Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream Is a Game-Changer For Hydration | Well+Good

In my experience, there are two types of people in this world: Team Eye Cream or Team No Eye Cream. For the longest time, I was part of the latter.

On one hand, I know how great eye treatments are for protecting the skin around your eyes. They can help decrease puffiness and improve the appearance of dark circles and fine lines. Plus, many formulas are incredibly moisturizing for your under-eye skin, which is naturally thinner than the rest of your face and prone to dryness. But on the other hand, eye creams can be pricey, and the results have always been just meh in my experience. I hadn’t come across a formula that I found really transformative (and I’ve tried dozens of brands!). As a result, I started to lose faith in what many say is a beauty essential. But then I met Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, and I can now say I’ve switched teams. Team Eye Cream all the way.

Like most eye creams, this one does all the basics—plus some. It de-puffs, hydrates and brightens under the eye. But how it does this is a little different than most products.

So, what’s its secret sauce? Its formula includes three key ingredients: avocado oil, beta-carotene and shea butter. While beta-carotene and shea butter are can help moisturize and protect your skin against radical damage, avocado oil is really the star in this equation. Mainly because it contains a mix of vitamins and fatty acids that can help deeply nourish the skin.

“Avocado oil has numerous skin benefits because of its bioactive molecules, including fatty acids, folate, vitamin C and vitamin E,” board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, MD. previously told us. “Vitamins C and E are potent antioxidants that can help protect the skin from damage from free radicals from UV rays and pollution. And fatty acids are great for moisturizing and nourishing the skin barrier.”  Additionally, vitamin C is commonly used in other skin-care products to help with discoloration and wrinkles, according to studies.

Although I’ve been underwhelmed with the results of eye creams in this past, I decided to give this one a go. And the results were surprisingly better than I expected. The cream has a thick consistency, which is great for those whose skin feels super dry and thin. (FYI, thicker solutions can better help lock in moisture and can be more effective for dry skin.) The cream is fast-absorbing and doesn’t leave behind greasy residue. Plus, it’s fragrance-free—and a little bit goes a long way. Just one dab of the product was enough to cover my entire under eye.

I put some on my face right before bed for five days straight. After day four, I noticed my face looked a bit brighter. While my dark circles hadn’t magically disappeared, they did look less noticeable up close—which is a still huge win in my book. For this, I credit the cream’s hydrating ingredients, especially the shea butter and avocado oil, that help enhance my skin’s moisture barrier. It’s the first time I’ve seen *any* difference while using an eye cream, so it’s definitely won permanent placement in my skin-care cabinet.

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