INSTYTUTUM Truly Transforming Brightening Eye Cream review

I briefly raved about how much I loved the Instytutum Truly Transforming Brightening Eye Cream in the brand review, and now that 2 months has passed, it’s time for the in-depth review.

Overview

What is it
An advanced eye cream that brightens, firms, depuffs, and smooths the delicate eye area, i.e., the claim for every eye cream out there.

How I use it
I tap a pea-sized amount lightly around my eye area and on my smile lines twice a day.

Best suited for
Anyone who’s serious about keeping their eye area line-free.

Packaging
A sleek plastic jar, small spatula included. I prefer tube to keep the actives potent, but at this point I’m about 200% done griping about this issue. The jar is also deceptively large given the amount of product inside.

Scent
Fragrance-free so no noticeable scent.

Texture
Luxuriously creamy yet not at all heavy. Absorbs almost instantly. More creams need to be like this!

Where to buy
Instytutum for $89/0.5oz

Ingredients Highlight

I’ve tried my fair share of eye creams/serums, and at best they did nothing and at worst they gave me milia. I did enjoy the Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, but it’s definitely for younger eyes, as it was hopeless against my increasing fine lines *cries*

The Instytutum Truly Transforming Brightening Eye Cream came with high praise from Anne, and the first thing I noticed were its smorgasborg of anti-fine-lines ingredients:

• Shea butter – An emollient that nourishes the skin with its wealth of antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamin a and e. This is one of my favorite emollients as its rich without being heavy or greasy.
• Sodium hyaluronate – The salt form of hyaluronic acid that hydrates the skin by drawing moisture to it. A must have for the naturally drier eye area.
• Peptides – More specifically, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, which can increase collagen production, resulting in plumper + smoother skin.
• Tocopherol – Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that protects our skin against free radicals & UV rays, you know, the two things that can prematurely age our skin.
• Retinol – A seriously powerful ingredient that boosts collagen production while increasing cell turnover to reveal softer + smoother skin. Plus it’s much gentler than tretinoin, so you can use it safely around the eye area.
• Vitamin C – Two forms, ascorbic acid and ascorbyl palmitate, are included, though ascorbic acid needs to be at a low pH to work so I’m not sure of its effects here. Either way, vitamin c is a great antioxidant that increases collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

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Some other interesting, albeit not as well researched (hence skepticism-inducing), ingredients include:

• tensing agents –  blends of polysaccharides that can temporarily smooth + firm your skin while providing long term anti-aging results. Not sure about the anti-aging claim, but polysaccharides themselves are humectants with antioxidant properties (source).
• raspberry leaf cultured stem cells –  improves the skin’s hydration level and elasticity for a firmer and smoother feel. I feel like stem cells in skincare is mostly marketing hooey, but as plant extracts they may still have some antioxidant properties.
• cellpulse – a blend of psilanthus bengalensis leaf cell culture extract + glycerin + water, which is supposed to increase collagen production and minimize the loss of lipids. Nay to the stem cell related fluff, but yay to increased hydration + antioxdant properties.

Experience and Results

Overall the ingredients are good, though not quite give-me-all-the-feels good yet. Then I started using the cream, and that’s when the magic happened.

The creamy texture feels rich and luxurious, blends like a dream, and the dry skin around my eyes drink it up instantly. Unlike other rich eye creams, this doesn’t leave a weird film on the skin, which means no milia or God forbid, any breakouts, because I’d totally try to pop that pimple and stab myself in the eye in the process.

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Remember the tensing agents I mentioned earlier? I didn’t believe in its temporary effects but damn girl, I was wrong. It blurs the fine lines as well as any good primer while leaving the skin feeling soft, smooth, and not one bit oily.

As happy as I was to see “instant” results, I was more interested in seeing long-term permanent results: less noticeable fine lines and dark circles, though I honestly had low expectations for the latter.

Bad news first: the Instytutum Truly Transforming Brightening Eye Cream did nothing for my dark circles or puffiness :(

If these were my primary concerns I’d be disappointed, but they’re actually not and at this point I’ve about 99% given up on trying to fix those issues. Maybe I need to try eye massages to help improve circulation or something. Suggestions welcome!

The good news is that I definitely noticed a decreased appearance in fine lines and dryness not only around my eye area, but also my smile lines. Previously my foundation would to settle in my smile lines, but that’s no longer an issue.

I honestly didn’t expect to see such noticeable results and am kicking myself for not taking before/after pics, but please take my word when I say that the Instytutum Truly Transforming Brightening Eye Cream is the ultimate fine-lines slayer and worth every pretty penny.

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Jenny Wu

Passionate about science-based skincare. Tested hundreds if not thousands of products since my 20's. Working regularly with brands like iHerb, Ulta, CurrentBody, and MedStar Health to share my knowledge and experience in all things beauty. Learn more.

Skin profile: 35+, dry/combination, focused on well-aging, hydration, and a healthy glow ✨