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Why the Eye Contour Is Important and How It Changes with Age

Lily Collins applying Lancome eye cream to her eye contour area

When it comes to the eyes, the focus is often on the skin beneath the eyes, whether you’re dealing with under-eye bags, under-eye wrinkles or those dark circles under eyes. But if you’re only looking at the under-eye area, you may be missing the entire eye contour. The eye contour is best defined by the orbital bone, encompassing your eyelids and up to your eyebrows (in addition, of course, to the under-eyes). Since the signs of aging can happen here too, taking the eye contour into consideration when taking care of the skin around your eyes is essential to help achieve an overall youthful look.

What Happens to the Eye Contour with Age?

Collagen and elastin — which give skin its firm, smooth appearance — break down with age and sun damage, which in turn can lead to crepey skin and wrinkles around the eyes.1 Plus, the tissue around the eyes weakens, which causes skin to sag and droop, lending to a more tired look.2

Then, there’s the issue of dark circles under eyes. That collagen loss around the eye contour as we age can create shadows which can contribute to the appearance of dark circles.3 Since the eyelids are the thinnest skin on the body, they’re especially prone to environmental damage, such as sun damage caused by the sun’s UV rays.4 That too can cause crepey skin, which is why you may notice eyeshadow creasing with age.

Why Is Eye Care Important for the Eye Contour Area?

Clearly, the eye area is a delicate area — and a dedicated eye cream is especially formulated to address concerns unique to the eye area, such as the appearance of dark circles and eye puffiness. But an eye cream or serum that targets the eye contour, like our Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum Eye and Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Ultra Eye Cream, can take it a step further than your average face cream.

Our advanced eye care solutions can help to reduce the look of dark circles, provide essential moisture, and improve the overall appearance of the eye contour.

Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum Eye is an anti-aging eye serum that houses a unique formula in each of three total chambers, freshly mixed with each pump. The first chamber holds a gel-serum formula with hyaluronic acid and SNK peptide known for visibly smoothing wrinkles and firming drooping upper eyelids* for a temporary, visible eye-lift effect. The second chamber is a serum-emulsion formula with vitamin C+ (vitamin C derivative) and niacinamide known to visibly even skin tone and brighten the eye contour. The third chamber is a creamy serum formula with vitamin F, a mixture of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) and Linoleic Acid (LA) which are two essential fatty acids known to smooth skin texture. The three formulas work together to improve the eye contour area's overall appearance.

Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum Eye

Visibly Lift & Reduce Eye Wrinkles

One size only for Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum Eye
0.7 fl. oz.
Old price New price $95.00

Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Ultra Eye Cream is a dark circle eye cream formulated with a blend of caffeine, linseed extract, hyaluronic acid, and cocoa butter for a visibly bright, nourished eye contour area. Linseed extract contains peptides known for their ability to target the visible signs of aging, helping to improve the appearance of wrinkles and increase firmness. While caffeine is known for its ability to help reduce the appearance of under-eye bags, puffiness, and dark circles.

RÉNERGIE EYE CREAM

Lifting & Dark Circle-Reducing

One size only for RÉNERGIE EYE CREAM
0.5 fl. oz.
Old price New price $85.00

Like the rest of the face, the eye area can also be prone to dryness and dehydration. Keeping the skin around the eye area well-hydrated can help to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (as dry skin can actually exaggerate the look of both).5 Plus, moisturizer traps water in the skin, which can make it appear more youthful.6

Advanced Génifique Eye Cream is a hydrating eye cream specially formulated to target the unique skin around the eyes. It’s formulated with Bifidus Prebiotic and hyaluronic acid to help accelerate skin’s moisture barrier recovery**. A strong skin barrier helps to lock in hydration and defend against external aggressors including pollution, cold, and dry weather. Advanced Génifique also helps improve the appearance of fine lines around the eye contour caused by dehydration or due to thinning skin, which can eventually deepen into wrinkles.

Advanced Genifique Eye Cream
BESTSELLER

Advanced Génifique Eye Cream

Hydrating & Brightening

One size only for Advanced Génifique Eye Cream
0.5 fl. oz.
Old price New price $82.00

What’s the Difference Between Eye Care and Face Care?

As we touched on, eye creams and serums are formulated with ingredients like caffeine, peptides, and hyaluronic acid designed to target eye-specific appearance concerns and offer benefits for aging skin. Face creams, on the other hand, are generally known to moisturize and smooth skin’s appearance effectively, but they may not necessarily be safe for use around the delicate eye contour area.

Not only that, but face creams could potentially be irritating to the sensitive tissues around the eyes.7 All of Lancôme’s eye creams and serums are ophthalmologist-tested for safety to ensure you can apply it to your entire eye contour without irritation.

How to Apply Eye Care Products to the Eye Contour

Treating your eye contour requires a few extra steps rather than just patting eye product beneath your eyes. Here’s how to apply it:

Step 1: With a small amount of eye cream or serum on your fingertips, gently smooth it all around your eyes, including your entire orbital bone.

Step 2: With your index and middle fingers in a V-shape (like a peace shape), hold them horizontally at the center of the brows and smooth them out to the tip. Your ring finger should be above the brow, and middle finger just below. We recommend repeating this motion three times.

Step 3: With your ring fingers, tap in eye cream from your inner corner out to your temples.

A healthy looking, hydrated eye contour not only looks more youthful, but can also help your eyes look less tired and fatigued. With targeted eye care and the right application, you’re on your way to bright, youthful-looking eyes.

All results and benefits via testing conducted by Lancôme Laboratories.
*Based on 8-week results in a clinical study with 84 women
**Based on immediate expert grading assessment with product on
1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587894/#__sec1title
2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bags-under-eyes/symptoms-causes/syc-20369927
3 https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/dark-circles-under-eyes/basics/causes/sym-20050624
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587894/#__sec1title
5 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wrinkles/symptoms-causes/syc-20354927#:~:text=Dry%20skin%20shrivels%20plump%20skin,Don't%20smoke
6 https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/anti-aging/reduce-premature-aging-skin
7 https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/why-can-t-i-use-my-skin-ointment-on-my-eyes

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