The eyes are the mirror of the soul...
Yes, it's the first thing we notice when we see a face and also one of the reasons why more and more people are going under the knife...
Over the years, those dark circles or bags that didn't bother you start to deepen. That's when you buy the eye cream you've heard so much about, use it for a while, but... do you notice results?
This is the dilemma for many people: finding an eye cream that truly delivers and is as natural as possible. Here you'll find the solution to your problem, stop searching once and for all, and get the results you deserve!
Why dark circles appear
According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV), dark circles are a pigmentation of the lower eyelid that contrasts with the rest of the skin. This sensitive area reflects our habits: hours of sleep, stress, diet... And genetics also play a role in their appearance.
This is because the epidermis around the eyes is more sensitive and thinner (between 5 and 10 times), so its cell renewal is much slower than that of the rest of the skin. It produces less collagen and elastin than the rest of the body, and its porosity is also reduced. Another factor influencing this is the constant movement it is subjected to, such as blinking or gesturing.
Due to all these conditions, the under-eye area is exposed to dehydration, which in turn causes wrinkles, sagging, bags, and the dreaded dark circles.
A study from Stanford University (USA) by Professor of Neurology Tony Wyss-Coray, published in Nature magazine, states that aging begins between 25-30 years of age.
This is due to the existence of more than 370 proteins in the blood. As their production decreases, cellular aging occurs, meaning their capacity to regenerate slows down, leading to the appearance of all these irregularities and skin imbalances.
With so many types of eye cream, how to choose the ideal one?
Even if you've researched this and discovered ways to know what your dark circles or bags lack, we want to tell you something: it's not that easy to guess what your skin specifically needs.
But it is possible to protect it with different active ingredients to restore and enhance its properties as a whole.
According to the Ministry of Health, collagen is the protein produced most in the human body. It is created by fibroblast cells, connecting tissue through a kind of glue between bone and muscle.
As we mentioned earlier, after the age of 25, collagen production and quality decrease, dropping by 1% per year.
It's important to know this to have a realistic perspective and not expect results like those of people who have been taking care of the area for years. It's also essential to understand the different factors affecting your eye contour to improve its appearance.
Dr. Marta García-Legaz, a dermatologist and medical communicator at Instituto Médico Ricart, explains these types of dark circles and what might be causing them according to their color, depth, or texture:
- Vascular dark circles: bluish or purplish tone. This is due to vasodilation reflected through thin skin. Sometimes there may be an excess of iron.
- Hollow dark circles: although they may look like bags, they are not. According to the Doctor, it's "a herniation of fat," which causes swelling due to fluid retention upon waking.
- Pigmented dark circles: distinguished by their brown or orange color, a consequence of increased melanin. This is common in people who don't get enough sleep, experience hormonal changes, have sun spots, or consume toxins (tobacco, for example). However, she also highlights that it is a hereditary sign that is not very easy to solve.
Ingredients used in eye creams:
- Hyaluronic acid
- Ceramides
- Retinol
- Vitamin C
- Peptides
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Caffeine
All these chemical ingredients have legal recommendations to follow because they are very abrasive substances compared to natural ones. It is important to note that those mentioned above are more susceptible to irritating the skin and can cause a kind of insensitivity in the area. Their combination with other substances must also be controlled, as they can cause physical and hormonal damage.
As early as 2022, the European Union warned that it would regulate the use of these highly demanded substances in cosmetics. Now, in 2024, they have banned all products containing more than 0.3% of retinol, a derivative of vitamin A, in their formula, due to the large number of people exposed to large amounts of it, causing side effects such as headaches, nausea, irritation...
The use of natural ingredients is seen as the safe friend in the face of these regulations. Among their benefits is their ability to deeply absorb nutrients, reduce side effects by being less abrasive, and reduce the Carbon Footprint by choosing sustainable cultivation of ingredients and avoiding chemical processes.
Halo, nature among eye creams with chemicals
Even though there are different types of dark circles, it is essential to treat them as a whole to provide effective nourishment. Especially since different cases can sometimes occur simultaneously. With Halo, you have the perfect formula to care for your entire eye contour, while reducing the impact of aging.
All these benefits come from its 100% verified natural formula. Its ingredients include aloe vera, which will keep dark circles hydrated for 120 hours; witch hazel hydrolate, cornflower hydrolate, and cucumber extract, potent anti-inflammatories and remineralizers; or lemon peel extract, arnica, goldenrod, and butcher's broom, which reduce pigmentation and improve luminosity.
But there's more! Halo is an innovative eye cream that uses two very powerful natural technologies. This positioned it as the best eye cream in the Orgànics Clean Awards 2023.
Technologies
- Eye Effective: A technology so powerful that it shows changes in just 14 days. It stretches the skin around the eye contour (upper and lower eyelid), causing a lift of the ocular triangle. Its composition: Sambac jasmine flower extract or Arabian jasmine and Crataegus monogyna flower extract or hawthorn. To check its effectiveness on dark circles, women aged 40-65 used this active ingredient for 28 days, resulting in:
- Improved vascular permeability
- Bilirubin and iron content degradation
- Decreased melanin
- Increased collagen synthesis
- Protein glycation
*According to the report "Eye'Fective: The essence of white flowers for multi-functional eye contour care"
- Orchistem: Its objective is to promote cell regeneration and improve the function of skin cells. It uses stem cells from Calanthe discolor orchid, native to Japan, cultivated in-house, avoiding water waste, excessive land use, and waste production. To stimulate and improve communication between skin stem cells and fibroblasts, combining it with 9 plant extracts with venotonic and circulation-activating activity. Two in vivo studies were conducted on women aged 40-65 to check its effectiveness after 56 days of use. These resulted in:
- Lifting effect on the facial oval
- Lifting effect on the upper eyelid
- Restoration of firmness and elasticity
- Luminous and radiant skin for a more vital and youthful look
- Goodbye to wrinkles
- Clinical evaluation of the eyelid lifting effect and wrinkles
*Data collected from the report "ORCHISTEM: orchidstemcells improving cellular communication"
How to use
- You need to follow the product instructions, as quantities do matter. Remember that these ingredients are studied together, and their proportions are designed for specific amounts to avoid counteracting their effect. Follow the rice rule! The amount comparable to a grain of rice is what your body needs.
- Apply it after your moisturizer, dabbing it gently with your ring finger, as it has the least force. Do it outwards, as this will activate circulation and massage the area.
- You can also apply it to the upper eyelid or to expression lines like "crow's feet" or those at the corners of the lips.
Tips
To achieve better results, it's ideal that you know these habits that will help you get what you're looking for in your skin:
- Use of intermittent cold to promote circulation in the area, thus improving oxygenation and cell nutrition. You can do this with cold water-soaked cotton, leave it on for as long as you need and can tolerate.
- Use of sunglasses and sunscreen to prevent spots around the eyes.
- Have a diet rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, protein, and fiber. You can add supplements of vitamin D, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium... to promote collagen generation.
- Exercise your body to increase growth hormone production, but if done excessively, collagen production decreases, so don't overdo it!
Author: Nathalia Carrillo Jácome
