Eye Cream Formulation with Shea Butter for Wrinkles

Question

I want to make an eye cream for wrinkles using Shea Butter as the main ingredient. I would like to know what other natural oils or butters are suitable for the eye area and help with wrinkles. Also, how should Shea Butter be incorporated into the formulation, and can essential oils be used in eye creams?

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Eye Cream Formulation with Shea Butter for Wrinkles

Creating your own eye cream is a great way to customize ingredients for your skin's needs. You're on the right track considering Shea Butter, as it's known for its moisturizing and wrinkle-reducing properties.

Using Shea Butter in Eye Cream

Shea Butter, such as Refined Shea Butter, Ultra Soft Shea Butter, or Golden Shea Butter, is an excellent emollient. It helps to moisturize the delicate skin around the eyes and can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. To incorporate Shea Butter into your cream, you typically need to heat it to around 60-70°C to melt it into the oil phase of your formulation.

Suitable Oils and Butters for the Eye Area

While Shea Butter is a great base, you can enhance your eye cream with other beneficial oils and butters. Consider ingredients that are gentle and known for their skin-nourishing and anti-aging properties:

Shea Butter: As mentioned, it's highly moisturizing and helps with wrinkles.
Avocado Butter: Another natural butter that is very moisturizing and rich in fatty acids, beneficial for dry or aging skin.
Tea Seed Oil: This oil is easily absorbed and contains Oleic Acid (Omega 9), which is very nourishing for the skin.

A Note on Essential Oils

It's important to be very cautious with ingredients around the sensitive eye area. As mentioned in the forum replies, essential oils are generally not recommended for eye creams. They are highly concentrated and can cause significant irritation, redness, or allergic reactions. It's best to avoid them entirely in formulations intended for the eye contour.

For a beginner, starting with a simple base formulation and incorporating nourishing butters and gentle oils like Shea Butter, Avocado Butter, or Tea Seed Oil is a good approach. Always test your finished product on a small area of skin before applying it around the eyes.

Remember that formulating cosmetics requires careful measurement and understanding of ingredient properties and safety guidelines, especially for sensitive areas like the eyes.