INSTYTUTUM Eye Cream review – the cream to end all eye creams
Bold claim, I know, but for me, it couldn’t more true. I briefly raved about how much I loved this eye cream in my Instytutum brand review, and now that 2 months has passed, it’s time for the in-depth review.
- What is it
- An advanced eye cream that brightens, firms, depuffs, and smooths the delicate eye area, i.e., the claim for every eye cream out there.
- How I use it
- I tap it lightly around my eye area and on my smile lines twice a day.
- Best suited for
- Anyone who’s serious about keeping their eye area line-free.
- Packaging
- A sleek plastic jar, small spatula included. I prefer tube to keep the actives potent, but at this point I’m about 200% done griping about this issue.
- Scent
- Fragrance-free so no noticeable scent.
- Texture
- Luxuriously creamy yet not at all heavy. Absorbs almost instantly. More creams need to be like this!
- Available At
- Instytutum for $89/0.5oz (30% off with code SKIN30! check out my deals page for more promos!)
I’ve tried my fair share of eye creams/serums, and at best they did nothing and at worst they gave me milia. I did enjoy the Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, but it’s definitely for the younger eyes, as it was hopeless against my increasing fine lines *cries*
The Instytutum Eye Cream came with high praise from Anne, and the first thing I noticed were its smorgasborg of anti-fine-lines ingredients:
- Shea butter – An emollient that nourishes the skin with its wealth of antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamin a and e. This is one of my favorite emollients as its rich without being heavy or greasy.
- Sodium hyaluronate – The salt form of hyaluronic acid that hydrates the skin by drawing moisture to it. A must have for the naturally drier eye area.
- Peptides – More specifically, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, which can increase collagen production, resulting in plumper + smoother skin.
- Tocopherol – Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that protects our skin against free radicals & UV rays, you know, the two things that can prematurely age our skin.
- Retinol – A seriously powerful ingredient that boosts collagen production while increasing cell turnover to reveal softer + smoother skin. Plus it’s much gentler than tretinoin, so you can use it safely around the eye area.
- Vitamin C – Two forms, ascorbic acid and ascorbyl palmitate, are included, though ascorbic acid needs to be at a low pH to work so I’m not sure of its effects here. Either way, vitamin c is a great antioxidant that increases collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
All those good-for-you ingredients in the form of a luxurious cream. YAS
Some other interesting, albeit not as well researched (hence skepticism-inducing), ingredients include:
- tensing agents – blends of polysaccharides that can temporarily smooth + firm your skin while providing long term anti-aging results. Not sure about the anti-aging claim, but polysaccharides themselves are humectants with antioxidant properties (source).
- raspberry leaf cultured stem cells – improves the skin’s hydration level and elasticity for a firmer and smoother feel. I feel like stem cells in skincare is mostly marketing hooey, but as plant extracts they may still have some antioxidant properties.
- cellpulse – a blend of psilanthus bengalensis leaf cell culture extract + glycerin + water, which is supposed to increase collagen production and minimize the loss of lipids. Nay to the stem cell related fluff, but yay to increased hydration + antioxdant properties.
Overall the ingredients are good, though not quite give-me-all-the-feels good yet. Then I started using the cream, and that’s when the magic happened. The creamy texture feels rich and luxurious, blends like a dream, and the dry skin around my eyes drink it up instantly. Unlike other rich eye creams, this doesn’t leave a weird film on the skin, which means no milia or God forbid, any breakouts, because I’d totally try to pop that pimple and stab myself in the eye in the process.
Remember the tensing agents I mentioned earlier? I didn’t believe in its temporary effects but damn girl, I was wrong. It blurs the fine lines as well as any good primer while leaving the skin feeling soft, smooth, and not one bit oily. As happy as I was to see “instant” results, I was obviously more eager to see long-term permanent results: less noticeable fine lines and dark circles, though I honestly had low expectations for the latter.
Bad news first: it did nothing for my dark circles or puffiness. If these were my primary concerns I’d be disappointed, but they’re actually not and at this point I’ve about 99% given up on trying to fix those issues. Maybe I need to try eye massages to help improve circulation or something. Suggestions welcome!
The good news is that I definitely noticed a decreased appearance in fine lines and dryness not only around my eye area, but also my smile lines. Previously my foundation would to settle in my smile lines, but that’s no longer an issue. I honestly didn’t expect to see such noticeable results and am kinda kicking myself for not taking before/after pics, but please take my word when I say that the Instytutum Eye Cream is the ultimate fine-lines slayer and worth every pretty penny.
INSTYTUTUM Eye Cream
- Packaging7.5/10
- Ingredients8.5/10
- Texture/Application10/10
- Performance9.5/10
- Price7/10
This cream is expensive, yes, and it's not without flaws, but my God it does such a bang-up job of decreasing the appearances of fine lines (both instantly and in the long run) that none of those other things matter. As a skincare junkie I'm forever in search of the next best product, but my search for an eye cream has ended, at least in the foreseeable future. If you're serious about keeping your eyes line-free and have the budget, I can't recommend this eye cream enough. I already repurchased a backup of this as I cannot be without it ❤️
Yes I’m totally reusing pics from my Instytutum brand review post, but between a hectic work schedule and like 3 hours of daylight taking photos has been a pain in the tushy. Thank goodness for the Thanksgiving long weekend coming up, where I will hopefully eat lots and not shop too much, despite the flurry of great deals online and in-store.
For those of you that celebrate it, have a very happy Thanksgiving and I hope you have a wonderful and drama-free time with your family! If not, I still hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!
Those ingredients sound right up my alley! As for the puffiness, have you tried a jade roller yet? I feel like my face in general is less puffy after I roll it around (I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but it feels good) and it seems to get my circulation flowing!
I haven’t tried a jade roller but I’ve been meaning to add one to my routine! Do you have a particular seller/retailer you recommend? There seems to be a lot of options on Amazon but some of the reviews said they broke after one use! D:
That claim is so true! It still is my holy grail eye cream, and after I have run out of it and started using another one I do miss it so much it only confirms that.
Anne – Linda, Libra, Loca
I’m so glad I learned about this eye cream from you Anne, you’ve saved my eyes from fine lines! (for now at least…haha)
Happy to be of service.
OMG, now I want this eye cream. I am using their lifting cream and serum and I am so in love with them. Also started using the Flawless pads and they’re amazing too. Thanks for sharing hun! x
Ann-Marie | http://facetocurls.com/
Ah I want to try their serum, I heard that was amazing as well! Honestly it’s incredible to see a brand release consistently impressive products!
I will have to try this eye cream. Do you feel it’s hydrating as well? I have dry skin. I currently love Kiehl’s Avocado. I love Anne’s in-depth reviews.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/
I would say it’s hydrating, but I do layer a hydrating serum + facial oil under the eye cream as part of my standard routine, so I’m sure that helps increase the overall hydration of my eye area. If you like the Kiehl’s one, you’ll probably like this just as much, if not more :)
Anne likes this eye cream a hell lot too and it’s already in my list to buy! After this glowing review from you, I will definitely be buying it!
Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity
Ahh I hope you’ll like it as much as we do! I just picked up a replacement during their 30% off sale!
I’m usually not into eye creams myself, but I’ve been trying to help my dad find one that will work for him! Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a problem with fine lines so much as the puffiness and bags, but it’s great that this ended up working so well for you!
Sam / My Beauty Cloud
From reading comments from fellow bloggers I’m starting to think that massaging with something cool like a jade roller might work better for puffiness. I plan on incorporating it to my routine to see how well it’ll work :)
Oh gosh. It sounds amazing. The blurring effect is so visible so thanks for that demo. Its just the small matter of price tag now..haha! xxx
UmmBabyBeauty
It really is!! They have a 30% off sale now which makes the price point a little more tolerable, haha
I’m trying this out right now so I’m excited to see if I love it as much!
xx Sofia | SOFIAADOT
Fingers crossed for you Sophia! <3
This eye cream seems legit. I need to get my hands on this!
x,
S | Je M’appelle Chanel
It really is, would definitely recommend taking advantage of their current 30% off sale if you’re interested :)
O it sounds so good! Too bad that it didn’t do anything for your dark circles though.
Marije | thegfguide.com
This would be a 10/10 if it did! I’m not too disappointed though, hopefully with massaging and more sleep the dark circles will get better!
Oh my this looks so good.. Though I also need something that helps with puffiness considering my over consumption of salt on the daily ( but I have accepted that my dark circles will never go away :( ) I’ll definitely be tempted to give this a try once my current eye cream is out
Sam Hodgett || Beauty, Food & Lifestyle
Can’t recommend this enough! I’m going to try massaging my eyes with a cold jade roller per @camilladesigns:disqus’s suggestion and see if it helps with the puffiness :)
Wow, that is quite a high rating for an eye cream! I’m always on the hunt for a fabulous new product and this one fits the bill. Thank you for sharing!
It’s definitely one of the best I’ve tried to date! Can’t recommend it enough! :)
I actually need a good eye cream, starting to worry about fine lines now. Geez, I’m only 23. Haha. And you gave it such a great rating!
Joy to the World
It’s never too early to start an anti-aging routine, and honestly I wish I started mine when I was 23! This is a great option as it’s not overly rich or oily!
Daaang. This sounds great! I am totally sold because of this review haha. I know you don’t too often give these high scores, so to have a 9.3 is fabulous! I feel like eye creams are always so iffy too. Most claim all these crazy things, but then under perform. OR, you cannot wear them under makeup. This one sounds amazing!
-Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com
Yeah, I try to really save the 9+ ratings for products that have blown me away, and this one definitely did! I agree with you on eye creams, and it’s extra annoying because they’re so darn expensive as well – at least this one is worth every pretty penny!
This sounds like a really good product! I want to start using anti-aging products to help combat the fine lines that I know are already forming LOL. Although this isn’t 100% natural I may have to suck it up and give it a go (I don’t think there’s too many natural brands that really have anti-aging creams?)
http://www.sustainablysavvy.ca
Hmm, that’s a good point, I don’t think I’ve really seen many all-natural anti-aging products either now that you mention it. The full ingredient list is on CosDNA and other than the preservatives (which I consider a necessary evil), I think overall the ingredients are pretty clean :)
The result’s you’ve experienced with this eye cream sound amazing and the ingredients in the formulation are certainly favorable. The only thing that would keep me from purchasing it is the jar packaging. I made a vow to give up eye creams in jars earlier this year and I’m trying hard to stick to it. I’m currently testing a few products from Instytutum and so far so good. I get why you love their Triple Peel now Jenny :)
I’m not a fan of jar packaging either, so I can see why you’d want to avoid it :( It’s interesting because most eye creams come in tubes, so hopefully Instytutum adjusts this in the future! Glad to hear that you like the Instytutum products you’re trying, can’t wait to read your thoughts on them!
I think the pros outweighs the cons. Thanks for sharing your review on this. I hope I can find this somewhere online in the Philippines because I sure do want to give it a try. :)
xoxo,
Gelleesh.com
I believe Instytutum ships worldwide, so I’d recommend checking their global shipping prices if you’re interested :)
Great review, Jenny! My eye area is one of my trouble spots! I suffer from dark circles and fine lines. Love the sound of this cream. Anything with peptides and Vitamin C has got my attention. I’ve added it to my list of things to try!
~ Cat L.
http://www.CatsDailyLiving.com
Thank you Cat! <3 I can't recommend this eye cream enough for fine lines, hope you'll love it as much as I do if you ever try it!
This sounds amazing, and fab review as always! It definitely seems like the pros outweigh the negatives xx
Hannah | luxuryblush
Thanks so much Hannah! This product isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely one of the best in the category I’ve tried to date!
Thanks so much for this briliant review. I have heard of this but have not used this eye cream. I haven’t found a holygrail eye cream but I have a few favourites. This is a pretty good rating, I just wish it was more travel-friendly., packaging-wise. <3 /Madison
FASHION TALES
So glad you liked it! I agree, the packaging is beautiful on a vanity but not very hygienic or travel friendly, but the results are worth it for me ☺️
So well written, Jenny! I am currently testing an exact same product and although I have a slightly different experience, I am so happy to hear that it worked for you. I am convinced many readers will find this article incredibly helpful. P.S. (I have terrible dark circles and have yet to find a cream that can fix it).
Thank you Naya! Aw no, sorry to hear that you’re not getting the same experience :( I’m curious to read your thoughts on this though!
The cream to end all creams! DAMN I need some.
I think you might want to shove a frozen tea spoon on your eyes and then rub in the cream for puffiness?
Your reviews are so great because you talk about the ingredients and then what that ingredient does.
I have never actually heard of this brand too! I learn so much!
Kiri
Set to Glow
http://www.settoglow.com.au
That’s a good idea Kiri, though I have a feeling I’ll end up forgetting the spoon in the fridge, haha! So glad you like the reviews, always happy to share new brands and products with you guys!
It sounds like a great product
Wonder Cottage