Four Reasons We Don't Make a Natural Eye Serum

I'm often asked why we don't make a natural eye serum. Our products have a heavy focus on helping your skin to be its very best self so it would make sense that we would want to develop a gentle, effective and natural eye serum. After all, the skin around your eyes is much thinner, delicate & more fragile than the skin on the rest of your face making it even more important to avoid irritating, allergenic and toxic skincare ingredients. It's more prone to

• Dryness
• Dehydration
• Puffiness
• Darkness
• Milia
• Being the first area to show early signs of aging

The main reason we don't and probably won't, is that we don't need to. All of our serums, in fact, our entire Healthy Skin[care] range of products are safe to be used around the eye area without any irritation. The other reasons we don't make a natural eye serum are environmental, time management and financial.

These are the 4 reasons why we don't make a natural eye serum

1. All of our serums are safe to use around your eyes

Our natural face serums are designed to replace your current serum, moisturiser and eye cream. That's 3 skincare products in 1.

The skin around your eyes, being thinner and more fragile is more prone to react and become irritated by many ingredients found in your typical moisturiser and serum. Eye serums and creams are typically formulated without fragrances, but many still contain problematic ingredients, including preservatives and chemicals used to create a more luxurious feel and texture. 

Active ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C are often problematic when used around the eye area too, especially for sensitive skin.

Signs your skin may be reacting to ingredients in your eye serum or cream include:

• Dry, flaky & crepey skin around your eyes
• Puffiness
• Burning or stinging 
• Eye redness, itching and watering eyes

The most common ingredients in both skincare and eye serums & creams that cause irritation and allergic reactions around the eye area include:

• Alcohol
• Acetyl hexapeptide-3
• Benzalkonium chloride (BAK or BAC)
• Butylene glycol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
• Formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors
• Isopropyl cloprostenate
• Parabens
• Phenoxyethanol
• Retinol

Some of our products use natural essential oil which can still be problematic for very sensitive skin, including rosacea. In many cases however, it is still the preservatives and other ingredients that sensitise the skin to the essential oils.  We have a range of products that are free from essential oils that can be found here. 

All of our serums are based on squalane (from olives, NOT shark livers) which is the most wonderful and completely skin biocompatible ingredient. As it is identical to lipids (oils) found naturally in your skin, it is extremely well tolerated by even the most sensitive skin. Squalane gently but effectively moisturises, hydrates and minimises the appearance of fine lines. It is quickly absorbed into your skin, leaving no greasy residue behind. 

In place of retinol, we have used Bakuchiol, extracted from the Ayurvedic Babchi plant. Bakuchiol mimics the 'healthy aging' benefits of retinol without the irritation and is safe to use around the eyes.

Our vitamin C serums utilise a non irritating and highly stable, oil soluble vitamin C derivative that is absorbed into the deeper layers of skin where collagen production occurs. It is well tolerated by very sensitive skin and safe to use around the eye area.

2. One less product is better for the environment

By replacing your serum, moisturiser and natural eye serum with just the one product, you're cutting down on waste that ends up in land fill. 

3. One less product saves you time

This one is actually one of my favourite reasons.  I have a drawer filled with products I've bought over the years and at least half of them were never used because I was always in a rush and never remembered to use my products in the correct order, so I just stopped using many of them.   

One of our natural serums would make a perfect gift for a new mum. Not only do you feel like you age 10 years over night when your precious little one arrives, but self care drops to the bottom of life priorities for a wee while. Complicated skincare routines leave the building when a new baby enters the home.

Bakuchiol, a natural retinol alternative is safe to use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, it combines well with vitamin C to give skin a bright, fresh glow. 

Vitamin C Serum with 1% Bakuchiol

4. One less product saves you money

Finally, being able to replace your serum, moisturiser and natural eye serums with just one product represents a pretty hefty saving. If you've ever experienced running low on several skincare products at once you'll know the feeling of agonising over which one you'll replace first. When you use our natural face serums, this first world problem becomes a thing of the past.

Non skincare solutions to puffiness and dark circles

Puffiness under your eyes is usually due to a build up of blood or fluid. It can also be due to using eye creams that are too thick and heavy. Dark circles can be caused by genetics, sun damage and a build up of blood. Some tips to help combat under eye puffiness and dark circles include:

• Get more sleep. Priorities a few early nights each week. Scrolling social media on your phone late into the night looking for solutions to puffy eyes and dark circles is a form of sleep procrastination and won't fix anything. But a good nights sleep can.
  
  
• Allergies. Allergies to skincare product ingredients are a common cause of puffiness and dark circles. Check out the list above to see if any of them are found in your skincare or makeup. Hayfever caused by allergies to pollens, grasses, dust mites etc. can also cause swollen and puffy eyes. 
  
  
• Lymphatic drainage. Regular lymphatic drainage can help to clear fluid build up from around your eyes. You can do this yourself, every time you cleanse and apply your skincare. Video coming soon....
  
  
• Learn to breathe properly. Mouth breathing is possibly the most common reason for non genetic dark circles under eyes. Mouth breathing causes the blood to pool under your eyes, giving them a bruised look - in kids these are called 'allergic shiners'. Mouth breathing often stems from underlying allergies but can also become a bad habit. Buteyko breathing is one way to retrain yourself to breath correctly through your nose.
  
  
• Cold teabags. Both the caffeine in tea and the cold compress can help to reduce both puffiness and dark circles. Pour some boiling water on two organic tea bags and place in the fridge for an hour or two (or freezer for 15-30 minutes). Once nice and cold, make yourself comfortable on the couch, bed or yoga mat and rest with the cold tea bags over your eyes for 10-20 minutes.  It's also a great time to practice mindfulness and de-stress breathing.

If you've been looking for the perfect natural eye serum, you can now relax and simply switch over to a natural face serum that is safe & gentle enough to be used around your eye area.  By not using a natural eye serum, you'll be saving money, the environment and a whole lot of time every morning. Not sure which serum is right for you? Get in contact with us today.