Peptide eye creams: worth it, or just a smaller jar?

COSRX's snail peptide eye cream and Medicube's PDRN pink peptide eye cream are among the fastest-rising eye care searches. The eye area shows lines first and is easily irritated, so gentle peptides make sense there.

In two randomized split-face studies run by a manufacturer, a set of products containing niacinamide and peptides improved the smoothness of crow's feet over four weeks compared with no treatment. The eye cream alone did less well on some measures than the face products, which is a hint that the formula matters more than the label "eye".

Argireline improved lines around the eyes in a placebo-controlled study of 60 people.

• Dark circles caused by pigment, thin skin or shadows from volume loss.
• Puffiness from fluid, sleep or allergies (caffeine and cold can help briefly).
• Deep crow's feet; these respond better to retinoids or in-office treatments.

Not always. A gentle, fragrance-free face moisturizer with peptides can be used around the eyes. A separate eye cream makes sense if your face products sting there, or if you want a richer texture.

Skin around the eyes is thinner and moves constantly, which is why lines appear there early and why gentle, non-irritating actives like peptides are popular.

• Smoother-looking crow's feet with peptide-containing products.limited evidence
• Fading dark circles with peptides.insufficient evidence

• Snail mucin and PDRN eye creams for specific results; human data are scarce.