[REVIEW] Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel

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[1]💡Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Verdict

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• Price (use this link): 24.50$ (If you use my code: DEWILDE you can get up to 5% off on any YesStyle purchase at checkout)

• Texture: Gel, not sticky

• What you get: 35 mL

• Cruelty-free: Yes

+INGREDIENTS

Ingredients of the Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel: Water, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol (Solvent), Butylene Glycol (Moisturizer + Solvent), Propanediol (Moisturizer + Solvent), 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 (Viscosity Control + Emulsion Stabilizing), Hydroxyethylcellulose (Viscosity Control + Emulsion Stabilizing), Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/​Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (Viscosity Control + Emulsion Stabilizing), Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate (Surfactant + Emulsifying), Sorbitan Isostearate (Emulsifying), Caprylyl/​Capryl Glucoside (Surfactant), Sodium PCA, Tromethamine (Buffering), Ethylhexylglycerin

💡In-Depth Details Of Interesting Ingredients:

Glycerine: Widely used as a quality Hydrator (occurs naturally in skin and its chemical structure attracts water). You can find this ingredient in most good skin-replenishing products.

Argania spinosa Kernel Oil : Antioxidant + Hydrating + Anti-flaking agent (dry patches)

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil: Rich in Vitamins A, D, and E.

Tocopherol: Vitamin E (Most abundant antioxidant found in human skin, works as a photoprotective agent + Anti-inflammatory ). Popular culture suggests that it also helps in wound healing but this is not adequately backed up by research.

Caffeine: Antioxidant (slows down photoaging process) + Wound healing (promotes microcirculation)

Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract: Potentially Anti-bacterial + Potentially Antioxidative

Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract: Antioxidant (Activates a pathway that leads to the expression of antioxidant enzymes) + Anti-inflammatory (Upregulates the expression of Filaggrin and Loricin, two proteins involved in maintaining a healthy skin barrier, a lack of them is associated to skin inflammation and even eczema and psoriasis.)

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green tea): Antioxidant (Polyphenol) + Anti-inflammatory (Polyphenol) + Antimicrobial (Catechins)

Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract: Anti-aging (Collagenase and Elastase, the enzymes that break down collagen and elastin are inhibited, some studies suggest that by limiting these enzymes (that tend to be overproduced when the skin is exposed to mutagens such as UV rays), skin doesn’t age as fast))

Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract: Antioxidant + Soothing (One study suggests it could be used to treat mild rosacea)

Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract: Potentially Anti-inflammatory  + Potentially Antioxidative

Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract: Prevents hyperpigmentation (Inhibits Melanin forming activity of Tyrosinase) + Anti Aging (Collagenase and Elastase, the enzymes that break down collagen and elastin are inhibited, some studies suggest that by limiting these enzymes (that tend to be overproduced when the skin is exposed to mutagens such as UV rays), skin doesn’t age as fast)

Perilla Frutescens Extract: Antioxidant (polyphenols) + Anti-inflammatory (linolenic acid)

Portulaca Oleracea Extract : Anti-inflammatory + Anti-irritation [Clinical findings]

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 : Works as a muscle contraction blocker which ultimately reduces the appearance of fine line and wrinkles due to facial expression. However, it’s not an ingredient meant to be used on sensitive or sensitized (due to sun damage for example).

Copper Tripeptide-1: Wound healing (Copper tripeptide-1 is naturally released by the body to signal repair processes to begin/ increases collagen synthesis/ increases cell migration to the affected area) + Antioxidant (antioxidant systems in our body is naturally induced by Copper tripeptide-1) + Anti-microbial

Oligopeptide-29 + Oligopeptide-32: Oligopeptides or peptides, act as building blocks of different proteins, they are the foundation of skin and their potential effects in treatment against hyperpigmentation, skin laxity and healing have been studied. The specific oligopeptides present in this formulation are not well research and there is currently no relevant skincare data on them.

🤔Hmm Ingredient:

Ethylhexylglycerin: Either used as a texture enhancer or acts as a preservative. I don’t give particular importance to researching these ‘‘filler’’ ingredients, going to different sites and comparing what's being said about them usually enables me to determine whether they are considered safe to use or not. For this one, incidecoder , Paula’s choice, skincarisma and cosdna all had nothing negative to say. In fact, ‘‘According to EWG, ethylhexylglycerin is rated as a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest health risk and 10 being the highest.’’ (Environmental Working Group). However the European Union has ‘‘classified it as an irritant with limited evidence of eye toxicity’’, in other words, some people react badly to it, and I happen to be one of those people. Not all eye cream formulations containing Ethylhexylglycerin irritate my eyes, but this one by Klairs did.

+HOW TO USE THE Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel

1) Apply toner after cleansing.
2) At your essence step, pump the Eye Awakening Gel 1/2 time and spread around your eyes, dabbing gently to help them absorb.
3) Finish your routine with a moisturizer.

+WHAT DOES THE Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel DO?

‘‘This gel moisturizer contains caffeine and red bean extract to maintain your eye area clean and fresh. It improves dark circles and skin tone while helping with de-puffing and anti-oxidizing. The gel applies with a cool and hydrating sensation to provide a refreshing finish. The quick absorption enables you to take care of your eye area even in busy mornings’’

1.Maintain your eye area clean and fresh: A couple of eye creams I’ve tried in the past really give me a fresh and well-rested look, and I can notice the difference when I apply them morning and night and when I don’t. This was not the case with the Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel, I saw no real contrast in my under eye area whether I applied it or not. Particularly on days where I had not slept well, this made no difference whatsoever.

2.Improves dark circles and skin tone: I don’t have dark circles or skin tone problems in my undereye area, but simply looking at the ingredient list, I don’t think this would do a particularly good job at improving either one of these issues. Dark circles are caused by a multitude of different things, but when it comes to treating them with skincare products, you need something that will either build up the volume in the area, increase microcirculation, or treat pigmentation problems. To treat volume, you’d need potent and powerful ingredients that build up Collagen and Elastin, as well as other important skin matrix proteins. Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract in the list has some studies that suggest it could help with upregulating Filaggrin and Loricin (Skin matrix proteins), and other anti-aging ingredients in the list could potentially limit Collagenase and Elastase enzymatic activity, which would slow down the process of degradation of Collagen and Elastin, but there are no ingredients that actually stimulate Collagen and Elastin synthesis. Centella Asiatica Extract or even Shea Butter, both present in the PURITO Centella Green Level Eye Cream at very high concentrations for example, actually stimulates the synthesis itself. I’m not saying that creams like the Purito one will completely get rid of dark circles and noticeably build up the volume in your under-eye area, but they will do a better job at preventing the area from further thinning down than this gel eye cream. When it comes to microcirculation, this product should do a good job since it contains Caffeine, but that’s only a short-term solution (you’re probably better off soaking your eyes with moist tea or coffee bags). As for treating pigmentation, there are Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract and Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract which have shown to inhibit the melanin forming activity of tyrosinase in some studies (Although for Chrysanthellum it was only in mushrooms, not human skin), so this could potentially help, but not to an extraordinary extent). Some people with dark circles also have them due to a lack of hydration, this is the only way where the Klairs Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel would actually help since it is hydrating - However, there are other eye creams out there that are more hydrating!

3.Helping with de-puffing and anti-oxidizing: It does not help with de-puffing. I always wake up with a puffy face, and the only thing that has ever worked is either using depuffing tools (like rollers or Gua sha), or cold skincare products. When it comes to products, as long as the formulation doesn’t get affected by being stored in a fridge, you could store anything in the fridge overnight and it would depuff your face. Gels are particularly well suited for fridge storing, so if you store this eye cream in the fridge and apply it when you wake up, it will help with de-puffing but so would any other gel-type eye cream. The formulation itself, while incorporating some anti-inflammatory ingredients, isn’t potent enough to actually help with de-puffin in my experience. As for it being anti-oxidizing, it does contain many good anti-oxidants such as Argania spinosa Kernel Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, and Tocopherol, on the top of its list (hence present in bigger amounts of concentrations) and other ones towards the middle or bottom, so it does a good job at that.

4.Applies with a cool and hydrating sensation: This is 100% true, simply due to the nature of the texture which is a gel. Gel formulations are typically more cooling since they are semi-liquid. But when it comes to hydration, I have used more hydrating products in the past, like the TOSOWOONG SOS Spot Whitening Vita-Vitamin Eye Cream. When my under-eye area feels dry, I don’t feel like this gel does a particularly good job of hydrating it.

5.Quick absorption: It does absorb fast but you’re left with the sensation of a thin film on your eyes which is a bit annoying. I don’t feel that the product truly sinks in and gets absorbed till at least an hour after you’ve applied it.

This is probably the first Klairs product that I really get disappointed by. I’ve tried the Klairs Fundamental Ampule Mist and the Fundamental Watery Oil Drop in the same line and really enjoyed using both products, so I had high expectations for this one but they were crushed. The concept of this ‘Fundamental’ line is that it brings you back to the basics, but they are newer, more interesting, and potent basics. This was not the case with this eye cream, it’s boring at best, and irritating at worst for people with sensitive eye areas or who - like me- seem to be allergic to certain eye skin products formulations that incorporate Ethylhexylglycerin.

Of course, there are a lot of things that can cause this irritating/contact dermatitis, some people are allergic to coconut oil or even kiwi or green tea, while others can enjoy the many benefits of these compounds, but my issue with adding an ingredient like Ethylhexylglycerin is that it is completely unnecessary. There are well-researched preservatives out there, some even derived from natural ingredients and with some added benefits. So why use an ingredient that has the potential to irritate and be toxic to the eye area when formulating an eye cream? The only benefit is that it’s cheaper to formulate but irritation and inflammation have been linked to premature aging so the ‘benefit’ isn’t really one, to begin with.

There are a lot of eye creams with the same price range that offers more interesting and potent ingredient formulations like the Purito and Tosowoong ones mentioned above.

So would I recommend this? No, there are better products out there. If you’re intent on trying an eye cream from this line, try the Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter instead, I actually liked that one.

+BENEFITS

1. The only pro I could see was that it partially brightened up my under eye area since light would get reflected on the gel when I applied it. So it sort of acted like a barely-there highlighter?

-CONS:

1. Irritated my skin

2. Boring ingredients list and benefits compared to other eye creams of the same price range

3. You can still feel the gel on your skin, it gets partially absorbed but doesn’t ‘sink’ into it

🔻Score: 2/5 --- I am not impressed by this eye cream. The only reason it gets a 2 is that it’s not a bad eye cream per se, it’s just not a good one either.

+AMAZON

+Yesstyle: this link

(If you use my code: DEWILDE you can get up to 5% off on any Yesstyle purchase at checkout)