[REVIEW] Kopari Starry Eye Balm (Before and After)

[1]⭐Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Before&After [5]Verdict

Price: US$ 28 (Kopari Beauty or Sephora)
Texture: Semi-soft and chunky, becomes slippery and oily upon application
Cruelty-free: Yes
Instagram: @koparibeauty

+INGREDIENTS

Ingredients of the Kopari Starry Eye Balm: Cocos nucifera (Organic Coconut) oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Perfuming + Viscosity Controlling + Astringent + Emulsion Stabilising), Sesamum indicum (Sesame) seed oil, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa Butter), Ricinus communis (Castor) oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba esters (Skin-softening + Emollient), Jojoba Esters (Soothing + Emollient + Moisturizer/Humectant), ♦️Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Wax, Coffea arabica (Coffee) oil, Caffeine, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Emollient + Viscosity Controlling + Emulsifying + Surfactant/Cleansing), ♦️Bismuth Oxychloride, Menthyl PCA (Moisturizer/Humectant), Rosehip Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate (Emollient), Camellia Japonica (Tsubaki) Seed Oil, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma (Moringa) seed oil, ♦️Rosa damascena (Bulgarian Rose) oil

⭐In-Depth Details Of Interesting Ingredients:

Cocos nucifera (Organic Coconut) oil: Emollient/Moisturizer + Antibacterial + Potentially anti-inflammatory
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter: Moisturizer + Anti-aging (Vitamin A) +Anti-fungal + Anti-inflammatory + Wound healing (Boosts collagen production and promotes cell regeneration)
Sesamum indicum (Sesame) seed oil: Antioxidant + Moisturizing + Potentially Wound Healing
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter: Photoprotection (Polyphenols) + Antioxidant + Anti-inflammatory + Anti-aging (Increases skin elasticity by increasing expression pattern of glycosaminoglycans and types of collagen) + Moisturizing
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil: 🔴[Not enough research] ‘‘It has been shown to enhance the transdermal penetration of other chemicals and to be a UV light absorber.’’
Coffea arabica (Coffee) oil: 🔴[Not enough research] Potentially Anti-aging (Stimulates the synthesis of collagen and elastin) + Potentially Hydrating/Wound Healing (Stimulates the synthesis of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). GAGs are usually synthesized in the cell and linked to either elastin or collagen fibers. These molecules participate in maintaining skin structural integrity and are high in water-holding capacity, which means they also hydrate your skin.
Caffeine: Antioxidant (slows down photoaging process) + Wound healing (promotes microcirculation)
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract: Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate: Hydrating (water-binding properties) + Wound healing (promotes microcirculation)
Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil: Antioxidant + Hydrating + Moisturizing + Maintains a Healthy Skin Barrier (Presence of Linoleic Acid, 🔴Oleic Acid [Potentially Comodogenic/Not Good For Acne], Stearic Acid, and Palmitic Acid)
Rosehip Seed Oil: Antioxidant (Anti-aging: Vitamin E & Carotenoids) + 70% linoleic acid [Moisturizing + Anti-inflammatory + Wound healing + Lightens pigmentation (Suppress melanin production)] + 10% monounsaturated oleic acid [ Emollient + a couple of studies found a correlation between Oleic Acid (The main fatty acid component of olive oil) and acne formation.] + Wound healing
Camellia Japonica (Tsubaki) Seed Oil: Anti-aging (Promotes collagen stimulation pathways and reduces MMP-1 expression (this is an enzyme that degrades collagen and is often over-expressed when the skin is exposed to sun damage)) + Moisturizing
Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Extract: Antibacterial + Antifungal (hydroxycoumarin)+ Anti-inflammatory (Monoterpenes)
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil [Synonym Moringa Pterygosperma]: Antioxidant + Source of vitamins A, C, and E + 🔴Contains Oleic acid, a good emollient, but some studies found a correlation between it and acne formation. However, do note that the studies were made on higher amounts of Oleic Acid than those present in Moringa Oleifera.
♦️Controversial Ingredients:
Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163): Coloring agent for shimmery and pearlescent appearance. In high concentrations in products, there is a risk of skin absorption of its nanoparticles by the skin, which could be irritating or harmful to it: the particle size poses unknown risks to your health since they have not been extensively studied.[More info: cytotoxicity of bismuth oxychloride nanosheets in human HaCaT keratinocytes]. There is also this risk: "Some people react to bismuth oxychloride due to its unique crystalline structure. What happens is that the crystals can "poke" at the skin and get stuck in the pores, where the sharper "spokes" can cause irritation." [Source] However, both of these risks are more prominent in makeup products where this ingredient is in higher concentration. In this eye balm, Bismuth Oxychloride is supposedly safe as used.
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Wax: 🔴[Not enough research] Usually, any 'flavored' wax is produced by combining a specific type of wax (most of them are emollients) with an oil. Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil has the following properties: It mostly acts as a perfuming agent, some recent studies suggest possible skin-calming benefits, but this is dependent on people as some are actually irritated by the oil (if present in abundant quantity).
Rosa damascena (Bulgarian Rose) oil: Antioxidant + Antimicrobial/Antibacterial + Perfuming (Has the potential to sensitize your skin)

+how to use the Kopari Starry Eye Balm

[REVIEW] Kopari Starry Eye Balm Texture — Dab under eyes and brow bones.
Works beautifully over and under makeup 24/7/365

+what does the Kopari Starry Eye Balm do?

Claims from the Kopari product page.

1.Silky and hydrating formula nourishes the delicate eye area: The formula is silky, but if you live anywhere humid or hot, be careful as it’s easy to ruin the spread if you press too hard on it. Also, if you live somewhere relatively cold, you might end up with a small chunk in your fingers that you will need to melt down. These two issues are solved if you’re simply careful and delicate when sliding your fingers on the spread. As for hydrating properties, I’m afraid I have to disagree: the majority of the Kopari Starry Eye Balm ingredients are oils, which are not hydrating in nature since they do not add water content to the skin but rather retain it. Yes, there are some non-oily ingredients that should, in theory, add hydration, but this was not my experience with it. For me, it was only moisturizing. Personally, I prefer soft hydrating eye creams like the Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream ($10.18 for 30ml).

2.Light refracting minerals immediately brighten tired eyes: As mentioned in the above in-depth ingredients list, this eye balm contains Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), a coloring agent that gives a shimmery and pearlescent appearance. The oils also add to the ‘brightening effect’ because oils naturally reflect light. Be careful not to go overboard with your application because you might end up with a sweaty under-eye look - although if that’s your thing, go ahead because same.

3.Hyaluronic Acid helps to smooth the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles: As I mentioned above, I don't think the Kopari Starry Eye Balm is particularly hydrating. As such, I don't think any 'smoothing' out of fine lines or wrinkles is due to hyaluronic acid (which plumps them up by attracting water to said areas). Instead, all off ingredients in the formulation work together to make fine lines and wrinkles appear less deep due to their moisturizing and light-refracting properties (as can be seen from the before and after picture below). This 'appearance' goes away as soon as you wash your face, though.

4.Delivers a shot of caffeine to help reduce puffiness and improve circulation to send bags packing: I have puffy eyes when I wake up, and this does depuff them a bit upon application. However, I had more visible results with the BullDog Age Defense Eye Roll-On (US$ 16 for 15ml). As for under-eye bags, it will depend on why you have under-eye bags (colors, morphology, lack of sleep); although I don’t think the ingredients will change your skin itself, the light-refracting properties of this eye balm will make them less apparent as it will lighten up the area.

5.Primes the under-eye area for seamless makeup application: I don’t wear under-eye makeup, so I wouldn’t know, but this is true according to all the reviews I’ve read. Also, it kind of acts like a primer since it smooths the surface and makes it more adhesive. However, due to the presence of its many oils, be careful with eyeliners and mascaras: some formulations might end up getting smudged.

Kopari Starry Eye Balm (Before and After)

I like this eye cream. It has some good ingredients with interesting properties, but the formulation, feel, and texture indicate that the absorption of these ingredients by the skin is very low, so it's definitely not a very potent product. I don't have anything against oils: I think they are a great way to maintain healthy skin as they have high moisturizing properties and are preventative in their anti-aging capabilities since moisturized skin doesn't age as fast. I also enjoyed using the Kopari Starry Eye Balm since it makes me look healthy, awake, and revitalized when applied. This is the perfect way to achieve a highlighted look for someone like me who doesn't like highlighters with glitter.

As for recommendations: I’d particularly recommend this eye balm to people with dark circles and eye bags, as well as to people with normal skin. If you have a dry under-eye area, you might like this but will probably need to put something more hydrating underneath it. If you have an oily under the eye, you will probably hate this product with every fiber of your soul. If you have acne-prone skin, either don’t use it or be careful about not spreading it too far down, as it gave me a couple of zits here and there when I did that.

Finally, for people with sensitive skin, I don’t recommend this eye balm due to the presence of Lavender Flower Wax and Bulgarian Rose oil: both of these oils have perfuming compounds that could further sensitize and irritate your skin. I think both o these are present in low enough quantities and that the whole formulation is non-penetrating enough as not to have a bad reaction with other skin types but keep in mind that I’m not a dermatologist or a skin-care formulator. In a world where more non-perfuming eye products would be available, I would not recommend this one to anyone, but alas, this world is a far reach from our current one, so dab away.

I will continue to use the Kopari Starry Eye Balm but will definitely only use it during the day and alternate with a more hydrating eye cream at night. If you're looking for something with both the properties of this eye balm and that of more traditional eye cream, check out Kiehl's Avocado Eye Cream (US50$ for 28g).