and other skin treatments, the products used in nearly every procedure were:

1. Cleanser
2. Toner
3. Exfoliant
4. Masks
5. Moisturizer


Then we had our separate list of products to enhance the service like serums/ampoules, lip balms, and eye creams. I always wondered why eye cream was on the “optional” list since most large skin care companies heavily advertise eye creams for their highly concentrated ingredients and anti-aging benefits. Even smaller companies that only have a few products in their ranges typically include an eye cream as one of their basic products. So what’s the deal? Is an eye cream a product that should be a staple in everyone’s skin care regimen or is it purely optional?

Why do people use eye cream in the first place?

Cucumbers are a popular remedy for puffy eyes.

Most people who come to me for either skin care or general health and wellness concerns have some issue with their eye areas. Some complain about puffiness, others complain about dark circles, while others either want to prevent or reverse signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles (most commonly “crow’s feet”). Most of these people also tend to get frustrated when I automatically ask them about what kinds of food they eat and how much water they drink. After all, this is America…the land of magical pills and creams that fix everything, right?


Well as you know, I am all about caring for the skin from the inside out and outside in—with proper nutrition, hydration, and lifestyle choices as well as high quality topical products. So I usually can recommend a product or a home remedy of some kind.

What makes eye cream different from a regular moisturizer?

Eye creams are typically formulated with smaller molecules since the skin in the eye area does not have the same thickness or amount/size of pores as the rest of the face. The skin here is extremely thin and delicate and for many, tends to be sensitive.


Regular moisturizers often contain different combinations of humectants (draw water into the skin and bind it there) and emollients (lie on the skin’s surface to protect the skin, strengthen the lipid barrier, and prevent dehydration (among other things). These ingredients are usually larger molecules that do not penetrate the skin. Many of the active ingredients that are advertised, like antioxidants, peptides, growth factors/stem cells, etc. are also fairly large molecules. These large molecules cannot penetrate the skin in the eye area due to the lack of pores, so they often either go to waste, or they can get stuck under the skin and form tiny raised, white or yellowish bumps called milia (although there are internal causes of milia as well). Milia can only be removed professionally with a needle or lancet by a licensed professional in a sterile environment.

Milia

Couldn’t I use a serum instead of an eye cream?

Serums and ampoules are also formulated with smaller molecules, since they are intended to deliver highly concentrated active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin. They are also designed to absorb very quickly since they are meant to be used prior to a moisturizer. For that reason, I do not recommend substituting a serum for an eye cream, since it will not provide enough moisture.

My verdict?

I am a firm believer in using an eye cream. Truth be told, I have been using it since I was about 20 years old, because I believed in prevention even back then. Many criticized me for wasting money on eye cream back then because I didn’t “need” it…well guess what? It’s been nearly 15 years and my eyes still look like they don’t “need” it. So it looks like maybe I needed it after all because I do not have any signs of aging in my eye area.


I’ve tried very expensive eye creams with all sorts of exotic ingredients, and I’ve tried fairly basic and relatively inexpensive eye creams and I’ve had good results with many of them. With the more expensive ones, I noticed certain small things like longer-lasting hydration under makeup, or better absorption, while some of the less expensive ones seemed to sit on top of the skin and cause my eye makeup to smudge (or the opposite…they dried out too fast and I felt the need to reapply halfway through the day).

Another professional opinion:

I’ve had the good fortune to meet a lot of different types of skin care and wellness professionals in my circle of classmates and colleagues, many of which have more years of experience than I do in different areas of the industry than mine. I decided to ask for a second opinion from another aesthetician, my friend and colleague June Braunlich. June is an aesthetician who works in the realm of medical aesthetics at Lase-Away Laser Center in North Andover, Mass. I asked her what her opinion of eye cream is: whether or not she thinks it is necessary and if her clients see results with it. She replies:


“Many people feel deep inside that we are just trying to sell them another product; and frequently, they are more expensive than larger sized moisturizers. The answer is clearly YES, we need them…the reason eye cream is more expensive than other skin products is because it is processesed more, again this will most likely vary by quality and integrity of a given company - this is done to make the molecules smaller, as the pores under and around our eyes are smaller than the rest of our face and body. In this way, the eye product can actually get in and work.”

June also echoed what I had previously mentioned about internal causes: “There are so many lifestyle and ethnic things to consider as well as health, and toxins accumulated from certain medications.” She strongly advocates that clients learn how to do their own lymphatic drainage massage for the eye area, and I’ve decided to do a youtube video demonstrating how to do this in the very near future.

Are there any ingredients that should NOT be used in the eye area?

I’ve already mentioned that heavy emollients and other ingredients with large molecules will just sit on the skin’s surface and could cause milia, and some ingredients like AHAs and retinol can cause irritant and inflammatory reactions in the delicate eye area. June also brings up a really good point about the popular skin care ingredient hyaluronic acid that I didn’t even think of in regards to puffiness:

“Eye creams should not have hyaluronic acid in them. It is a humectant , meaning that it grabs moisture right out of the air/environment, and can bind this moisture to already puffy eyes, actually making them puffier.”


This is because hyaluronic acid is basically the "mother" of all humectants. It holds 1,000 times its weight in water. Another commonly used humectant, aloe vera, only holds 4 times its weight in water. Glycerin is another safe and commonly used humectant.

However, there are differing views on this theory. 

When I was in school, I had the opportunity to learn about ingredients from the great Dr. Link Elanchenny, the founder and formulator (and Auyrvedic doctor) of Hylunia and Hymed professional/medical skin care products. The way he explained it is as follows (more or less...I don't remember his exact verbage):

"Aloe vera holds 4 times its weight in water. That's like being covered with 4 wet blankets. Hyaluronic acid, however, holds 1,000 times its weight in water. That's like being covered with 1,000 wet blankets." 

 All Hylunia products, including the eye creams, include very high concentrations of medical grade hyaluronic acid. Their theory is that the "wet blanket" effect actually helps push the active ingredients deeper into the skin, and since it is a water-based gel-like consistency, it does not get trapped in the skin and cause milia. 


I have to say both theories are logical to me and I think this is a case where the quality and quantity of the ingredients come into play. Hyaluronic acid is one of the most expensive skin care ingredients to use in a formulation. Cheaper brands that advertise that their products contain it often have very little of it and have a lesser grade (less pure) quality. If you want to try any skin care product with hyaluronic acid, I recommend getting one with a medical/pharmaceutical grade hyaluronic acid. You may have to do your homework to find out which grade companies use (cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical, etc.). That being said, Hylunia's Intensive Repair Eye Cream is one of my favorites in its price range. 


I also feel that alpha hydroxy acids and more inflammatory forms of Vitamin A, especially in higher percentages, should be avoided in the eye area because it can be irritating. Some people can tolerate low percentages of retinaldehyde (non-inflammatory precursor to Vitamin A) around the eye area. If you want a Vitamin A eye product, I really like Osmosis' Refresh PM eye serum which has a small percentage of retinaldehyde.

In the meantime:

There is a certain way to apply eye cream to make sure you stimulate the eye area without overstimulating it, but still help those ingredients penetrate. Here is a brief demonstration of my version of the proper eye cream application technique (again...why can't youtube come up with more flattering thumbnails?!):

Final thought:

Although I strongly advocate the use of a high quality eye cream, I think it is important to point out that if you are not following a healthy diet and lifestyle to prevent/treat eye issues from the inside out, the eye cream will do you very little good regardless of how expensive or high-tech the ingredients/formulation are. Nourishing the skin from the inside out and outside in is the only way you will get the results you want.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to June for her contribution to this post. If you happen to be around North Andover, Mass. and would like to know more about her services, you can email her directly.


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