What is the best anti-aging eye cream?
I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile. When Lionel Richie wrote those words, he probably wasn’t referring to wrinkles. And when someone looks you in the eye, you don’t want them to be thinking about wrinkles either. Signs of aging sneak up on us, sometimes more quickly than we expect. Getting older is a part of life, and if you’re lucky, you have many more years ahead! Aging doesn’t mean you have to give up on goals or forget about putting your best face forward. Finding the best eye cream for your skin will send some of those fine lines and wrinkles packing, and make you look and feel refreshed.
Dark circles and sagging skin around the eyes can make you look older and more tired than you actually are. Most of us don’t want to be asked if we’re getting enough sleep, or have others worry about our well-being, so it’s good to know there are things we can do to deal with these nuisances. Even though we can’t stop the aging process, we don’t have to accept all the additional wrinkles that accompany that wisdom we gain over time. Using eye creams and making other small changes can slow down the damage that the sun and other offenders have inflicted on our skin.
The skin around the eye area is thinner and more delicate than most of the other skin on your body. Your eyes are also working all day, blinking away dust to protect your eyeballs, expressing emotions, and batting those eyelashes when the moment arises. All of this can lead to early signs of aging. Combine that with damaging sun rays, not enough rest, and a whole host of other factors and you get a sense of what the eye area is up against.
Our sebaceous glands secrete sebum, an oily, waxy substance that lubricates the skin and helps protect it from damage. However, the eye area is different from other areas of our skin. Researchers and dermatologists have noted that wrinkles are more pronounced and deeper where oil-producing glands are less concentrated, specifically the area around the eyes. They’ve observed how forehead wrinkles are not as deep as those underneath the eye. Because our own skin isn’t providing enough protection for this area, we need to do some of the work ourselves, with the help of an eye gel, cream, or serum that can replenish the area with moisture.
A lot of the best eye creams contain humectants. Humectants, like glycerine or propylene glycol, help draw water molecules from humidity in the environment into the top layer of the skin where the cream is applied. This aids in moisturization. Since humectants can also draw moisture away from deeper layers of the skin, it’s important for an eye cream to also contain occlusives such as lanolin and petrolatum. Occlusives are ingredients that create a lipid or oil barrier on the skin that limits trans-epidermal water loss (often referred to as TEWL). Humectants, occlusives, emollients, and other ingredients work together to improve the tone and texture of the skin under your eyes.
Now that you’re equipped with a little more knowledge about the eye area we can look into some of the best anti-aging eye creams. We’ll also share other tips on how to reduce the appearance of dark circles and address the fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. So if you can keep those eyes open long enough to read through these tips, I’m sure they’ll thank you.
1. All you have to do is dream
Night time is the right time for rest and regeneration. Who would have thought we could be so productive while completely unaware and un-awake? Well, just a reminder that skin cells don’t sleep, but when we hit the hay it gives our body a chance to catch up on healing some of the damage done during the day. An eye cream can also help with healing our skin, but more on that later.
Research shows that skin cell regeneration increases at night, perhaps even doubling its daytime pace. When we miss out on sleep, our skin suffers, and can end up looking more dull and listless. It also appears that collagen production suffers when we miss out on sleep. Collagen is a protein that provides structure and support to our body, including our skin. Unfortunately, our collagen production slows as we age, which is why we see some of that sagging in certain areas. So if we want our face to feel firmer and more youthful, it’s imperative to get a good night’s rest when we’re getting up there in years.
And as if you needed another reason to go to sleep at a decent hour, our cortisol levels, which are directly related to stress, decrease while we sleep, and if we stay awake for too long our cortisol levels don’t have the chance to drop. This can negatively impact our skin. We might see signs of premature aging like fine lines and wrinkles as well as breakouts or impaired wound healing. Having elevated cortisol levels is bad news for overall health, so be sure to head to bed early enough to allow for some stress-free sleep.
If you want to sleep well and wake up refreshed, listen to this doctor’s advice:
2. Boost your evening beauty routine
Well, we’ve established that we need sleep to look and feel healthy and youthful. So why not give your skin some extra lovin’ and boost your beauty routine with an anti-aging eye gel or anti-aging face cream designed specifically for skin repair?
You may have heard of peptides when perusing beauty blogs or researching eye cream. Peptides are amino acids that occur naturally in the skin. They’re the building blocks of proteins like collagen and elastin. These amino acids are also found in skincare products that foster firmer, more youthful skin. Unlike collagen molecules, peptides can absorb into our skin, and may assist in collagen production. They play a role in the skin’s healing process, so when we add these peptides in an anti-aging eye cream or moisturizer, it can help to rejuvenate the skin.
As luck would have it, Viviane Woodard’s Advanced Anti Aging Night Cream & Moisturizer is packed with peptides to aid in the skin’s recovery and replenish some of what is lost during the day. To be more specific, this (gluten-free and cruelty-free) face cream is formulated with the anti-aging powerhouse peptides, Argireline and Matrixyl 3000. Even the names sound powerful. But what’s in a name? Well in the case of Argireline and Matrixyl, it’s surprisingly rapid wrinkle repair. Eye cream by any other name is not the same. This particular Viviane Woodard moisturizer is actually perfect for your whole face. It contains Shea Butter for smoothing, Green Tea Extract for its powerful antioxidants, and other emollient-rich ingredients for softening. After regular use you’ll notice fewer fine lines around the eyes and a more youthful appearance overall. Apply it at night after you cleanse, tone, and moisturize with your preferred Moistrio formula, and revel in the results when you awake.
3. Protect your sensitive skin from sun damage
Speaking of waking up…let’s talk about one of the best eye creams out there that you should apply every day. Sunscreen. Okay, while not technically an eye cream, sunscreen is critical to protecting the skin around your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. As you likely already know, UV rays can increase the appearance of fine lines, cause certain skin cancers, and lead to other skin problems. Overexposure to the sun can also cause premature aging of the skin that includes the puffiness, dark circles, and loss of elasticity around the eye area.
Instead of focusing solely on repairing damage you may have already done to your skin, spend a few moments thinking about prevention. You might want to rethink when you use it and how often you apply. During the winter months you’ll need to reintroduce it into your routine, if it’s been missing since Summer. The sun’s rays can still make it through the clouds to your skin.
You can sport a pair of oversized sunglasses and glam up your whole sun-protection game. There’s eye cream that contains sunscreen, but generally you can apply your eye cream before or after your sunscreen. Mineral sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sit on the surface of the skin, acting as a physical barrier that prevent UV rays from penetrating the skin, so it’s best to apply that sunscreen on top of eye cream that’s already absorbed. Chemical sunscreen, which has ingredients such as oxybenzone and avobenzone, interacts with other chemicals in order to protect your skin, so you’d want to layer on eye cream or moisturizer after this sunscreen’s been absorbed. Of course, you will want to reapply sunscreen if you’re outside for a while, so these are more guidelines than rules.
4. A gentle touch and not too much
The sensitive skin in the eye region requires a delicate touch. Whatever anti-aging eye cream or eye serum you use, be sure to apply it carefully. The best way to remember to do so is to put a small amount on your ring fingers, because these fingers don’t tend to exert as much pressure. Then lightly dot it along the edge of your orbital bone (eye socket) to distribute it evenly, and then finish smoothing it in gently. If this seems too detailed for applying a simple eye cream, then just remember to be delicate and don’t worry about it. The best eye cream application is one that feels soothing and light, so whether you dot from inner to outer edge of the orbital bone or vice versa, you’ll address those dark circles and minimize fine lines.
The best eye creams help reduce puffiness, restore elasticity, and minimize fine lines. The Eye Renue Complex Anti-Aging Eye Cream checks all those boxes and feels great on sensitive skin. In this eye cream, the Retinal Palmitate, a form of Vitamin A, promotes tissue regeneration and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. This eye cream helps maintain moisture balance with four different humectants, one of which is Sodium Hyaluronate, the salt form of Hyaluronic Acid. Both ingredients improve firmness, hydrate the skin, and smooth fine lines, but the smaller molecules of Sodium Hyaluronate enable it to penetrate better, delivering hydration deeper in the epidermis.
Other ingredients like cucumber and horse chestnut extract, as well as aloe, help soften the skin and make the whole area feel silky smooth. And because it’s fragrance-free and formulated for virtually no eye irritation, it’s an eye cream that’s well-equipped to deal with dark circles. Also the aforementioned humectants help plump up the skin, which counteracts the sagging skin and lost volume that make dark circles look worse. It’s an all around winner when it comes to eye creams.
5. Stop smoking (or better yet, don’t start)
Just as the rays of the sun wreak havoc on the skin, so too does smoking cigarettes.
Some of the toxins in cigarettes damage collagen, which as was mentioned, are the proteins that lend structure and support to skin. Collagen and elastin are what keep skin supple and firm. Smoking effectively sends the skin’s aging into hyper-speed, and makes skin more prone to wrinkles and sagging. An eye cream can help address some of these issues, but it’s sort of setting yourself up for an ongoing game of gotcha that’s not so much fun.
If you already have dark circles under your eyes, the sallow skin you can get from smoking won’t help the situation, and if you don’t have dark circles, you could be heading in that direction if you pick up the habit. Vascular constriction (constricted blood vessels) disrupts blood flow and reduces the oxygen supply to skin cells. This is what occurs when a person smokes, and it negatively impacts the body’s capacity to heal wounds. Lack of blood flow slows our ability to repair itself. There are some kinds of skin issues that an eye cream can only help so much. And no eye cream can help reverse the damage you may be doing to the rest of your body. Sorry to harsh your mellow, but it’s always a great time to kick a bad habit.
Don’t let the lines and wrinkles around your eyes reveal your age like rings around a tree trunk. You’ll be happy with the difference an eye cream can make. Viviane Woodard’s eye creams and facial moisturizers can help your skin look its best, whatever age you may be.
For over 60 years, Viviane Woodard has represented “The Purity of Skincare”. We are the leading beauty brand for water-based skin care products and promote the importance of good skin hydration. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for skin care tips, product discounts and more.