When you think of Korean beauty, sheet masks and BB creams are probably the first products that come to mind. But K-beauty skin-care staples are just as impressive; blame it on their advanced beauty technologies, innovative formulations, and willingness to experiment with obscure ingredients (think algae, volcanic ash, and snail mucin). Because eye creams are among the products that do the most work, going the Korean route is a wise idea if you're looking for results. But with all these options and complex terms, deciphering between the best Korean eye creams can be confusing. Ahead, a handy guide.
When shopping for an eye cream, much like with your other skin-care products, it's all about identifying your specific concerns. Everyone can benefit from a dose of moisture, but are you also dealing with irritation, redness, or flaking? Or how about a loss of elasticity? Or maybe you've been waking up with puffy eyes due to allergies or could use a boost of brightness if you often struggle to get enough sleep. Whatever it is you're looking for your eye cream to treat, you'll find five of the most innovative Korean formulas below.
To help you pick out your new and improved eye cream, check out this list of the most popular K-beauty products you can buy on Amazon.
Dealing with dry skin on your face can be particularly frustrating since it can mean your makeup tends to cake up or flake off. When that dryness appears under your eyes, you want to treat it with a cream that's powerful but still gentle. Skinfood's Royal Honey Essential Eye Cream pairs natural humectants like glycerin and honey with emollients like shea butter to draw in moisture and soften the under-eye area for smoother, more hydrated skin.
The honey used in this cream is royal honey, which in Skinfood's case has been aged with a 60-day fermentation process. This process leaves the honey from the beehive with a richer consistency that's more concentrated in vitamins, minerals, and sugars than your typical honey, which helps stimulate collagen production and nourish skin more intensely. This eye cream also includes propolis, which is a resinous mixture that bees use as a sealant to protect the hive from diseases and parasites. In addition to helping retain moisture, propolis also contains natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe and hydrate skin.
Typical to K-beauty's love for fun packaging, The Saem's Iceland Hydrating Eye Stick For Puffy Eyes features a polar bear as a nod to the cooling ingredients packed inside. This multitasking stick allows you to swipe it under your eyes whenever you need a pick-me-up — whether you wake up in the morning with eyes that are puffier than usual or you need some extra hydration after staring at the computer all day at work. The stick contains 5 percent mineral water from Iceland, which naturally creates a cooling sensation under the eyes. Iceland moss and kelp also help keep the under-eye area moisturized, while niacinamide provides brightening benefits.
"I love this so much," raves one Amazon reviewer. "It's super-hydrating and feels really nice under the eyes. Recently my eyes have been puffy due to allergies, and this has been helping," they go on to say, adding, "I would recommend putting it in the fridge before you use it, so it's extra cooling."
If you often struggle to get enough sleep, this AHC Premium Real Eye Cream For Face is here to help with dark circles. Niacinamide is the key brightening ingredient in this formula which improves uneven, tired-looking skin. Also known as vitamin B3, niacinamide improves the delicate skin under your eyes in other ways, too, including strengthening the skin's barrier to repair signs of past damage while simultaneously protecting it from future damage. This eye cream also uses a peptide complex that improves elasticity, so your skin is softer and more plump.
If you're looking for an eye treatment with an ingredient that's unique to K-beauty, this Nature Republic eye cream is made with 70 percent snail mucin. Snail mucin is full of nutrients like hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins, and glycolic acid, which help improve moisture content and stimulate both collagen and elastin production, and the ingredient is famous in Korea for its hydrating, protecting, and boosting abilities.
"This is my third tube," shares one fan of the eye cream. "I use it in the morning because makeup wears well over it. It helps with my dark circles and is very gentle and hydrating." Another adds, "This product isn't cheap, but it's money well spent if you need an eye cream that makes your eyelids and under eyes feel amazingly plump and smooth."
For a more concentrated option, Laneige's Time Freeze Eye Serum promises to plump up skin and improve elasticity within just six weeks of use. If you find that most eye creams cause itching or irritation, especially if you use them at night, it could be because the thick consistency and heavy oils are leaking into your eyes while you sleep, which is where eye serums come in handy. The lightweight formula quickly absorbs into skin, instead of sitting on top like a cream does. This serum hydrates skin using shea butter and glycerin, while marine extracts protect the eye contour area from future damage. Laneige also included their own patented Dynamic Collagen in the formula, which moisturizes the eye area for longer periods of time, giving it a healthier, plumped-up appearance.
Elite Daily may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Elite Daily's editorial and sales departments.
