On the Menu: Hydrating Eye Candies

Sunday, October 11, 2015

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review


These eye creams have been my jam lately. I got on the eye cream bandwagon after learning that many "ancient Asian beauties" (by this I mean older men and women on skincare forums, and not say, a geisha) swear by eye creams to hydrate and protect the delicate under eye area. 

Pictured above are my three delicious eye candies: 

  • derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift*
  • derma e Hydrating Eye Creme*
  • Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream

I'm no Caroline Hirons with drawers full of gratis goodies, but I do receive the occasional press sample. This is actually really exciting for me, because when asked which products I'd like to try, I get to put on my Dora the Explorer hat and be a bit more adventurous than I usually am with my picks. You'll see what I mean in a bit.



In this post, the two derma e products were received for honest review.

derma e is a U.S. based brand that I'd been investigating. They appeal to a side of me I've repressed of late, but that side is the one that went gaga for "natural" skincare products last year (before beginning this Asian/Korean skincare *journey* for lack of a better word, I know... I rolled my eyes at this too).

This little clip should introduce you to the brand a bit. The products are formulated with vitamins and antioxidants in no frills packaging. If I were to compare them to a Korean brand, I would liken them to an Innisfree. Interestingly enough, I recently saw a press release that derma e has entered the South Korean market.




So let's just get into it, shall we?


derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review


derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift derma e Hydrating Eye Creme Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream
Claims to firm, lift, and tighten.

Claims to deeply hydrate, firm, tone, and reduce the look of fine lines and crows feet.


Claims to hydrate, diminish the look of fine lines, and brighten.

An 'al dente' eye cream, it's on the thicker side, with some 'chew' to it. Spreading this cream is a bit tougher to do than the others.

It's unfragranced, and doesn't smell like anything.

Thin, milky texture. It is highly emollient and spreads like a dream.

This is also unfragranced, and does not smell like anything.
This is as easy to spread as the derma e Hydrating, but just a little bit less emollient.

This is also unfragranced, but smells lightly botanical due to its ingredients profile.

$24.95 / 15 ml $19.35 / 15 ml $10.00 / 25 ml

INGREDIENTS Purified Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Coco-Caprylate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Propanediol (Zemea®), Lycium Barbarum (Instalift® Goji) Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Dimethyl MEA (DMAE), Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 (Matrixyl® synthe'6®), Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (Argireline®), Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid; Actimoist®Bio-1), Thioctic (Alpha-Lipoic) Acid, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C, Stay-C® 50), Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil* (.1%), Caffeine, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin. INGREDIENTS Purified Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid; Actimoist® Bio-1), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Ascorbyl Palmitate (C-Ester), Pinus Pinaster (Pycnogenol®) Bark Extract, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract* (.1%), Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract* (.1%), Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil* (.1%), Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.INGREDIENTS Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Squalane, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Water, Polysorbate 20, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Beeswax, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tropolone, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Rh-Oligopeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, 1,2-Hexanediol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA




I talked about having free rein to experiment with ingredients; here is what I meant by that... 

I like tried and true. This is why when you look at my sidebar, just to the right of this post, I list things like retinoids, vitamin C, and niacinamide as my favorite ingredients. If I were paying out of pocket, I probably would have steered clear of the derma e DMAE. And if the Mizon Snail eye cream was priced higher, I probably would have steered clear of it too. I don't typically go for formulations that feature the more experimental ingredients like the DMAE or peptides, respectively. 

Let's take a deeper look at each of these featured ingredients. 



derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift*

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review


DMAE stands for 2-dimethyl amino ethanol. It is sourced from fish and has a similar makeup to a neurotransmitter called choline. As such, it is most commonly taken orally to treat neurological conditions like dementia and ADHD.

TOPICALLY and in skincare, DMAE is not that well-studied of an ingredient, but has been touted as having the ability to protect cell membranes and increase elasticity in the skin. On top of all of this, it's an antioxidant, and carries with it all of the powers of an antioxidant - destroying cell-damaging free radicals.

One thing I was surprised to learn about DMAE is that it is pH dependent and is effective at a pH of 10. While I asked to try this particular eye cream because of the DMAE, it turned out that the pH of this particular eye cream was optimized for the brightening vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate) in the formula, and NOT the DMAE. That is, the pH tested to be a 7.

So it looks like even after having tried this cream, the jury is out on DMAE as an ingredient for me.

A word of caution with DMAE:  it has shown potential to disrupt cell cycles and exhibits cytotoxicity in the absence of Magnesium, Zinc, or Calcium or their respective salts. Read more about DMAE at FutureDerm.

MATRIXYL Matrixyl is an amino acid / peptide that stimulates collagen and elastin production. In vitro studies performed by Proctor & Gamble in the 1980's showed it to be effective against wrinkles without any side effects or detrimental health effects. According to Truth in Aging, these studies showed an increase in synethsis of Collagen I by 212%, Collagen IV by 327% and Hyaluronic Acid by 267%.


derma e Hydrating Eye Creme*


derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review

I didn't pick this eye cream because of any wacky ingredients, but because I could tell that it would be a hit with me. I'm a firm believer that one of the best ways to hide your wrinkles and fine lines is to flood the entire area with a deluge of hydrating ingredients to plump it up. Call this eye cream Hurricane Sodium Hyaluronate, because it definitely brings the moisture.

I was also thrilled with how thin and fluid the formula is. I've read on multiple occasions that rich eye creams can actually cause your under eyes to sag even further do to the extra weight. I first heard about this from the cosmetic chemists over at The Beauty Brains blog and podcast. I couldn't find the post where they talked about this but if you're interested in further reading on this particular topic, go here.


Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review

SNAIL MUCIN We've covered snail a ton on this blog... Example here and here. Spoiler alert, it's not well-studied, but it is one of my faves. It contains hydrating hyaluronic acid, wrinkle-fighting peptides, soothing allantoin, and skin-resurfacing glycolic acid.

EGF Standing for epidermal growth factor, this is an amino acid / peptide. It has mostly been studied and noted for its short-term wound healing effects, but is thought to reduce wrinkles by stimulating cellular growth. There are some health considerations with EGF. If EGF does not penetrate to the dermis to help aid the proliferation of healthy cells there, there is a risk of it potentially spurring the division of more surface-level cells. These cells are more likely to have sustained free radical damage in the past. Collection of studies and further reading at rg-cell.com here.

MATRIXYL Like the derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift, the Mizon contains wrinkle reducing Matrixyl.



FINAL THOUGHTS

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review

The derma e Hydrating Eye Creme* came out on top as it lived up to each of its claims and showed visible results. My left under eye area (your right) has been super happy lately and my fine lines disappear every time I use this eye creme. This is a definite repurchase.

The derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift* on the other hand is difficult for me to evaluate. I tested it on my right under eye area (your left). There were no ill effects, and it did hydrate the area quite well. This cream is thicker than the others, which is cause for slight concern, as the weight could cause some sagging. But for those that like their eye creams rich, this one could be a contender. I however, won't be repurchasing this one, after all, it costs more, and did little more than hydrate the area.

The Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream (tested 2-3 months ago over a 1 month period) did hydrate and diminish the look of fine lines, but failed to deliver on its brightening claim. After one month of using this cream, I started to use it all over the face as well. I highly recommend using it in either capacity and think it's a perfect snail-y travel companion as it tucks into a 1-qt plastic bag easily. I would repurchase this next time I go on vacay.

Of course all of these results are cumulative and only persist as long as you keep using the eye creams.



Try it for yourself!

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift*, $24.95
derma e Hydrating Eye Creme*, $19.35 
Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream, $10.00 <- If it is your first time purchasing with Peach and Lily, you can take advantage of my referral link here to save $10 off of your first qualifying purchase.


And look forward to some visible results...

derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift review, derma e Hydrating Eye Creme review, Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream review
Visible results



The eyes have it this week. Today was all about reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Later this week, I'll be sharing one of my favorite products that instantly de-puffs under eye bags, so stay tuned! :)

Who makes your favorite eye cream? More importantly, do you believe in eye creams? 

Disclosure: Some press samples, no affiliate links. Press samples are marked with an asterisk; samples were kindly sent with no obligation to review or review positively.  If you are curious about my policy on press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclaimer and policies.

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