The Best Eye Cream For Dry, Sensitive Skin

Breaking news: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream has finally arrived in the UK. Woo hoo! I had a feeling when the cult drugstore brand launched here in the spring with only 6 products, we wouldn’t have to wait long to get the rest of the line, too. And why not? If you want to nourish your dry skin without breaking the bank, CeraVe is the brand to turn to. The Hydrating Cleanser and Facial Moisturising Lotion are staples I can’t live without anymore.

Did CeraVe Eye Repair Cream achieve staple status in my stash, as well? If you’re a regular reader, you know I don’t usually do eye creams. I just use my facial moisturiser all over and call it a day. So it’s a testament to how much I adore CeraVe that I’d be willing to even give this a test drive. Read on to find out what happened and if I’m adding this eye cream to my skincare routine permanently:

About The Brand: CeraVe

What do acne, eczema, psoriasis and dry skin all have in common? A compromised skincare barrier. When the CeraVe peeps noticed this, they partnered with dermatologists to create a line of skincare products with three essential ceramides to restore the skin’s protective barrier and nourish skin back to health. It wasn’t long before CeraVe became the most recommended brand by dermatologists – and, unlike what dermatologists usually recommend, it’s very affordable too.

Key Ingredients In CeraVe Eye Repair Cream: What Makes It Work?

NIACINAMIDE TO.. EVERYTHING

Oh, niacinamide, let me count the ways I love thee:

• It hydrates skin: It’s more effective than petrolatum at preventing water loss
• It soothes skin: It alleviates the symptoms of rosacea and irritations
• It lightens skin: It reduces dark spots, blotchiness (redness) and sallowness (yellowing)
• It helps treat wrinkles: Preliminary research shows it can boost the production of skin-firming collagen
• It treats acne: Its effects are similar to those of 1% clindamycin gel

Niacinamide, aka Vitamin B3, is a one-stop shop for all your skincare woes. It doesn’t matter what your skin type is or what skin condition you’re dealing with, you can rest assure that niacinamide will make it better. And that’s not something you can say of many skincare ingredients. I’m glad to see it’s the second ingredient in CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. That’s more than enough to moisturise skin and keep it young.

Related: Why You Should Add Niacinamide To Your Skincare Routine

CERAMIDES TO REPAIR YOUR SKIN’S PROTECTIVE BARRIER

Like niacinamide, ceramides are underrated ingredients no one cares about – yet, without them your skin wouldn’t be the same. Ceramides are oily waxes (“cera” means wax in Latin) that make up the glue that holds skin cells together (together with fatty acids, cholesterol, etc).

In other words, ceramides strengthen your protective barrier. Here’s the deal: when your protective barrier is damaged, moisture gets out and germs & other irritants get in. Cue dryness, irritations and inflammation. Ceramides fill in the holes in your barrier, making it healthy and strong again. They nourish dry skin, get rid of dry patches, and even heal bleeding cracks (ouch!).

Don’t wait for things to get that bad. Using ceramides when your protective barrier’s intact makes it stronger and better able to withstand attacks from the sun, winds, pollutants and other enemies, so it doesn’t get damaged in the first place. CeraVe Eye Repair Cream has 3 different types of ceramides – sooo moisturising.

Related: Are Ceramides The Key To Healthy Skin?

HYALURONIC ACID TO HYDRATE SKIN

Hyaluronic acid is a moisture magnet. Literally. It works by attracting moisture into the skin and binding it there. It’s so powerful, it can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.  Can you image how hydrated your skin is with all that extra moisture? It becomes softer to the touch, plumped so much your wrinkles look smaller (for a little while), and glows. FYI, hyaluronic acid isn’t the only moisture magnet in CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. Glycerin gives it a helping hand.

Related: Why You Should Add Hyaluronic Acid To Your Skincare Routine – No Matter Your Skin Type

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients

• Aqua: The main solvent in this eye cream, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
• Cetyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol that moisturises skin and helps other ingredients penetrate deeper into your skin.
• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: Derived from coconut oil and glycerine, it’s an emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
• Glycerin: A moisture magnet that attracts and binds water from the air into your skin, helping to keep it soft and plump for the entire day.
• Propanediol: An alcohol used to dissolve other ingredients in the formula. It also enhanced penetration of other actives and provides some light hydration.
• Isononyl Isononanoate: A synthetic emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
• Jojoba Ester: Jojoba-derived emollient wax esters that makes skin softer and smoother without leaving a greasy residue behind.
• PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate: This multi-tasker makes skin softer and smoother and prevents the oily and watery parts of a formula from separating.
• Cetearyl Alcohol: A fatty alcohol that gives body to creams and moisturises skin (yes, fatty alcohols are moisturising).
• Dimethicone: A silicone that fills in fine lines and wrinkles so they look smaller and imparts a smooth, velvety feel to skin. Contrary to what the natural brigade will tell you, it’s safe, it doesn’t suffocate skin, and it doesn’t give you pimples either.
• Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate: Another synthetic emollient that makes skin softer and smoother.
• Asparagopsis Armata Extract: A type of seaweed with antioxidant properties.
• Potassium Sorbate: A preservative that helps skincare products last longer by preventing bacterial contamination.
• Sorbitol: A type of sugar that hydrates skin and makes it softer for hours.
• Carbomer: A texture enhancer.
• Zinc Citrate: It’s mainly used as a preservative to help skincare products last longer.
• Behentrimonium Methosulfate: It prevents the oily and watery parts of a formula from separating.
• Triethanolamine: It’s used to adjust the pH of skincare products.
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract: A soothing extract that calms down redness and irritation and hydrates skin to boot.
• Sodium Laurel Lactylate: It’s an emulsifier that prevents the watery and oily parts of a product from separating.
• Sodium Hydroxide: It’s used to balance the pH of skincare products.
• Equisetum Arvense Extract: Derived from the horsetail plant, it has powerful antioxidant properties.
• Cholesterol: A natural component of your skin’s protective barrier, adding it back in makes skin softer and stronger and banishes dryness.
• Phenoxyethanol: A gentle preservative that prevents bacterial contamination, helping your skincare products last longer.
• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil / Sweet Almond Oil: A moisturising natural oils that strengthen your skin’s protective barrier and makes skin softer and smoother.
• Tocopherol: A form of Vitamin E. It has antioxidant properties and also acts as a preservative to prolong the shelf life of your products.
• Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract: A type of seaweed that soothes irritations.
• Laureth-4: A texture enhancer that prevents the oily and watery part of a product from separating.
• Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil: An emollient that softens and smooths out skin.
• Tetrasodium EDTA: It prevents minerals and metals in water from bonding to other ingredients, thus keeping the texture or smell from spoiling.
• Maltodextrin: Plant-based sugar that acts as a stabilizer, film-forming agent, and skin softener.
• Phytosphingsine: A type of lipid naturally found in your skin that strengthens your skin’s protective barrier and makes skin softer and smoother.
• Xanthan Gum: It thickens textures and prevents the oily and watery parts of a product from separating.
• Butylene Glycol: A texture enhancer that also boosts a formula’s stability.
• Ethylhexylglycerin: A skin-softening agent with mild preservative properties.
• Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract: A form of chamomile with soothing properties.

Texture

CeraVe Eye Repair Cream has just the right consistency: it’s not so light it won’t moisturise dry skin, but not so thick it’ll give you milia seeds.

Fragrance

It’s fragrance-free. Another good choice. I totally get it why people like fragranced products. They smell good and are a pleasure to apply. Problem is, fragrance is one of the most irritating ingredients used in skincare products and the eye area is very delicate. You see where I’m going with this? Do your eye area a favour and choose fragrance-free products.

How To Use It

Like all eye creams, it goes after serums, but before moisturiser. Pat on a tiny amount on the eye area with your ring finger. It’s the gentlest. And no rubs! It just gives you wrinkles.

Packaging

The cream is housed in a white tube with blue accents. It’s sleek and practical. It’s also easy to carry around with you on the go when you travel. It may not be the fanciest, but I dig it.

Performance & Personal Opinion

I’m very impressed with its moistruizing properties. When colder season hits, I need a cream that helps my skin withstand the low temperatures and all the havoc they wreak. CeraVe Eye Repair Cream does the job well. When I put it on in the morning, my skin feels softer and my wrinkles look smaller. Thanks hyaluronic acid & co for filling them in.

Best part, my skin stays like that for most of the day. At no time, I feel my skin getting drier or just uncomfortably tight. If you’re using a lightweight moisturiser but feel like your drier undereye area needs a little extra moisture, this is a great option to consider. But I can’t say it did anything for my dark circles. Pretty much every eye cream claims to help you reduce them, but I haven’t found one I can say works 100%.

How Does CeraVe Eye Repair Cream Compare To CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream?

The CeraVe website states that CeraVe Eye Repair Cream is a moisturising cream for dark circles and puffiness while CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream ($24.99) is an anti-aging cream for wrinkles and fine lines. In reality, the two creams are almost identical.

CeraVe Eye Repair Cream is a wonderful formula to moisturise the delicate eye area, but it doesn’t contain anything that can fade away puffy eyes and dark circles (that’s ok, most eye creams don’t). CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream is just as moisturising, but it doesn’t contain retinol or anything else that can really make a dent in wrinkles. I recommend you either pick the cheapest or the one with the texture you like the most.

What I Like About CeraVe Eye Repair Cream

• Lightweight texture
• Fragrance-free
• Moisturising, makes skin softer and smoother
• Gentle enough for the eye area
• Practical packaging

What I DON’T Like About CeraVe Eye Repair Cream

• Can’t reduce dark circles and puffy eyes
• Can’t treat wrinkles
• Doesn’t do anything your facial moisturiser doesn’t do anyway

Who Should Use This?

Most people don’t need eye creams. As wonderful as this formula is, your facial moisturiser does the same thing. Do you really want to pay twice for the same thing? I only recommend it if your eye area is drier than the rest of the face. Different skin types need different things, so using two different products makes sense.

Does CeraVe Eye Repair Cream Live Up To Its Claims?

Is CeraVe Cruelty-Free?

No, CeraVe isn’t cruelty-free. The brand does allow its products to be tested on animals. Plus, it’s owned by L’Oreal, who engages in animal testing too.

Price & Availability

$15.99/£11.00 at Boots, Cult Beauty, Dermstore, Sephora, Ulta and Walmart

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

If your eye area is drier than the rest of your face, this is a great option to consider. Otherwise, leave it and use your face moisturiser all over. It’ll do the same thing. After all, this cream can’t treat dark circles or puffy eyes and there’s nothing it specifically does for the eye area. It’s just a facial moisturiser in a smaller tube – a really good one at that.

Dupes & Alternatives

• Drunk Elephant Ceramighty AF Eye Balm ($60.00): This deeply moisturising cream is enriched with natural oils and ceramides to nourish the eye area and plump up crow’s feet. What makes it more expensive than the alternatives on this list is the inclusion of antioxidants to prevent premature wrinkles (oh, and marketing!). Available at Boots, Cult Beauty, Sephora, SpaceNK, and Ulta.
• No. 7 Menopause Skincare Firm & Bright Eye Concentrate ($29.99): A simple, no-frills eye cream with niacinamide and ceramide to moisturiser and brighten the eye area. But it can’t firm skin. Available at Boots and Ulta.
• Paula’s Choice Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Eye Cream ($49.00): This is the only eye cream in this article that can actually reduce wrinkles. Thanks retinol for that. It does the job, but it’s harsh so use it only a couple of nights a week. The moisturising ceramide base helps to counteract the drying effects. Available at Brown Thomas, Cult Beauty, Paula’s Choice, Sephora, and SpaceNK.

About Gio

Hi, I'm Gio. I'm a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever - every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what's worth the splurge and what's best left on the shelf - using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.