No matter your skin’s age, texture, tone, or how much shut-eye you got last night—I’m inexplicably running on four measly hours, how about you?—eye creams are an essential part of anyone’s skin-care routine. After all, the delicate area around your eyes is up to 10 times thinner than the rest of the skin on your face and also lacks oil glands to naturally moisturize.
That’s where Elemis Peptide4 Eye Recovery Cream Duo comes in. It’s dermatologist-approved to fortify your skin with peptides, giving the fragile area around your eyes a much-needed boost of nutrients. What that means: minimized fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, dark circles, and puffiness. It’s smoothing and soothing. Hell, I’m relaxed just thinking about it.
Originally $60, now $49 ($98 if purchased separately)
As if you need any more convincing, the Peptide4 eye cream is also currently on sale (!), giving you the chance to try this steadfast product from a beloved British skin-care brand at a discount. Like all good things, sales don’t last forever, so you better get those “add to cart” shopping fingers warmed up.
What makes this particular eye cream stand out though? We turned to two experts—Rahi Sarbaziha, MD, a board-certified integrative medicine doctor in Beverly Hills and Mary Berry, CEO and founder of skin-care formulator Cosmos Labs—to get the nitty-gritty details on its ingredients.
First of all, you can’t deny the charm of this eye cream’s star ingredient. It’s formulated with—get this!—night-scented stock oil that’s grown in the English countryside. (London-based Elemis was founded in 1989 and continues to manufacture their products in England.) As if that wasn’t charming enough, it’s tended to by a family of third-generation farmers who’ve managed the land for over 50 years. Night-scented stock oil can only be harvested once a year, making this formula feel, both figuratively and literally when swiped on your skin, extra special.
Experts in this article:
- Rahi Sarbaziha, MD, board-certified integrative medicine doctor and aesthetics specialist in Beverly Hills, California
- Mary Berry, CEO and founder of Cosmos Labs, a skincare formulator based in Austin, Texas
Another standout ingredient is star arvensis seed oil, which Berry calls a “power oil for your skin.”It contains GLA and SDA, fatty acids that help maintain your skin’s health and hydration—especially important for the thin skin around the eyes.
Berry also gives a thumbs up to two extracts featured in the Peptide4 Eye Cream: daisy flower and hawkweed. “These two extracts are a synergistic combo that work together to reduce the appearance of dark circles,” says Berry. “They relieve fatigue and leave your eyes looking renewed.”
Dr. Sarbaziha, meanwhile, praises the ingredient list as a whole. “This eye cream combines ingredients that provide anti-aging and hydrating benefits, crucial for delicate eye skin,” she says. “Together, they fortify the skin barrier, sustain hydration, and provide antioxidant protection.”
Also among those ingredients is omega-3 alpha linolenic acid (which maintains hydration and the skin barrier, and also has anti-inflammatory effects) and jojoba oil, which is akin to skin’s sebum and moisturizes while regulating oil. You’ll also discover mica, a mineral often used in makeup and occasionally found on crystal-lovers’ nightstands, on the ingredient list.
“Mica reflects light to create a pearlescent or shimmer effect, which adds a luminous glow when applied to skin,” Berry says.
This eye cream can be added to both your morning and evening skincare routine. Gently pat the cream around the entire circumference of your eye contour, not only below your eyes but on your brow bone too. The brand recommends applying a rice-grain-size amount, so small that these .5-ounce bottles, which are sold in sets of two, are bound to last you a while.
Whether you’re combating dark circles, dry skin, deep wrinkles, puffiness, Dr. Sarbaziha approves this eye cream for anyone with dry to combination skin. Remember: it’s never too early or too late to incorporate an eye cream into your skincare routine.
“However,” she warns, “I advise against its use for individuals with acne-prone skin due to the presence of coconut oil.” Coconut oil acts as a moisturizer, but is comedogenic and can clog pores if you’re no stranger to breakouts.
My tired, puffy eyes are sold. Yours too? Snag a set of the Peptide4 Eye Recovery Cream Duo while it’s still on sale.