A review of Sukin's Reviving Eye Cream from the 'Purely Ageless' range
The Happy Sage purchased this product.
I've been testing out some new eye creams lately. I have to admit that I don't do too badly for under eye problems. I'm fortunate that I don't really have any bags but have got the fine lines and creases that you get with age.
Even though I know that there is no product on earth that can remove these completely, you can definitely improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles with eye products, however results vary hugely.
I like Sukin as a company. They have a lot of great products at good prices but some of their products do contain fragrance, which I don't like at all. They don't use synthetic fragrances but I prefer essential oils. You can usually spot a fragranced product with your nose well before you look at the ingredients - I still keep trying these non synthetic fragranced products now and again but have yet to find any at all that I like!
I always read the ingredients of a product before I buy it to see what is in it. Sometimes a company tries to sell a product by saying it contains 'organic ingredients' or something similar and then a quick check on the ingredients list will show you it's all synthetic chemicals apart from 1% organic flower water.
If you want to know more read my articles on A Guide to Clean Beauty and Ingredients to Avoid in Skincare Products.
Sukin are an Australian company but their products are available worldwide, including the UK. They don't use any ingredients that I have an issue with and in fact have a very strong list of 'No' products, including synthetic fragrances, harsh cleansing agents, propylene glycol, DEA, parabens, silicones, EDTA, petrolatum/mineral oil (a pet hate of mine) and many others.
All their products are vegan and the company is carbon neutral and uses recyclable bottles. Their prices are also very reasonable.
I decided to test the Reviving Eye Cream from their Purely Ageless range. Sukin say the product is for fine lines and it contains some pretty good ingredients.
Ingredients in Reviving Eye Cream from the Purely Ageless Range by Sukin
Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Acacia Senegal Gum, Ribose, Caffeine, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Rhizobian Gum, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Argan), Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Rosehip), Adansonia Digitata Fruit Extract (Baobab), Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract (Goji), Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract (Acai), Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Silica, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Vanillin, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool*, Limonene*. *Natural Component Of Essential Oils
Some of the ingredients I like are macadamia, argan, rosehip and vitamin e oils, all great in their own right for fine lines. It has some water binding agents as well as some nice essential oils, including carrot seed. It also uses ribose which, in a nutshell, helps cells consume more oxygen which in turn helps skin look more glowing, amongst other things. It is also supposed to give a 78% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles according to Sukin.
The product comes in a 25ml glass bottle with a small pump top, all contained in a nice box. . The product is a slightly off white colour and fairly thick in consistency, although it comes out of the pump perfectly well. It has a very mild smell, just very slightly orange and lavender, but barely noticeable.
To apply, you simply tap the product around the eye area twice a day and Sukin say that it can be used with any facial products. I have been using the Reviving Eye Cream with their Sensitive Facial Moisturiser.
Review of Reviving Eye Cream
Sadly, this has been one of the worst eye creams I have ever used! The under area of my eyes are all dried up and dehydrated when I use it and the fine lines and wrinkles accentuated, which is most certainly not the look I was aiming for!
I was intrigued by this result so set about using if differently to see if I could change the results. I used less of the product, then hardly any at all. I used it under a moisturiser and over a moisturiser, but each time I looked dreadful! It dehydrated the skin under my eyes so much that it gave me bags where I didn't have any before!!
Going back to the ingredient list, I think I know the reason why. Sukin uses an awful lot of tightening and thickening ingredients such as acacia senegal gum, hydrolysed rhizobian gum, xanthan gum and sclerotium gum. The hydrolysed rhizobian gum is particularly good at giving a lifting effect but I think that for me, the whole mix to just too strong and it ends up drying my skin out.
I did have a look at the reviews on Sukin's website and overall the product has good reviews so it obviously works for plenty of people. However I did find some people reporting exactly the same problem that I had, in that it made the skin under their eyes dry and dehydrated, so in one respect I'm glad it's not just me!
There were also some comments about people having sticky eyes after using it and I must admit I also had this, but think it could be that I got some product in my eye (although I certainly didn't notice it).
I did do a bit of a test by putting the product on the back of my hands and rubbing it in gently. Once it dried the skin on the back of my hands looked smoother and tighter, but also felt a bit dry and weird. Sadly Sukin's Reviving Eye Cream is not something I will be using again, but as with all things made from natural ingredients there is always another use for it! I am currently using it under my hand cream on the back of my hands and it's pretty good on the neck area too if you need a little tightening.
UPDATE JANUARY 2023
I have to say that this product makes the best neck and decolletage cream that I have ever used! Because there is a lot of gum in the formula it is way too drying for my eye area, but on my neck and chest it works really well at blurring fine lines and wrinkles and tightening the skin. So, I will actually probably buy this again, just not for use as an eye cream!!
If you actually have bags under your eyes then I think this might actually be a product that could work for you, but if you are looking at fine lines only then I'd recommend Green People's Rejuvenating Eye Cream.
Sukin Reviving Eye Cream from the Purely Ageless Range £15.95 for 25ml.
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