Dark circles, wrinkles, eye bags puffiness — all words you don’t want associated with your delicate eye area. When it comes to eye woes, there’s no need to resign yourself to living with these little issues around your eyes. We have a few skin care tips and tricks to help you keep your eye area bright and youthful looking as well as a collection of some of the best organic eye creams. These organic products are formulated to keep your eyes looking their best!

What Causes Undereye Bags, Dark Circles, Eye Wrinkles & Puffy Eyes?

Several factors contribute to the emergence of undereye bags, dark circles, wrinkles and puffiness. Though you might hear these phrases used interchangeably, each one is different to the other. Here’s a closer look at the main culprits. 

Eye Wrinkles 

They say the eyes express all the joy you’ve experienced in life. And sometimes that joy manifests itself in fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area as you age. Unlike the muscles in the rest of the body (which are connected to our bones), facial muscles are attached to our skin tissue. When we smile or frown, the muscles beneath the skin contract and expand, causing temporary creases and expression lines. These wrinkles can appear as crow’s feet around the eye area. 

Undereye Bags

Eminence Organics International Educator Brian Goodwin tells us: “Undereye bags are a loss of tightness and tone in the tissue underneath the eyes, created by multiple causes, which forms a perceived tired or fatigued look.” Typical signs and symptoms of undereye bags are mild swelling, droopiness and saggy or loose skin. As you age, the tissues and muscles that support your eyelids naturally begin to weaken. The skin loses collagen and elastin and when this occurs, the skin around your eye area begins to slacken and sag. The loss of skin elasticity allows the fat that is normally confined to the space around your eye area to shift and slide into the lower eyelids. This causes droopy-looking eyelids where you see the skin sag towards the eyes, causing you to look less alert and more tired.

Puffiness

Puffy eyes are the result of temporary swelling that is typically caused by fluid accumulation. When fluid collects and pools around your eyes and the surrounding tissue, it can cause unsightly swelling and puffiness. Sometimes, a puffy eye area just comes down to the natural aging process. As you age, the tissue around your delicate eye area starts to weaken. The skin becomes less elastic due to collagen loss and can start to sag, leading to more prominent eye bags and a droopier appearance. With time, the tissue and muscles surrounding the eyes also weaken, adding to swelling and puffiness.

Twin villains salt and alcohol are major culprits of swollen and puffy eyes. You may love your salt-rimmed margarita cocktails, but too many and you’ll begin to see the effects. Excess sodium and alcohol levels can cause your body and skin to become dehydrated. When this happens, your skin and other organs scramble to hang onto as much water as possible. The result is puffiness and bloating all over, particularly under the eyes.

The other causes of puffy eyes? Seasonal allergies or insufficient shut-eye. When you come into contact with allergens such as pollen, dander or dust mites, your body goes into defense mode, creating puffiness around the sensitive eye area. When you skimp on sleep, the blood vessels under your eyes become dilated, leading to swelling and puffiness. 

Dark Circles

Dark circles are caused by genetics, your age or lack of sleep. Dark circles appear because the skin has become thinner under the eyes which makes blood vessels appear more visible. As Healthline explains, not getting enough sleep or experiencing extreme fatigue can cause dark circles to form under your eyes.

If you struggle with any of these pesky eye concerns, it may be helpful to consider reducing stress and allergen exposure or prioritizing sleep. But if you can’t make these changes, don’t worry, you can minimize their appearance with smart skin care solutions.

How To Brighten Dark Circles 

Eminence Organics’ Bearberry Eye Repair Cream is a brightening eye cream designed to rejuvenate the delicate undereye area. Containing ingredients like meadow eyebright, hop and bearberry extract, it brightens the appearance of dark circles and hydrates the eye area to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This eye cream is even made from Biodynamic® ingredients from Demeter International Certified Biodynamic® farms, resulting in the purest and most potent ingredients. Eminence Organics Director of Product Development Collette Lieberman also recommends the Wild Plum Eye Cream. It includes Vitamin K to help reduce the appearance of dark undereye circles and broken capillaries and reduces the look of redness. 

Best Organic Eye Creams To Fix Undereye Bags 

Since the delicate skin around the eye area grows less elastic with age, and leads to more prominent eye bags, targeted treatment is needed to fix this undereye issue. Our Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream provides powerful botanical peptides. This formula diminishes the look of undereye bags to reveal a refreshed appearance. 

How To Smooth The Appearance Of Eye Wrinkles 

Fine lines and wrinkles are an inevitable part of the aging process. At Eminence Organics, we strive to help you age gracefully and naturally. To tackle pesky crow’s feet, we recommend layering Marine Flower Peptide Eye Cream with Hibiscus Instant Line Filler. Our Marine Flower Peptide Eye Cream employs naturally derived plant peptides, innovative algae extracts and Smart Collagen+ Complex to visibly lift and plump the eye area. It also contains botanical hyaluronic acid to smooth, plump and maintain long-lasting hydration. The Hibiscus Instant Line Filler smooths the skin tone and look of fine lines and wrinkles. With an innovative curved tip applicator, this Advanced Instant Lift fX treatment consists of botanical peptides from marine flowers to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

How To Reduce Puffiness

For particularly puffy days, try a cool compress. Experts swear by the de-puffing power of chilled, moist green tea bags and cool cucumber slices.

Lead Skin Care Trainer Natalie Pergar has an additional trick up her sleeve: spoons (yes, spoons). Follow these steps to chill out your eye area:

• Pop a pair of spoons in your fridge overnight
• In the morning, press the cool spoons around your eye area for 30 second intervals 
• Work from the outside in to boost lymphatic drainage

Finally, apply an eye cream with natural ingredients that reduce puffiness, bring down inflammation and promote circulation. We recommend applying the Marine Flower Peptide Eye Cream since this ultra-rich eye cream not only helps with wrinkles but also improves the look of puffiness and dark circles.

Tackle tired-looking eyes instantly with the Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream. This eye cream is enriched with caffeine, hibiscus and an ice wine active to visibly de-puff eyes. It features a cooling stainless steel rollerball applicator that assists in minimizing the appearance of swelling.

Steps To Apply An Eye Cream

Now that you’ve chosen your eye cream, it’s time to apply it properly. Follow these easy steps to add an eye cream to your skin care routine:

1. Take a pea-sized amount (this is ample coverage for both eyes)
2. Warm on back of hand
3. Use your ring finger (it has the least amount of pressure) 
4. Tap around eye bone area

Bonus Tips For A More Youthful-Looking Eye Area

Cut Back On Salty Foods

Salty foods could be the root cause of your undereye bags. If your eye bags are particularly puffy, it may be time to avoid pre-packaged, processed foods that are high in sodium and load up on whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies.

Facial Massage 

Facial massage is an easy and effective way to improve circulation and activate a sluggish lymphatic system. Lymphatic drainage is a massage technique that targets the lymph nodes to encourage the movement of fluid throughout the body. This, in turn, helps to reduce swelling and de-puff areas where lymph fluid has accumulated, like under your eyes. Follow these steps to perform a spa-level facial massage at home.

Stay Elevated While You Sleep

Another out-of-the-box trick to reduce undereye bags is to keep your head lifted while you’re sleeping. Gravity can cause excess fluid to pool under your eyes, causing them to droop and sag. Try to sleep on your back and prop your head up with an extra pillow to keep it elevated. You can even purchase a special wedge pillow for additional comfort.

Looking for more skin care tips to tackle undereye issues like eye bags, dark circles and puffiness? Visit your favorite Eminence Organics Spa Partner for tailored advice from a licensed esthetician.