Adjusting Eye Cream Formula: Moisture, Texture, and Active Ingredients

Question

I am adjusting my eye cream formula because I feel it lacks moisture, making wrinkles appear deeper, and it causes irritation or frequent blinking near the eyes.

Based on the issues and the staff's advice, I have some questions about adjusting the formula:

Regarding moisture and texture:
- Should I reduce Olive CLEAR and replace it with shea butter?
- Olive CLEAR helps with slip, but glycerin also gives slip. How should I balance these three (shea butter, Olive CLEAR, glycerin) to improve moisture and slip, especially for dry skin, while keeping the total oil phase around the recommended 15-20%? (My current formula has shea butter 6%, Olive CLEAR 6%, Jojoba 4%, totaling 16% oil phase).
Regarding active ingredients and irritation:
- The staff mentioned that having "too many active ingredients" might be the cause of irritation near the eyes. Does "too many" mean the number of different active ingredients?
- If I need to adjust the active ingredients to a suitable level (especially for daytime use), which ones should I consider cutting or reducing the proportion of to minimize irritation while retaining key benefits? (The formula includes actives like REGU-AGE, Argireline, Pep-Coll, B3, Beta Glucan).

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Hello, I understand you are looking for advice on adjusting your eye cream formula.

Based on the issues you've experienced, such as insufficient moisture potentially causing wrinkles to appear deeper, and irritation/frequent blinking:

Regarding Moisture:

Increasing Shea Butter from 6% to 10% is a good approach. Shea Butter provides excellent moisture and occlusive properties, suitable for dry skin.
As the staff recommended, a total oil phase of 15-20% is appropriate for dry skin. Your original formula had a total oil phase of 16% (Shea 6 + Olive CLEAR 6 + Jojoba 4). Increasing Shea to 10% brings the total oil phase to 20% (Shea 10 + Olive CLEAR 6 + Jojoba 4), which is within the recommended range.
For Glycerin, the staff recommended adding 5-10%. For dry skin, you can add up to 10%. Glycerin is a humectant that helps draw water into the skin, improving moisture and slip.
Balancing Shea Butter, Olive CLEAR, Jojoba Oil, and Glycerin: Increasing Shea Butter and Glycerin will significantly boost moisture and reduce dryness. A total oil phase of 20% (Shea 10, Olive CLEAR 6, Jojoba 4) along with adding 10% Glycerin should effectively address the insufficient moisture issue. Olive CLEAR and Jojoba Oil also contribute to skin feel and moisture, so keeping them in the remaining proportion after increasing Shea is a good option.

Regarding Active Ingredients and Irritation:

The staff suggested that the frequent blinking might be due to irritation from active ingredients potentially getting too close to the eye area.
A formula with many active ingredients and high concentrations like this one is better suited for use as a Night Cream before bed, as recommended by the staff.
For daytime use, the staff recommended either reducing the number or proportion of active ingredients or diluting this Night Cream formula to use as a Day Cream.
Deciding which specific active ingredient to cut or reduce depends on which benefits you prioritize. Each active has different properties (e.g., REGU-AGE for dark circles/puffiness, Argireline for expression wrinkles, Pep-Coll for collagen/wrinkles, B3 for wrinkles/anti-inflammatory, Beta Glucan for skin immunity). If you want a lighter formula for daytime, you might consider focusing on actives that primarily provide moisture or soothe the skin and reduce the more intensive anti-wrinkle actives, or use them at lower concentrations. However, it's difficult to recommend specific ones without more information.