Eye cream – when do you actually need one?

The question comes up often, and the answer is less dramatic than the marketing tends to suggest.

The skin around the eye is thinner

That is the real difference from the rest of the face, and it is genuine. The skin around the eyes has fewer sebaceous glands and is thinner, which means it dries out faster and products feel different there.

That is why eye creams often have a lighter texture and a lower amount of strong active ingredients than ordinary face creams.

Does everyone need one?

No. Plenty of people get by with their usual face cream all the way up towards the eyes, as long as it does not sting or feel heavy there.

A separate eye cream becomes interesting when one of these applies. Your face cream feels too heavy around the eyes. The skin feels tight there in the morning. Or you use strong active ingredients on your face that you would rather keep away from the eye.

How much, and when

A small amount is enough, roughly a grain of rice per eye. Pat it in with your ring finger, which presses the least of all fingers.

Apply it before your face cream if the eye cream is the lighter of the two. Let it absorb for a few minutes before putting on makeup.

What is worth looking for

Niacinamide is one of the most common active ingredients in eye creams. The amount is rarely published, which makes two products hard to compare even when the lists look alike.

PDRN Eye Cream contains niacinamide 5 percent, shea butter and vitamin E. The figure is on the packaging and on the product page. We have written more about why the amount matters in this piece.