- Eye creams (& serums!) containing caffeine are the best choice.
- Caffeine has been scientifically studied as effective in repairing skin damage, antioxidant function, and promoting circulation.
- Depending on your needs, try DIY, the Primal Life Organics Serum, the Purist Eye Cream, or the Beautycounter Eye Cream (Skincare Routine: specialized ingredients for supercharged skincare)
THE DETAILS:
Ok, so the title says eye creams (did that grab your attention?), but we’re talking about both eye creams and eye serums.
Whether you use a cream or a serum doesn’t matter – their ingredients are essential. In particular, caffeine! (It’s not just for coffee anymore!)
Caffeine is an “active” (an effective skincare compound) derived from natural ingredients and is one of my favorites.
Eye treatments with caffeine can make the area around the eyes brighter and tighter while reducing existing damage.
Since caffeine is both water-soluble and oil-soluble (and approaches nearly perfect topical absorption), it can be delivered to the skin via both water-based and oil-based preparations.
It all depends on what you prefer. Water-based products absorb more quickly and can be layered under other products and makeup; oil-based products tend to feel more emollient and are often used alone.
(Depending on my mood, I’ve used the Beautycounter Eye Cream, a light cream, and the Coffee Bean Serum from Primal Life Organics, which is oil-based.)
What’s so magical about caffeine?
Caffeine is phenomenal, not just because iced coffee gets me through the day.
Caffeine used in skincare has been studied to
- Repair the skin: it promotes the repair of DNA damage to skin cells (it is even known to help prevent skin cancer)
- Reverse photo-aging from UV-induced skin damage.
- Have strong skin-level antioxidant properties (this is why it’s such a great anti-aging ingredient)
- Increase circulation (this makes skin more vibrant and can reduce puffiness – caffeine also does this by mobilizing sodium)
- Reduce redness (anti-inflammatory) when combined with other actives in my recommended products.
Caffeine is a well-studied skincare activity that really, truly works.
And you have lots of options to choose from – check out my list below!
Where to get your caffeine fix (for your skin, that is)
(Remember that, with more natural options, it’s difficult to standardize the caffeine levels, but you should still get great results!)
For the frugal & crafty: Do It Yourself!
You can make your caffeine eye serum with just five ingredients. Check out Real Food RN’s DIY recipe.
(While a DIY serum/cream means you can’t standardize the caffeine levels, you should still get great results.)
Cream-based, for the naturalist: Purist Caffeine Eye Cream.
This cream contains sea buckthorn oil and several natural activities synergizing with caffeine. (The only downside is that it’s a little hard to get out of the bottle. Fair warning!)
Oil-based, for the naturalist: Coffee Bean Serum.
I adore this serum from Primal Life Organics. It smells lovely, uses powerful yet straightforward ingredients, and works. It’s vibrant, emollient, and unique in the Revival Package!
Cream-based, for quick results: Vibrant Eye Perfector
The Beauty counter Eye Cream comes from a company with a science-based line of safer, high-performance, traditional products.
From Kim’s mom: “This cream is excellent under makeup and absorbs well; it tightens and brightens the area under my eyes (I’m not even using concealer anymore). It ranks #1 on the Environmental Working Group scale. I highly recommend it!”
Kim’s note: This cream likely works quickly because of the inclusion of several ingredients that enhance the delivery of the actives, not just caffeine, while serving as emollients and hydration; these are conventional ingredients (vs. the natural actives I like to promote), yet they are well-studied, and I am confident they are safe. Their use takes advantage of some of the advanced science of cosmeceuticals that’s not necessarily available with a completely natural approach.
Check out some of amazing posts at the EROME’s home post.
No matter what you use, remember to pat and gently press the treatment on to the eye area—don’t smear or pull the skin.