This product claims to strengthen skin and minimize fine lines and wrinkles by using stabilized retinol and peptides. It also claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients. This also contains diffusers to highlight the eye area to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Caprylyl Esters, Glycerin, Glycosaminoglycans, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Lavandula Stoechas Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Carbomer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Linoleic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Mica, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

Just to go through some ingredients – cetearyl alcohol is used as an emolliant, thickener and carrying agent for other ingredients. Unlike denatured alcohol or ethanol, this is not drying. The nylon-12 fluorescent brightener 230 salt emits and diffuses light to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections. Glycosaminogycans is a family of carbohydrates that maintain and support collagen and elastin. Retinol is the thirteenth ingredient. I couldn’t find the actual percentage of retinol in this product. I believe my skin specialist said it was 3%; maybe 4%. Lavandula stoechas extract is lavender. While this can be an irritant to some, especially in larger amounts, it can be beneficial as an antimicrobial and helping heal skin infections. Palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 are the active ingredients in Matrixyl 3000 which mimic the skin’s broken down collagen, causing the skin to produce more collagen and elastin. Mica gives products shine. Polyvinyl alcohol crosspolymer  is polyvinyl alcohol linked with glyoxal. Looking at these ingredients separately, polyvinyl alcohol is a gel based thickener, film-forming and binding agent. According to EWG, “Glyoxal is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products. People exposed to such formaldehyde-releasing ingredients may develop a formaldehyde allergy or an allergy to the ingredient itself.” Glyoxal is restricted to use in cosmetics at certain concentrations. Looking at these ingredients together as they are, I couldn’t find any warnings, but using a formaldehyde-releasing ingredient on my skin, by my eyes, makes me a little worried. Phenoxyethanol worries some people. It is used as a preservative as alternative to parabens. In high concentrations it can be everything from an allergen, skin irritant (even at low doses), damaging to the brain and nervous system and a carcinogen. In skincare this is generally used at 0.5-1% concentration.

As for how it worked for me – My eyes are pretty good for my age I have been told. Unfortunately, I didn’t take before and after pictures. I have a couple fine lines on the lower lids, no crow’s feet, but I do have dark circles. This eye cream felt nice to apply, thicker than some eye creams I’ve seen, but went on smoothly and absorbed nicely. I used this on my lower lids, my upper lids and to the brow bone. Hours later I still felt the eye cream on my eyelids with my fingers. It wasn’t an annoying feeling though and it didn’t feel heavy on my eyelids; they felt moisturized. The fine lines on my lower lids were reduced, not gone, and after applying, my eyes did appear brighter. It also probably helped prevent further fine lines to my eyelids. I thought a retinol product might be irritating so close to the eyes, but it wasn’t. I’m a couple weeks  away from finishing this product and likely won’t buy it again. While it does have some good repairing and active ingredients including retinol, Matrixyl 3000 and glycosaminogycans, some ingredients I could do without. I have seen other retinol eye creams with better ingredients that are less expensive. This product comes in a jar and it can be difficult to keep bacteria out of a jar. After I’m done with this eye cream, I will be moving onto Your Best Face Correct from YBF Skincare.