February 8, 2017

Don’t Use Your Moisturizer As An Eye Cream

Please don’t use your moisturizer as an eye cream. Like you, I read a lot of different beauty reviews and articles and some suggest not splurging on an eye, that moisturizer basically performs the same functions as an eye cream.

Um, no.

Paula Begoun has said this a time or two and I beg to disagree.

Here’s the deal….

Depending on what sort of moisturizer you are using it’s probably created specifically for your skin type. Maybe you’re fighting the signs of aging, maybe you have blemish prone skin, maybe dark spots, etc….etc….your moisturizer likely has ingredients that are helping you fight those issues. Now think about applying a moisturizer with those ingredients under your eyes. The skin under your eyes is thinner and a lot more delicate compared to the skin on the rest of your face. A lot of those ingredients are not suitable for your eyes. Not to mention they cause all sorts of other issues for example, milia!

Milia are rather irritating small white bumps that appear under the eye area. Typically they happen when dead skin cells decide to hang together and get trapped under your skin’s surface. According to many reports eye cream, makeup, or moisturizer doesn’t cause milia but honestly, I’ve used richer eye creams that apparently were the culprit behind my milia issues. Which is one reason I’d never use a facial moisturizer as my eye cream. It’s just too rich for the area around your eyes.

Moisturizers tend to have many hydrating benefits as well but many of this moisturizing benefits aren’t good under your eyes. I’m the first to say I have terribly dry eyes and I’m always looking for as much moisture as I can get under my eyes. But user beware if you plan on using facial moisturizer under your eyes as it could actually trap and retain moisture in this area and this could lead to puffiness. So, the next time you’re loving how amazingly soft your skin feels thanks to your moisturizer and you feel terribly tempted to use it under your eyes, don’t. It’ll hydrate for sure but it’ll also act to retain moisture and cause puffiness.

Needless to say I wouldn’t use moisturizer as an eye cream!

What do you think about this topic?

Are you frugal and using your moisturizer as an eye cream?

Or do you agree that moisturizer is strictly for your face?

Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Anne

    I never thought about this issue!
    I’ll use moisturizer as an eye cream but only if it’s unscented. I thought the difference between regular moisturizer and eye cream was that eye cream wouldn’t make you cry. 🙂

  • MichelleBelle

    I’m kind of torn. I can see your point about the eye skin, but I can also see the point about not needing a separate cream. Aghhhh! I don’t know what to do! I guess if I can find a cheapish eye cream that works, then there won’t be any risk just a little added expense. Whereas if I use face cream, there is still some risk. Thanks for your thoughts.

    • Ryssa Chrysalis

      I find that the best value I can get is using the YesTo line of eye products. The brand isn’t fancy but they provide a good product that does exactly what we want it to do, which is hydrate hydrate hydrate. I’ve used the YesToBlueberries and I think Isabella has used the YesToCoconut eye cream and they are a reasonably priced product that gently moisturizes the eye area.

  • Cici

    I’ve used my regular moisturizer as an eye cream for years and I’ve never had a problem with it. I’ve never had puffiness or milia.

  • Kasey

    Hi Muse!

    I guess I’m guilty as charged. It always seemed like an extra step to have to use 2 diff moisturizers. Do you have a favorite eye cream(s)?

    • Isabella Muse

      haha it’s ok, a lot of people do this. I tend to avoid it, it’s just not good for my eyes 😀 I use a separate eye cream! Yup, I like Belif’s new peat eye cream, also love Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream! Both are very hydrating!

      • Ryssa Chrysalis

        I’m glad that you like the Belif peat eye cream. I’m definitely intrigued but balk at the cost, but I’m weird about that. Do you have a favorite drug store eye cream for aging eyes?

        • Isabella Muse

          Have you tried hada labo tokyo eye cream? that’s pretty good, $15 bucks at target/drugstores.

  • varya

    Agree x 100.I gave myself milia by doing this and it didn’t take long to happen. Less than two weeks,way longer than it took to get rid of the milia. Now I am very careful about putting anything too rich around my eyes.

    • Isabella Muse

      I used to have it too because I had a habit of running my hands under my eyes when I had facial moisturizer on my hands. I give myself a little massage as I apply my moisturizer and I was running my fingers under my eyes and it caused milia. Never again! Also, had it happen with too rich eye creams!

  • Codename Duchess

    I’m personally Team No EyeCream, though I totally understand why other people might need or want a separate product. I don’t have reactive/sensitive skin at all, so I’m not concerned about getting stys or milia from my skincare. This just does not happen to me. I’m not prone to puffiness either. The only time I ever use an eye cream is when my eye area is feeling dry enough that I need to give them attention that I’m not giving the rest of my face. I have oily/combo skin and tend to go heavy on the moisturizer at night and use none at all (except for whatever moisture my sunscreen might give me) for daytime, so I might reach for an eye cream if I think I think my eyes need some TLC that day. But if I had a light full face moisturizer that I liked for daytime use, I’d probably just use that instead.

  • blee

    ITA, I HATE doing any skin moisturizer at night under my eyes. I’m a puffy for sure. I do use a special gel moisturizer just for under my eyes. 🙂

  • Laurie

    I agree with you, and here’s why. I try and do my eyes before my face, particularly at night when the lotions and potions are heavier. Last night I did the reverse and must have had face cream left on my fingers while putting my eye cream on. My eyes watered for an hour … seriously. There are definitely non-eye friendly ingredients in facial products that have no business near your peepers. And you’re right about the puffiness; face products typically have more water in them, which makes for puffiness under the eye.

    • Isabella Muse

      ITA, I’m all about using a separate eye cream NOT a facial moisturizer under my eyes!

  • lizziefs

    I have to agree with you. I’ve noticed that eye creams also tend to be more concentrated requiring less but that could be some sort of marketing ploy. One thing I’ve never really understood though is primer. I don’t understand why eye primer is different from face primer. Especially concealer. I will use a concealer as an eye primer sometimes and have never had problems. Meh I guess what it boils down to is to do what works for you. Honestly the best thing I’ve found that has worked for my under eye fine lines and wrinkles are collagen supplements and pure organic tub of lanolin no kidding it works. Cheaper than eye cream too.

    • Isabella Muse

      haha true about eye primer but sometimes they include caffeine or other helpful ingredients in eye primer. That’s probably the main difference 😀 I use lanolin under my eyes too but it’s actually in a eye serum I use 😀

    • Maggie

      If you don’t mind me asking, what concealer do you use as an eye base? I am allergic to a ton of eye primers and would love to know if a concealer that won’t crease in my eyelids

      As for the difference between eye and face primers, the eye primer I use is a bit tackier and less hydrating than face primers so it can adhere to powder eye shadow without it creasing. My face primer hydrates/smooths out the flakiness of my skin without sacrificing foundation longevity (many moisturizers are good at hydrating but decrease foundation longevity). Other face primers smooth out the look of pores, and for such cases, an eye primer most likely won’t do to fill in pores.

      Most concealers tend to crease on my upper eyelids (though I’d love to know what you use in place of eye primer).

  • Sarah

    I’ve always been Team Eye Cream. Even in my early 20s. Now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve noticed a lot more woman don’t incorporate eye cream into their regimen. What I’ve found is that most don’t understand the benefits and also don’t want to spend more. Sometimes you get what you pay for. My friends who weren’t willing to “splurge” in their 20s are now coming to me and saying “what do I need to get? I’m starting to see lines! help!”

    Not only am I a firm believer in the benefits of eye cream, I also want to keep my skincare products separate. I don’t use shampoo as a body wash (though I could), and I don’t use a body wash as a shampoo… similar mentality. Just for sanitary reasons alone, I like to have separate products for separate “things.” I also have super dry skin, so a face cream just wouldn’t be enough for my eye area. I don’t know… I can’t wrap my head around not having a separate eye cream at all. It never ceases to amaze me when I hear women say, “I’ve never used one.” To each their own.

    • Isabella Muse

      likewise, I think I was 18 when first used eye cream 😀 yay team eye cream 😀

  • Stephanie

    I found that using a special eye cream was too heavy for my eyes and I got milia. I stopped using eye cream and just use my reg moisturizer and my milia problem has gone away. Perhaps I just needed a different eye cream.

  • Annie

    I neither use eye cream nor general facial moisturizer for my under eye area.

    I use a toning lotion (Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Turbo Line Smoothing Toning Lotion due to the abundance of peptides at the top of the list of ingredients on the box) and a serum (Paula’s Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum).

    So far I haven’t gotten any milia from the above approach. I think it’s because at least one of those products has hyaluronic acid, which holds several times its molecular weight in water (I like to spray a fine mist of water between skin care steps to take advantage of this), and thus I’m less reliant on ingredients that are likely to cause milia.

  • Quinctia

    I go for light, unscented or very lightly scented moisturizers anyway. Most marketed eye creams are going to be too heavy for my eyes. But I probably wouldn’t be moisturizing that area every day if I wasn’t wearing makeup routinely and doing extra cleansing there.

  • Adrienne

    Very timely article. We must be thinking the same because of the same weather induced skin conditions. I never used any eye cream at all but would never use the same moisturizers because some have alpha hydroxy or retinoid combos etc. I was going to adk for a recommendation (someone asked already). I had a freebie of AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Eye Treatment Gel that gave me milia. I was very disappointed because i heard it was a excellent brand.

  • Anna

    Hi Muse! Thank you for bringing up an interesting topic. I must admit I belong to the eye cream is unnecessary camp. I see your logic that some “strong” ingredients in moisturizers might not work so well under the eyes, but not all moisturizers include those ingredients. There are many “eye cream” that include those very “anti-aging” ingredients as well. Case in point, Roc eye cream contain retinol that is also included in the moisturizer. So I think eye cream vs no eye cream is a personal/individual issue with specific products. Some products will cause people milia regardless of its status as moisturizer or eye cream. All cream/serum/lotions is an emulsion of oil/silicone and water. Some moisturizer have very basic ingredients, some eye cream have lots of “active ingredients”. The only time I find it’s beneficial in having separate moisturizer and eye cream is when a moisturizer is an HG but doesnt work well under eye or vice versa. So a light gel moisturizer can work well as an eye cream too if a rich moisturizer doesnt cut it.

    • Isabella Muse

      Mt pleasure 😀 I get milia from rich eye creams so, yup, even eye cream gives it to you! As long as the moisturizer you use is working for you, I say hey go for it. Personally, I prefer eye cream for under my eyes 😀 Thanks for sharing your thoughts/input! Very helpful!

  • Ashley

    I’m sorta not a fan of paula, all her reviews are so harsh it’s like no product is ever good enough for her to give a product 5 stars. I’m very skeptical about this woman. Eye creams, cough la mer in green jar is my fav, sorry Paula I have to disagree with you once again.

    • Isabella Muse

      I like her for some stuff but other stuff I get puzzled with because it’s stuff I’ve tried, liked, and feel like it made a difference yet she picks it apart and says how bad it is lol! It seems like she’s negative about 90% of the stuff she posts about.

  • Katie

    I am SO glad you posted this! Just yesterday I was reading reviews on various under eye creams and came across the suggestion to use facial moisturizer. It blew my mind & just seemed so wrong! So I’m sticking with my eye cream – Shiseido for me too! Thanks Muse!

  • Sonya J

    I love that you posted this! Sometimes I get lazy and don’t want to reach for my eye cream so I’ll just take whats left on my fingers after moisturizing my face and pat that under my eyes. Sure thing, the next morning I’ll notice a couple little white bumps in my under eye area! Moisturizers, especially heavier ones we use in the colder months, are just too heavy for the delicate skin under our eyes.

    • Isabella Muse

      couldn’t agree more, I tend to avoid putting it anywhere near my eyes!

  • Upsydaisy

    I actually do both at the moment! I usually only use eye cream under the eyes, but the one I have now comes out a bit dry and makes my under eye area look super wrinkly. So I just run my fingers, with anti aging moisturizer on them over this area and then put the eye cream.

    Works like a charm for me.

  • Ryou

    I half agree with Paula in this case actually. I mean my under eye area is drier than the rest of my face so I do use a richer, separate moisturizer for that area. But I usually don’t buy ones labeled “eye cream” because those tend to be overpriced for the amount you get. :/

  • Sarah S.

    I actually have the opposite problem. Every eye cream I’ve ever tried has given me milia within a few days of use, except for 1 (a Dior one, then they reformulated and it gave me milia, too). Now I basically leave my eye area alone except to dab a little sunscreen underneath. Eye primers tend to dry my eye area out so if I’m getting too dry I’ll use coconut, jojoba, or argan oil to remove my makeup and that seems to counteract the issue. I have sensitive combo skin. I wish I could use eye creams!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’ve had issues with eye cream giving me milia too! You aren’t alone!

  • Christina Tran

    I’ve been using a separate eye cream since I was 14. When i was younger and battling acne, I would use an oil control or anti-blemish cream; I would never use that under my eyes. Now that I’m older and have switched up my face creams, I still don’t use my face creams under my eyes because I do the multi-step layering method and don’t want to slather like 5 different products under my eyes. Plus, I have sensitive eyes that sting even with certain eye creams, so I’d rather not take my chances. I’ll just keep doing what I do because I do not have a single wrinkle around my eyes nor are they sagging or puffy–I must be doing something right!

  • Liane Sarah Graham

    IMO it really depends on the formula of your moisturizer and what sort of care you need for your under eyes. In my case, I don’t suffer from dark circles or puffiness, but I do get dry. This is where facial oil comes in. A good facial oil (which for me is either pure argan, jojoba, or marula) can do double duty very well, whereas I’d be a lot less likely to use one of my creams containing actives on that area. I typically do use a simple, gentle essence containing HA all over my face, including eyes, and topped off with a light layer of oil, I get great results, so tl;dr depends on your needs.

  • JULIE Fielding

    Okay, so my Mom just had a nightmare situation with this earlier this week. Her eyes had been bothering her for weeks, finally went to the eye doctor and got special drops, etc. etc., but then to her horror, she realized she was using a travel size of Wei East Hand and Body Perfection instead of what she thought was an Eyes Alive tube!! We both laughed, and she knows better (especially since I have worked in the beauty industry for 20+ years), but at 76 years old, the tubes looked the same to her! Lesson learned…DO NOT use anything under your eyes unless it is specifically ophthalmologist tested and designed for that area. MUSE, thank you for reminding others!!!!!! xoxo :))

  • genevieve

    Thank you so much for this article Isabella, because many of us, including me, have made this mistake on lots of occasions. Not any more. I will use my eye cream religiously now.

  • Saiba

    Personally I’ve never had a problem with millia so I can be biased on that issue. I use my facial moisturizer under my eyes because it is for dry skin. Though, I also use a very hydrating eye cream and have never had any issue with layering too much there.

    But if I didn’t use a separate eye cream for my under eyes it wouldn’t be enough hydration under there as opposed to just using facial moisturizer. And yeah if you’re using oily skin products on your under eye it’s just not a good idea cause that area is basically never oily and needs hydration.

    I do believe that the eyes need way more hydration than a facial moisturizer can provide anyway. Especially this winter I need so much hydration.

    So I do agree.

    I understand people like Paula’s Begoun and her point but better safe than sorry with the under eye area.

  • Nikole

    Sorry for another late-to-the-party post Muse. My skin is sensitive and I am definitely prone to the stupid white bumps from creams of many kinds. I have to say, in case anyone else is reading – Pixi’s 24 k eye serum is the best thing ever for eyes. No greasy oily feel of a cream, and it looks like it’s halted the progression of wrinkles. I love it. Just passing it on. Much better than using creams 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      oh no worries 🙂 Comments always welcome late or early 😀 Thanks for the rec on Pixi’s Eye Serum, will have to check it out!

  • DW

    I use Blistex lip balm as an overnight eye cream. In the EU, the primary ingredient is coconut oil. Bain de Soleil used to have a vitamin e stick.

  • Michelle Luna

    I’m 37 and have never really used eye cream. I have super oily hooded lids so the only thing I am interested in is a lid lift, which I don’t think any cream or gel can really do, right? As far as the under-eye area, when I’m smearing my face oil around I sometimes put some there too, but generally not. I don’t think I’m too concerned about eye wrinkles, or at least not enough to stop being lazy about skincare haha. I’m wicked lazy about skincare overall, I sleep in my eyemakeup mostly, I use water usually to wash (when I do think to wash)… I know it’s pretty terrible, especially since I have both rosacea AND seb derm. When I told a Sephora skincare lady that I never wear sunscreen she quietly gasped. I’ve been spending money on skincare products from Sephora though I haven’t gotten into a routine at all for using them. Anyone have any tips for starting off a basic skincare habit? My skin isn’t *horrible* but it’s not as great as it likely could be either… and I’m finally starting to think about my age (vain, yeah) and wanting to keep passing for 25 for as long as possible!