Kelly Driscoll

Eye creams. A somewhat controversial subject in skincare. Some love them, some believe they don’t work and others just avoid due to high costs.

Count me in the eye cream positive camp. I’m all about maintaining the eye area, preventing fine lines and wrinkles and helping my tired eyes look awake (even when they aren’t). When I fell in love with K-beauty, I fell in love with their affordable eye cream offerings. So I’m always excited to try new ones out, especially when they have promising ingredients.

And one of those new and exciting eye cream releases comes from the new Klairs Fundamental Line, their Eye Awakening Gel and Nourishing Eye Butter.

*Heads Up: I received both products as press samples from Wishtrend*

My skin type: Combo/dry, dehydrated and sensitive

Fundamental Eye Care

The two new products offer a choice of a light and cooling gel or a rich and creamy butter texture. Or, you can use them together, layering the gel like an eye serum underneath the cream.

The Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel is a watery, light texture that glides across skin and absorbs instantly. This has the tiniest touch of moisture and lots hydration, but doesn’t dry tacky or sticky.

The Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter is a very light, airy and buttery texture. This is very nourishing but never heavy and just absorbs into the skin like a dream. It has a beautiful emolliency to it that’s never greasy.

Both work well under makeup, either separately or layered up.

It’s also worth mentioning that Wishtrend self-describes both products as non-milia inducing.

Ingredients

EYE AWAKENING GEL: Water, Glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Caffeine, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Perilla Frutescens Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-29, Oligopeptide-32, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin

Highlights: Fragrance, essential oil, alcohol, silicone and cruelty free. Vegan ingredients.

NOURISHING EYE BUTTER: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Betaine, Caffeine, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-29, Oligopeptide-32, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin

Highlights: Fragrance, essential oil, alcohol, silicone and cruelty free. Vegan ingredients.

Both formulas are very similar, so I’m going to sum up the notable ingredients in both products here:

• Copper Tripeptide-1 is considered one of the gold standard peptides. Some even hold copper tripeptide up to anti-aging superheroes like vitamin C and tretinoin as a worthy contender! This is definitely because copper tripeptide can help your skin produce more collagen, and that’s the name of the game if you want firm, smooth, supple and bouncy, wrinkle-free skin. It can also help with the production of other skin beneficial properties, like elastin, and has an antioxidant effect. Copper tripeptide has shown benefits for firmer skin and reduction of fine lines AND wrinkles in facial studies. It even has shown positive effects for hyper-pigmentation!
• Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 is often referred to as the Botox peptide. While this isn’t a cheap dupe for botox injections, it does have a pretty immediate and visible result for firming skin and improving the look of wrinkles in just about 2 weeks! It mostly works to hydrate and moisturize the skin to give a plumping effect, but please know this isn’t a preventative anti-aging ingredient. This isn’t a peptide that can repair skin or stimulate collagen production; it’s a quick fix, but not a long-term solution.
• Oligopeptide-29 and Oligopeptide-30 are the additional two components of the peptide complex found in both eye creams. While these peptides aren’t too exciting on their own, they help the overall stabilization of the peptide complex.
• Caffeine is like a cup of coffee, helping skin to look more clear and awake! Caffeine serves as an antioxidant helping to repair and protect your skin. Caffeine can help improve the circulation of skin which could mean reduced fluid retention (puffiness) and reduction of dark eye circles.

My Experience

I have tested the two products separately, but I found I really liked the benefits of using both together, so the majority of my opinions will be based on that, just FYI.

The Awakening Eye Gel was a surprising hit for me. You know I’m a nourishment girl and I love my moisturizing creams. While I do still prefer the cream textures, I was surprised that this gel was nourishing in such a light layer!

The biggest benefit I noticed from the gel was a reduction in the red discoloration under my eyes. Red or purplish discoloration is often attributed to vascular issues, so I’m pretty sure it was the caffeine that really seemed to do the trick for me. It seemed like it refreshed and awakened (see what I did there) my eye area. This gel made it look like I got 3 extra hours of sleep every night (I certainly didn’t).

I believe this gel is plenty hydrating and moisturizing for most skin types and will be especially helpful for those who can’t tolerate creams around the eye area or are worried about milia. If you’re someone who struggles to keep your eye makeup from smudging, this could help.

What stood out the most to me was the light texture and nearly instant absorption. This was such a pleasant texture that was easy and quick to apply, which makes it an ideal morning product or an additional eye serum that doesn’t slow down your routine.

The Nourishing Eye Butter was my favorite of the two because it offered all the rich moisture my eyes craved but in the lightest texture. I found this spread and absorbed easier than most eye creams I’ve tried with a similar emolliency.

The biggest benefit I’ve noticed from this cream was a firmer and smoother look to my eye area. This was a big one for me because it seemed like my eyes were more lifted and refreshed, and that is particularly something I want to get from an eye cream.

With use on its own, the butter also helped to reduce the discoloration under my eyes but I really saw the best benefits when I combined the gel and butter together.

I will not speak to improvement in wrinkles or fine lines since that’s a much longer term benefit that I just can’t gauge yet. But as a preventative product with measurable improvements in the appearance of the overall eye area, I can confidently recommend these products. And the proven ingredients are present in this formula to make these effective anti-aging eye care.

The Final Word

I’m really enjoying using both products together and I consider these to be a very worthy addition to the Klairs Fundamental Line. I think these products could be a touch pricey for some, but if you’re looking to ramp up your anti-aging efforts in the eye care area, these are K-beauty products worthy of your consideration.

What I love:

• Flexibility with texture: gel, cream or both!
• Excellent blend of peptides, including collagen stimulating
• Antioxidant packed with effective extracts like green tea, mugwort and red bean
• Fragrance and essential oil free
• Light and elegant texture formulations
• Claims to be non-milia inducing
• Benefits for red/purple discoloration
• Quick smoothing and lifting effects
• Helps to refresh and “awaken” the eye area

Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel 35ml  Wishtrend*
Klairs Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter 20g Wishtrend*

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*indicates use of affiliate links that pay a small commission to help support this blog.