Ilia Just Dropped an Eye Cream & It Really Wakes up the Under-Eyes Area in an Instant

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Published Jan 11, 2023

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Ilia

Maybe it's the stress and excitement of the new year, but our under-eyes have been requiring more love than usual. Thankfully, on January 10, ILIA launched a retinol alternative eye cream that's meant to brighten, hydrate and smoothen among other things. And we're here to report that we tried the Bright Star Activated eye cream (which is packed with sea fennel extract, caffeine and peptides) and it really does revive eyes instantly.

"I used it for a couple of days while I was on bed rest, and it made my under-eyes look and feel less tired from the inside out, so I could FaceTime without scaring people," PureWow's Assitant Sales and Deals Editor, Destinee Scott, shares.

As for the product claims: It's supposed to provide the benefits of retinol without actually having retinol ingredients (like retinoic acid, tretinoin, retinyl palmitate, retinyl linoleate and retinyl acetate). Instead, the lightweight, cushiony eye cream has vegan ingredients that refresh the under-eyes, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and reducing dark circles and puffiness over time.

Thanks to a squeeze tube design featuring a cooling ceramic tip that you can use to massage the product into the skin, it's also easy to apply. "The cold tip definitely adds a nice touch and feels super calming in the morning when you're starting the day," Scott adds.

Buyers are already stocking up on the plant-based eye cream as we speak. One ILIA reviewer writes, "I’ve tried many eye creams over the years...None of them helped moisturize and smooth my under-eye area, and prepped it for makeup better. This stuff is legit. Moisturizes really well without any pilling."

Did we mention it's concealer friendly (it has a sheer, light-reflecting pearl finish) and it's delicate enough to use daily? Trust, your under-eyes will feel the love for sure.

Buy It ($46)

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