I know what you’re thinking. ‘What’s this? A review for a line that isn’t clean and that is widely available anywhere?’ I think there are certain products that are iconic, such as La Mer’s moisturizer and the Clinique eye cream. There is so much marketing out there and word of mouth that the truly performance of the product often takes a backseat to the myth and hype.
When my eyes felt fatigued and in need of a pick-me-up during finals, I didn’t want to take the chance with a new product so I turned to the product that garnered a legion of devotees and was voted best department store eye cream year upon year – the All About Eyes.
Clinique’s All About Eyes is the product that started it all for their now comprehensive range of eye products and it continues to be a top seller for this gigantic skincare empire. The product housed in a plastic amber jar the same color as the gel-cream housed inside. Clinique describes the product as a lightweight gel-cream that diminishes puffiness, darkness, and fine lines. And doesn’t that just about cover everything we could hope for in an eye product?
The product has a chemical scent that is neither pleasing nor unbearable, but simply a reflection of the formula. The gel-cream consistency is indeed light, and feels like a quality formula in it’s beautiful silky texture.
Upon application the cream immediately breaks down into almost a slick on the skin. This can be attributed to the silicones, which is the most abundant ingredient in this gel-cream. The silicone helps make skin feel instantly smooth and velvety, giving the appearance of immediate results but these are temporary. In the long term, excessive use of silicone in skincare can clog pores and age skin.
The ingredients list shows this silicone-based gel cream relies mostly on emollients to deliver moisture and provide that silky skin feeling. Non-coverage pigments such as Iron Oxide and Mulberry Root change how light is reflected off shadowed areas (i.e. undereyes) which makes areas prone to dark circles appear brighter although this again is temporary. There are good ingredients like the aforementioned Mulberry Root which has brightening capabilities, as well as antioxidants from Green Tea Extract, Grape Extract, Olive Extract, and Vitamin C and E. Whey protein, the stuff used by bodybuilders is used to lock in hydration which is good but the not-so-good is that petrolatum is its partner in moisture. Petrolatum and the humectant Butylene Glycol are both going to aggravate skin, and I would go as far as to suggest people with blemish prone skin should avoid these two ingredients altogether.
There is no alcohol or fragrance in this formula which allow Clinique to use the description that they’re Allergy tested and 100% Fragrance Free. Something I should point out though is that Clinique is a company that performs animal testing. Some might view this as a necessity but I do not. Most modern lines are able to formulate without animal testing and I urge Clinique to move away from this obsolete practice.
Soapbox note aside, I had good results with the Eye Cream. It made my eyes feel hydrated and less tired. Eventhough much of this might be temporary and the result of silicones/emollients, I think it might be a good product to use when you need to feel better and look better immediately. Just know that it probably won’t make any real improvements to your skin because the good active ingredients, those antioxidants are not a concentrated part of the formula.
Although I read your blog mostly for your in depth and honest reviews about the green beauty brands, I wanted to let you know that I thought you wrote a very detailed review of this eye cream. A lot of people like myself do wonder if we’re giving up a lot of effective products by switching to green products and this review provided a fair and thorough analysis. Thank you!
Thank you! I think there can be a time/place for the All About Eyes cream. It does make me feel good but I know that is only temporary. If I want long-term benefits I will need to use a cream that uses better ingredients.
I agree with Reema. I’ve just started to introduce drug store products to my reviews knowing that the economy and convenience leads some of us astray, but also simply because the most effective affordable brands can still be found around the corner. I ordered Clinique’s dark spot corrector inspired by one of your old posts, and though the ingredient list is not my fave, I want to compare to a 100% pure brand to see if we are indeed giving up technology and results when going for botanical based lines.
this used to be one of my go-to eye creams back in the day. i’ve moved away from using a lot of eye creams, actually, because i’m just not sure how necessary they are. i have three in rotation that i do like, but i am not as religious about using them anymore (2 creams, 1 serum). i started wearing eye cream at age 12 because i wore contacts that severely aggravated my eyes (wtf?) and i would rub a lot … and rub the skin around my eyes dry! i was a devotee until about age 24 (legit?!) and have eased up on eye cream use a bit. do you ever get the little millia bumps around your eyes from too much moisture?
Eye creams are still very blah to me. Meaning I can go without using it but when I feel like I need some extra pampering, that’s when I begin the search again. I don’t think there has been a eye cream that I find ‘perfect’. I heard about people getting millia bumps around the eyes and I never thought it would happen to me but then I used the Tata Harper Eye cream, which isn’t bad but it just takes FOREVER to absorb. After about 5 uses, I started getting them, so I’m careful not to use anything too heavy (waxy, etc.)
Nice review, thank you! I agree with rema…:). Yes it can be a challenge finding a good eyecream and I sometimes also wonder how neccessary they are. I currently use the kahina eye serum and quite like it. Next id marie veronique pacific eye serum; or maybe yuli launches one soon..?!
I need to get started on the Kahina Eye Serum! Been eyeing that bottle for a while now! Please let me know how the Marie Veronique Eye Serum is, I used only one of her products thus far and it was slightly irritating for my skin.
I used to use Clinique, but it stopped working after a while. After turning 40, I started to notice that I was getting crows feet around my eyes. Living in a very dry area, it didn’t seem to matter what type of moisturizer I used, my skin still remained extremely dry. I started using the Made from Earth Chamomile Eye Therapy on a daily basis and I see a major difference. It does not take much to provide an ample amount of moisture to my eye area. I started to notice that after using it for a couple of days that my skin was becoming much softer and younger looking. As a result of the product, the lines that I had around my eyes became less noticeable.