Why I made an eye treatment

The eyes: so angsty!

If I had to identify the single most commonly-asked-about product type at Ayla, year round, it would probably be eye cream.

“Is there one that can make me look less tired?”
“Can this help with these lines?”
“What about this crepey skin over my eyelid? Drives me crazy.”
“Do you have one that’s richer / thicker / less rich / less thick? It’s so hard to find the right texture.”
“Does eye cream really work? I feel like it might just be a scam in general.”

All good questions! (No, eye cream is not a scam in general, though I understand where you’re coming from and appreciate the honesty.) And all of your questions, collectively, made me realize that the third product for the face in the Dara Kennedy lineup had to be this Eye Serum.

In the spirit of shared honesty: I wanted an eye product, too. One that would somehow know exactly what I needed, wave a magic wand, and take care of it all. Poof!

Why eye cream, or serum, is important in the first place

Here are some things you may already know, but might not have thought about all at one time:

1. The skin around the eyes is about half as thick as the skin on the rest of your face, so it tends to be more sensitive and show signs of aging and fatigue more quickly.

2. It’s also extra-vulnerable to the sun and other environmental exposures, and all that comes with that (hyperpigmentation, loss of elasticity, redness, lines); we tend not to wear sunscreen around the eyes, and in this Huberman-influenced era, many of us are wearing sunglasses less frequently, too.

3. We also frequently express our feelings through the movement of the muscles around the eyes, making fine lines more likely to appear. (They continue to move while we sleep, too.)

4. There’s a rich vascular network around the eyes to nourish that thin skin and help our eyes maintain their critical functions. This can lead to redness when the blood vessels dilate, often due to irritation or eye strain (screen time!); dark circles when blood pools, from allergies, for example; or puffiness when lymph is slow to drain after you’ve been crying, rubbing your eyes, lying down flat for a long time…or, annoyingly, not sleeping enough.

This list of things is a) pretty much unavoidable and b) pretty long, so it’s no wonder the eyes are such a source of angst where skincare is concerned.

Another reason why it causes some gnashing of the teeth, I think, is that many of us don’t think about using an eye product until we really notice something that we don’t like, seemingly overnight — usually wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness, and/or laxity — at which point it’s impossible to un-see whatever that might be.

And while there are a lot of good eye products that will make a difference, none of them are pocket plastic surgeons. They can’t be; there’s a reason why plastic surgery around the eyes requires an extraordinary level of training. It also involves risk, a good amount of downtime, and a significant investment — three things I’m not into, personally.

BUT. What if an eye product not only addressed those issues to the fullest extent possible in a topical product (so you knew you were doing whatever you could, short of procedures), but also could help prevent those issues in the future — and felt so soothing and great that, no matter what your skin type, you’d want to use it every day?

I made the Eye Serum to remind us that products made specifically for the eye area are important; to show us that they can really make a difference; and to prove that super-powerful products can suit super-sensitive skin, too.

What it does

The Dara Kennedy Eye Serum is a gel-cream that encourages a fresher, firmer, better-rested look around the eyes. Powered by marine botanicals and ginger, it’s like a supercharged version of the Sea Serum that’s made specifically for the eye area (including that area just above the lid that’s so vexing to so many of us).

One of the first people I sent this formula to is a wonderful lady named Martha, who’s one of our biggest fans at Ayla. One of the things I adore about Martha is that she tells it like it is: she doesn’t love everything, but she has an uncanny way of identifying winners, so I particularly like to get her feedback on products. Here’s her report:

“The Eye Serum is the first product I’ve tried that showed results immediately. Applied at night and woke to fresh, un-puffy, tight eyes. This is a winner. Please send more, so I can be ‘sure’? (Hahaha.)”

I think she’s right: it does seem to be stunningly effective. And for what it’s worth, I can’t live without the Eye Serum, either. When I ran out of the test formula and had to wait for the next batch, I went back to an old product that I’d previously really liked…but it just didn’t do it for me anymore. I felt like everything was starting to sag, as though any given day I might look in the mirror and be met with Droopy, the cartoon dog. I know! I’m not going to look like Droopy! But that’s how much of a difference I felt. This stuff is the real deal.

How the Eye Serum works, briefly

I think of this in three different parts:

First, a brightening blend that includes my favorite giant kelp (harvested by Ian, with my family tagging along — check out the process here) provides the perfect balance of hydration and lightweight moisture for the delicate skin around the eyes.

Then, three different seaweeds and two types of ginger extracts come in to de-puff, significantly reduce both hyperpigmented and vascular dark circles, smooth wrinkles, energize the skin for greater luminosity, and encourage collagen synthesis (which is key in that area just above the lid, where it tends to get crepey).

The bonus, for all of us delicate flowers: most of its high-powered ingredients boast an extra gear as redness reducers and super soothers.

The result: a better rested, notably brighter, seriously firmer, less lined and dark-circled, and definitely more lifted look.

It took a very long time to get this one right, mainly because of the texture: I wanted it to be a gel-cream that wouldn’t scare off people who can’t use super-rich formulas due to milia, but also wanted it to be substantial enough so that those who struggle with dryness around the eyes would feel taken care of. And I also wanted it to have just the right amount of play time for a light lymphatic drainage massage when you apply it, further helping with unwanted puff.

OK, want to check it out?

Please do! You’ll find it right here.

Questions? Drop them in the comments and I’ll answer them in upcoming posts, if not directly.

Want to learn a lymphatic drainage massage routine, designed just for this product?

Exciting news: the peerless Cecily Braden, mentioned in this earlier post about lymphatic massage, will be joining me on Instagram Live on Sunday, May 18 at 10am PT / 1pm ET to show us how to do it. In my view, she’s the best lymphatic massage trainer out there, and I’m thrilled beyond BELIEF that she’s doing this for us! Be sure to follow me here so you don’t miss it.