I haven’t skulked through a drugstore’s beauty aisles in a minute, but over the years, I’ve spent hours Googling product reviews under fluorescent lights and the soundtrack of Colbie Caillat (always Colbie Caillat). Thanks to the habit, I’m deeply familiar with the three French drugstore skin brands that rarely disappoint: Avène, La Roche-Posay, and Vichy. And according to shoppers in their 60s, the latter’s eye cream isn’t one to miss.
The success of Vichy’s LiftActiv Supreme Eye Cream likely won’t be surprising for people who’ve tried the brand since reviewers compare its LiftActiv day cream to “Botox in a jar.” Still, it’s always a little shocking when an eye cream makes a material difference, especially for those middle-aged and over. And yet, on the brand’s website, a 61-year-old wrote that Vichy’s is “by far the best” eye cream they’ve ever tried and a 67-year-old said that after two months of use, their under-eyes are looking “bright and line-free.”
Other people noted excitement-inducing results within two weeks, like a fan who said it made them look like they’d turned back time. A 40-year-old commented that their crow’s feet were also less noticeable within a week, with results enthusiastically confirmed by myriad other shoppers. “In just a few days, I saw a huge difference,” wrote a user of the results for their eye bags, dark circles, and wrinkles. Another person compared it to an “eye lift in a bottle,” with the change visible in just hours.
According to the brand, those consequences are thanks to a formula of rhamnose, caffeine, horse chestnut, adenosine, and vitamins C and E. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology confirmed that rhamnose reduces furrows and improves collagen synthesis, and caffeine is both an antioxidant and vasoconstrictor, which the Cleveland Clinic says makes skin look brighter and smoother.
Horse chestnut — more specifically, the extract escin — is a potent anti-inflammatory that can prevent swelling, per biologists. And according to The Derm Review, adenosine is an anti-ager that may directly stimulate collagen production. Combined with the brightening action you get from vitamin C and suppleness from vitamin E, the positive reviews make a lot of sense. The only potential negative is the eye cream’s included triethanolamine, which has the chance of nitrosamine formation.
All told, the pros outweigh the cons for shoppers. After trying it at the recommendation of an Ulta associate, a customer wrote: “It works to reduce puffiness, I have NO dark circles, and it has made my crow’s feet disappear and my upper eyelid smooth again. I have found the perfect product.” If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can get Vichy’s LiftActiv Supreme Eye Cream at the brand’s website, Amazon, and Dermstore.
