Beauty experts promote the use of a separate eye cream – but is it marketing hype from beauty companies, or do we really need an eye cream at all? Can we just use facial moisturiser?

Certain ingredients in a facial cream, such as certain added sunscreens, can be too powerful for the delicate eye area and cause problems such as stinging or burning. The skin around the eyes is thin, and has fewer oil glands, and tends to be more sensitive than the rest of the skin on the face.

What eye cream can – and can’t – do for you

Eye creams usually contain emollients, or moisturizers, that can help hydrate the drier eye skin and help it to look smoother. To combat the appearance of wrinkles, eye creams can also contain ingredients that help boost collagen.

Collagen is a major protein that’s found in the fibres of connective tissue, cartilage and bone. It keeps skin strong and helps smooth out wrinkles, but your skin produces less of it as you get older.

Eye creams with retinol, a derivative of vitamin A, are marketed to increase collagen production. Antioxidant ingredients, such as vitamin C, and peptides also assist in retaining collagen in the skin.

Other ingredients are included for specific issues – for instance, calendula is often used to calm under-eye puffiness, and some creams contain caffeine, which can help reduce the appearance of bags under the eyes. Eye creams fight dark circles by temporarily puffing up skin so the blood vessels underneath aren’t as prevalent.

Why are eye creams thick?

Many experts recommend using separate eye creams rather than just facial creams because eye creams are formulated to have more emollients, which cause the skin to swell enough to lessen the appearance of wrinkles.

Eye creams also tend to be thicker than facial lotions, and the thicker product will stay on the thin, mobile skin a little better; if you have oily skin, you may want to consider a gel, which is lighter on the delicate area around the eye.

If you opt for using an eye cream, don’t expect it to be a cure-all. It won’t get rid of existing wrinkles, and if you want to soften visible lines and wrinkles effectively, an anti-wrinkle injectable like botox has much better results.

To find out more about botox for the eye area, call Cosmetic Doctor in Dublin on 01 685 3100.