Review: La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream

When I first went looking for a new eye cream, I didn’t realise quite how difficult it was going to be to find. I had a short shopping list of what I needed from my new purchase (hydrating, friendly to sensitive eyes, and fast absorbing) but I also had a long list of things I didn’t want it to be. I didn’t want it to contain Retinol for fine lines, or Vitamin C for brightening, or Caffeine for ‘waking up’ the under-eye area. Not because there’s anything wrong with those ingredients but because my under eye area was properly dehydrated, and I just wanted to focus solely on that. Enter the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour Sensitive Cream.

What Makes It Special:
To say that the Toleriane Eye Cream is plain really does it a huge disservice. It is basic in the sense that it has no fragrance or any of the stimulating actives often found in eye products like Retinol or Caffeine, but it works hard at being soothing, moisturising, and repairing, which makes it a dream for people suffering from irritated, dry or sensitised eye areas. As well as being fragrance-free it’s also completely paraben-free, pigment-free, alcohol-free, and preservative-free. These ingredients aren’t inherently ‘bad’ in skincare, (and blanket avoidance is unnecessary unless you know your skin reacts to one of them) but if your skin is ‘having a moment’, using products with minimal ingredients is a good place to start to limit any potential irritants.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream combines Niacinamide (aka. Vitamin B3 – skincare powerhouse with multiple reparative and antiaging benefits), Squalane (a good source of antioxidants and replenishing fatty acids), Shea Butter and the signature La Roche Posay Thermal Spring water to calm skin and reduce irritation.

Why I Like It:
Although I love a super-hydrating eye product, if I opt for something too occlusive and thick I’m guaranteed to get spots around my eyes after a few days’ use. So for my skin, I’m all about a super light texture that starts to absorb in seconds but that you can feel the hydrating effects of for hours. Which is exactly what this one does. It also plays nicely with makeup and gives concealer and corrector a hydrated and smooth base to stick to. I also love the packaging. The airtight tube keeps the juice inside stable (life expectancy of 6 months after opening) but allows you to get out the exact right amount each and every time. Not to mention that I can see how much is left so I know when it’s time to reorder, a little talked about but super handy feature in skincare packaging.

Dry and dehydrated under-eye areas show more fine lines, are more sunken so you can often see dark circles more easily, and will hold more fluid which increases puffiness, which is why hydrating the area and restoring the balance to dry skin can make such a visible difference.

What I Don’t Like About It:
Nothing. It does exactly what it promises to do; it hydrates, calms, repairs and soothes.

Application:
I press a small amount, less than half a pump, onto a finger and then mix between a finger on my other hand, gently swipe under my eyes from the inner corner out and up to my eyelid and then on to my brow bone. Once the initial slipperiness is gone and my finger won’t slide as easily anymore I then pat under my eyes.

Product Claims:
Significant decrease of itching, discomfort, heating sensations and redness – relieves dry skin and makes it comfortable again
Efficacy is proven and tested on allergic and atopic skin – definitely friendly to sensitive eyes and dry/broken skin
Soothe and care for sensitive skin – agree

Ingredients:
AQUA/WATER • GLYCERIN • SQUALANE • PROPANEDIOL • BUTYLENE GLYCOL • BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER / SHEA BUTTER • PENTYLENE GLYCOL • NIACINAMIDE • DIMETHICONE • POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE • POLYSORBATE 20 • GLYCERYL ACRYLATE / ACRYLIC ACID COPOLYMER • DIMETHICONOL • ALUMINUMSTARCHOCTENYLSUCCINATE • AMMONIUM POLYACRYLDIMETHYLTAURAMIDE / AMMONIUM POLYACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE • DISODIUMEDTA • CITRIC ACID • ACETYL DIPEPTIDE-1 CETYL ESTER

Available From:
Adore Beauty
Priceline
Chemist Warehouse

Details:
Only available in the 20ml size which is $34.95.
But it’s almost always available on offer somewhere so shop around.

Repurchase:
This is the first time I’ve bought this but I can already tell I found a new staple. I’ve been using this most mornings and evenings since the end of August and it’s made such a difference to my under-eye area. I would definitely repurchase, especially when the world gets back to normal and I go back to wearing makeup daily.