A Guide To Taking Care Of The Delicate Skin Around The Eyes
Due to its intricate structure and the sheer act of living, the face is one of the most complex parts of the human body. A combination of genetics, environmental factors, and the ways we pass our days influence its appearance and condition, making each face a unique blend of elements. And, I think we can all agree, that among all facial features, the eyes stand out as the most expressive and telling aspect.
Like it or not, the skin around your eyes is one part of your body that can show the earliest signs of premature ageing. Especially if not cared for properly.
In this article, I want to take a little time to explain why that's the case, how to care for this part of your face and which products you should choose to make sure you look your best self.
The anatomy of the eye area
With skin that is thinner than the rest of the face, the periorbital region is a site of particular fragility. Because it has fewer sebaceous glands, this area produces less oil, rendering it susceptible to dehydration and dryness. Additionally, the constant movement from blinking and facial expressions can lead to wrinkles and fine lines. Blood vessels are also more visible through this thin skin, which contributes to dark circles and puffiness.
Factors like the continual, natural loss of moisture from the skin, ultraviolet (UV) rays, genetics, lifestyle or seasonal allergies serve as a great reason, why the skin around the eyes requires a heightened degree of care.
Caring for such a sensitive area requires gentle daily cleansing, and the application of replenishing formulations. Eye care products must also accommodate another common attribute of this zone – its greater propensity for skin reactivity and aggravation. Therefore, it's best to look for formulations that will provide targeted support to the skin around the eyes, without perturbing it.
The No 1 rule – moisturise
Moisturising is one of those underrated steps that often seems like the least important. But imagine our skin as a grape. When it loses water, it starts to shrink and wrinkle. Which is unfortunately inevitable part of life, but it doesn't have to knock at your door earlier than you'd expect.
By putting that water back in the metaphorical grape, that is our skin, we can help plump up and potentially reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. The same applies for our eye area. Especially, since they lack oil glands, they can be more prone to dryness.
One of the most frequently asked question about moisturising is, whether you can use your face moisturiser for the skin around the eyes. Theoretically, yes, as long as it doesn't irritate your eyes and provides a sufficient amount of moisture. However, I usually advise selecting a separate moisturiser specifically formulated to care for the skin around the eyes, as it can be more sensitive to the regular face care products.
Check the ingredients
When looking for the right eye cream, you should know which ingredients to look out for based on what you're trying to treat. Below, I've named some ingredients for specific concerns.
For fine lines
Aside from hydrating humectants, you'll want to look for ingredients that provide an immediate “plump up” effect. Those could be more potent ingredients that have been linked to stimulating collagen production. For example:
retinoid
retinol
vitamin A derivate
peptides
For dark circles
To combat dark circles caused by the sun's UV rays, you'll want to look for the following ingredients:
arbutin
kojic acid
vitamin acid
soy
niacinamide
azelaic acid
For puffiness
Often enough, the remedy for puffy eyes can be as simple as getting enough sleep or drinking enough water. However, when it comes to skincare ingredients, you can look for the following:
caffeine
green tea and coffee berry polyphenols
dipeptide-2
willow herb
If your concerns are more general, then you can look for antioxidants – vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea, vitamin B-3 (niacinamide). These will help remove free radicals in the skin that are triggered by UV radiation, smoking, and other pollutants. Furthermore, they will help slow the ageing process.
Selfnamed's eye care
In Selfnamed catalogue, you can find a few different eye creams – each of them created to help with specific concerns.
Infused with 1% Cannabidiol that has skin calming properties. This cream has a light texture and is created to provide immediate comfort and hydration to the skin around the eyes. It will also help to prevent from puffiness and dark circles. If you tend to have more dry skin, I would recommend choosing this cream.
A blend of 3 organic plant ingredients which help to reduce puffiness, dark circles and multi-molecular-weight, the hyaluronic acid targets lines and dryness. This cream is created to help the eye area look rested and fresh. Suitable for those with normal, dry or oily skin.
This is a multifunctional anti-ageing eye cream for men designed to hydrate, diminish the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, and minimise the look of fine lines. The cream has a lightweight texture and is infused with 1% Cannabidiol to provide calming benefits to the skin around the eyes. It will be suitable for all skin types.
This cream has a silky texture, which will help tighten and smooth the skin around the eyes. The cream contains ceramides which will help shield the skin with a protective barrier and help prevent the loss of moisture, improving firmness and elasticity. The skin around your eyes will look more fresh and youthful. Suitable for normal, dry, oily and mature skin types.
This concentrate contains natural caffeine, derived from the coffee plant, to help perk up the skin. Caffeine stimulates microcirculation, helping to reduce puffiness and redness, brightening and refreshing the complexion. It will improve the appearance of tired, puffy eye contour skin.
More tips for taking care of your eyes
First and foremost, always remember to be gentle. Whether it's removing your eye makeup or applying skincare products onto the skin, or even spending time in the sun. Like I mentioned already before – the skin around the eyes is very thin and sensitive. Because of this, extra pressure from your daily activities has the potential to contribute to extra damage and fine lines.
When applying skincare products around the eyes, use your pinky finger, as it can cause the least amount of pressure to the area.
When in the sun, don't forget to apply sunscreen (although, I'm a strong advocate for using sunscreen every single day). You can also protect your eyes by wearing a hat, which provides shade to the area, or sunglasses.
Treat yourself to a massage from time to time – this can help drain excess fluids around the area and reduce puffiness.
Consider making improvements to your lifestyle, which would result in getting more sleep, exercise and having a healthier diet. When it comes to food, try including more potassium in your diet, like, bananas, as well as drinking enough water.
In case you're smoking, remember, that smoking can speed up the normal ageing process. So, if you're looking for ways to improve your skin, as well as your health, you should consider quitting nicotine.
There are many different steps you can take towards a healthier and more youthful-looking skin. By implementing at least a couple of these into your daily beauty routine, I believe, you can already help improve the skin around your eyes.
How To Start Your Own Skincare Line Using Selfnamed
Selfnamed is here to help create your own skincare line by making the process as simple and seamless as possible. As soon as you decide on your ideal customer and product range, there are only a few simple steps to take:
Select product sample sets. You can choose from more than 30 high-quality, organic or natural certified skincare products made in Northern Europe.
Add your style. Selfnamed offers an easy-to-use design studio to create labels and packaging. You can work with pre-made print-ready templates or create your design from scratch. You can also choose our design service.
Start selling your products. There are no minimum orders, meaning you can easily adjust the volume to your needs.
Before making a custom order, we recommend looking at our sample set selection. These sets contain curated product lines for different skin types, letting you choose the best products for your brand. This way you can test the products — their consistencies, textures, fragrances, as well as packaging quality.
There are the basic steps on how to start a skincare line from the comfort of your home. Best of luck with your new endeavour!
