I have mixed feelings about eye creams. On one hand, the area around my eyes does get dry, and more and more little lines are starting to appear around there with each passing year. But on the other, I've had a lot of really underwhelming experiences with eye creams in the past. They felt heavy, greasy, blah... why not just use your facial cream on your eye area if that's the case? You can certainly do that, but I tried a new eye cream recently that made me want to change my tune: Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel. Shall we take a look at why this one's different?
Product description:
New LANEIGE Water Bank Eye Gel takes hydration to the next level with its 24 hour hydrating formula. Benefits:
- Hydro Ionized Mineral Water and Biogen Technology
- Revitalizes delicate eye area with six ionized minerals
- Penetrates, protects, smoothes and hydrates
To be completely honest with you, I don't know quite what the ionization process of the ingredients in this product entails. I've read about ionized water in the context of filtering drinkable water, which supposedly has anti-oxidant properties. My understanding of the science behind that process is limited at best so I can't really critique its abilities in that sense, but if ionized water does have anti-oxidant properties, then it certainly makes sense as an ingredient in a soothing, nourishing eye cream.
Ingredients:
Does reading the tiny print on the box hurt your eyes? Me too. Which is why I also transcribed it. (Please let me know if you spot any typos or errors!)
WATER, GLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, CYLCOHEXASILOXANE, CHENOPODIUM QUINOA SEED EXTRACT, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, ZINC SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE, VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS FRUIT/LEAF EXTRACT, SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM (SUGAR CANE) EXTRACT, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) FRUIT EXTRACT, CITRUS AURANTIUM DULCIS (ORANGE) FRUIT EXTRACT, ACER SACCHARUM (SUGAR MAPLE) EXTRACT, HYDROXYETHYL, ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, POLYACRYLATE-13, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, PCA DIMETHICONE, PEG-100 STEARATE, CYCLOMETHICONE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, POLYISOBUTENE, DIMETHICONOL, DIMETHICONE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POLYSORBATE 20, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, TROMETHAMINE, DISODIUM EDTA, FRAGRANCE
I plugged the ingredients into CosDNA, for those curious. This formula is made up largely of emollient ingredients—there are silicones present, so if those tend to break you out, steer clear. Interestingly, hydrogenated vegetable oil is also on the list... not a terribly glamorous-sounding ingredient, but it actually is a great ingredient for forming a barrier on the skin (to prevent water loss). Problem is, it can be comedogenic in some people, just like everybody's best frenemy coconut oil. Be sure to patch test, acne-prone types.
Pricing/availability:
Laneige Water Bank Eye Gel retails at $35 (for 25ml/0.8fl oz) and is newly available at select Target stores in the United States. You can also find it on Target.com.
The product comes sealed up tight with one of those little inner jar covers. (Do those have a proper name?) There was also a small clear spatula in the box for hygenic scooping.
Ooh, creamy! As you might expect, Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel has a bouncy, semi-translucent texture. It's definitely hydrating, but not nearly as thick or creamy as some of the other eye creams out there. Here's a pic of it next to Laneige's Perfect Renew Firming Eye Cream (which is meant for heavy-duty wrinkle firming) for comparison:
I prefer a slightly lighter texture in my eye creams for two reasons: One, I hate it when my under eye area feels heavy and greasy, and two, I'm prone to getting milia seeds and I think lighter gel-type creams are less likely to exacerbate the problem. I've been using the Laneige Water Bank Eye Gel pretty much every night for about a month now, and so far there have been no signs of new milia. YMMV, of course.
With all that said, I do think that Water Bank Eye Gel is pretty rich and hydrating so far as gel creams go. It sinks into the skin pretty quickly, but my skin feels quite a lot more hydrated and supple after using it. It also creates a vague cooling sensation for the first couple of minutes after it's applied, which is super-refreshing. The scent of this cream is also refreshing (though maybe a bit unnecessary). It reminds me of the other products I've tried from the Water Bank line: Kind of a pleasant aquatic/fresh fragrance.
Overall, I like the Laneige Water Bank Eye Gel a lot. The fact that it's super hydrating without making my eye are feel gross or heavy is a major plus for me, and I think my eyes do look more refreshed in the morning after I use it. And most importantly of all, I find the texture much more comfortable to wear around my eyes than most regular facial creams. I wish there was a teensy bit more product in that gorgeous blue glass jar, but what is in there is pretty darn nice.
What do you think of Laneige's Water Bank Eye Gel? Do you prefer eye products that are more creamy or gel-like in texture?
Disclosure: The product featured in this post was provided to me for review purposes, however any opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.
I think I would really like this. I prefer gel based eye products and ones that have a cooling effect too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review! I've been rubbing my eyes a lot, and i'm afraid of pre-mature wrinkles and I believe this product could help a lot. It's just a little pricey though, especially for a 17 year old :P
ReplyDeletehttp://toomanybiases.blogspot.pt
Yeah a cooling effect is super relaxing. I love getting under eye gel masks for that reason, but they're too expensive to use every day.
ReplyDeleteIf you're on a tight budget, you can always try using your facial cream in your eye area! I like using a separate cream because I like the texture of my eye creams to be lighter than what goes on my face, but some people just use one for both.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the help :D I might get a cheap alternative to the Laneige one~
ReplyDeleteI definitely prefer a gel consistency in my skincare during the summer. Creamy textures just seem to sit way too heavy on my skin in the blazing heat. This sounds nice and refreshing!
ReplyDeleteSame here. Lighter is always better in the summer!
ReplyDeleteI love all these gel creams coming out lately. They're so refreshing and lightweight.
ReplyDeleteMe too. This one has actually been around for at least a couple of years, it's just finally launching at a major retailer in the US for the first time!
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