Do You Really Need an Eye Cream? Plus 5 Things to Look Out For

Are eye creams really necessary? Can I just use a moisturiser?

Truth is, you can get away with using your regular moisturiser as an eye cream. But, keep in mind that the skin around our eyes is the thinnest and most fragile area of the face. That means it’s susceptible to stress, wrinkles, and irritation that other parts of your skin is less prone to. Using a special cream designed for the delicate eye area is recommended, especially as your skin gets less supple with age.

At what age should I start using an eye cream?

There’s no recommended age to start using an eye cream, but you can start as early as your twenties, when fine lines and dark circles become more prominent!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are the five things to keep an eye out for when looking for the right eye cream:

Eye creams with chamomile, aloe, cucumber or rose water helps relax tired eyes and reduce puffiness.

The Heimish Bulgarian Rose Water Hydrogel Eye Patch soothes and hydrates your skin with its easy-to-use rose water infused patches.

The skin around the eyes is often dry, and quick to show signs of fatigue. Get an eye cream eye cream packed with emollients like ceramides in the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream, or shea butter in the Pyunkang Yul Eye Cream, which can deliver rich moisture and help prevent water loss.

While an eye cream has to be moisturising, it’s equally important to look for thin, lightweight, fast-absorbing formulas (which most Korean eye creams have!). This will make the eye cream easy to use under makeup in the morning, and won’t clog your pores, especially if you’re prone to acne or milia.

Looking for an anti-ageing solution? Eye creams with peptides, vitamin C, ginseng extract or snail extract minimise the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while boosting the skin's collagen production and cell regeneration.

The K-Beauty favourite eye cream, Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream, is formulated with 80% snail mucin to hydrate and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Watch out for brightening ingredients if dark undereye is one of your skin concerns. The Whamisa Organic Flowers Eye Essence is packed full of supercharged rice ferment filtrate and licorice extract to lighten dark circles and even out skin tone.

Do you have a favourite Korean eye cream? Share it with us!