In general, I wouldn’t consider myself someone who has sensitive skin. But, as I’ve realized throughout my endless testing of skin-care and makeup products, I do have sensitive eyes. Until I switched to allergy-safe eye makeup products, I wouldn’t be able to make it through a day without removing my makeup prematurely because my eyes were so itchy and irritated, and I’ve yet to find an under-eye patch that doesn’t leave me red.
Because of my eye-related skin sensitivities, I avoided any sort of eye treatments for a good while. That was, however, until I got a facial with one of my favorite New York–based aestheticians, and she told me that, at my age the absolute best thing I can do for my skin is to start using an eye cream. I was scared at first, but after one use of of Hydropeptide’s Retinol Eye Renewal ($52), I knew my eye cream hiatus was over.
What it is:
Like I mentioned before, I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, so I was able to integrate a face retinol into my night routine pretty seamlessly, but I was far too scared to ever put the powerful ingredient near my sensitive eyes. Formulated with Hydropeptide’s proprietary targeted-release .65 percent Tri-Retinol Complex in cohesion with 5 percent CellRenew 16 peptides and 5 percent Nonapeptide-3, the brand’s Retinol Eye Renewal is able to isolate and target signs of aging around the eyes without causing irritation to the sensitive are.
Getting down into the nitty gritty, the brand’s proprietary retinol complex bypasses the body’s natural inflammatory response and improves the appearance of crows feet, dark circles and more without irritation while the patented peptide complexes improve barrier function and increase cell turnover, resulting in skin that is not only younger-looking, but more elastic and stronger, too. In clinical trials, 95 percent of participants saw improvement in crows feet, fine lines and wrinkles after four weeks of use, while 82 percent noted improved skin firmness and decreased discoloration.
How to use it:
As with any retinol product, you’re going to want to incorporate Hydropeptide’s Retinol Eye Renewal into your nighttime skin-care routine. After cleansing, dispense a half pea-sized amount of product onto the ring fingers and dab gently into the under-eye area. As always, practice caution when using retinol products and be sure not to use at the same time as any contradictory actives, after major treatments or when pregnant.
