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Notorious for betraying early signs of ageing, the delicate eye
area now has a new ally in La Prairie’s latest formula, one
with its sights firmly fixed on lifting. By Remy Rippon.
EYES ON
THE PRIZE
FORSUCHAsmall section of the face, the eye area can be
rather bossy. Firstly, each of these delicate sectors of skin
houses 22 muscles, which ironically, never sleep. Moreover,
the eye’s surrounding skin is more delicate and thinner
than the rest of the face, which is why common bugbears,
like dark circles or puffiness, consistently show up. And,
unlike other regions of the face, there are fewer oil-
producing sebaceous glands, which can make the eye area
prone to dehydration and dryness. Even the most vital and
basic action of blinking – which on average we do 10,000
times a day – makes it one of the most unique and
problematic zones for fine lines and collagen depletion.
Highmaintenance is an understatement.
“Your general skincare regimen is not designed for the
eye area,” says Dr Jacqueline Hill, director of strategic
innovation and science for La Prairie, drumming home
another eye-opening truth. In fact, the eyes have long
presented a unique set of challenges for skincare
formulators. The reason? While the surrounding skin
would, of course, benefit from nourishing, hydrating and
protective formulations, loading eye creams with active
ingredients can be problematic and occasionally even
irritating for anyone who uses them daily. “When you have
concerns like puffiness, or dark circles, the products that
treat the rest of your face have not been designed to treat
these concerns, so that’s just one of the reasons why you
need separate products for this area,” explains Hill. “The
texture and ingredients need to be adapted.”
To that end, Hill and her Zurich-based team have spent
years developing the luxury brand’s latest innovation, Skin
Caviar Eye Lift. An extension of the wildly successful
Liquid Lift Serum – currently the best-selling La Prairie
product in Australia and globally – the brand’s latest eye
formulation aims to offer the same lifting and tightening
benefits as the original while also addressing eye-specific
concerns including laugh lines, under-eye bags and
dark circles.
“We’vealways considered the eye area important,” says
Hill of the Swiss brand’s decision to offer a dedicated eye
formula focussed on lifting. “But we’re really seeing that
it’s a main concern for women.” According to a 2015 study
of more than 200 women over 40, under-eye bags and
crow’s feet were among the top three skin concerns, with
researchers also concluding that “although all wrinkles
VOGUE BE AU T Y
