Feels like a while since I’ve last done a skincare review so I’m back with my thoughts on the Innisfree Whitening Pore Eye Cream.
Product:
This eye cream is just one product in Innisfree’s whitening pore line that was released in 2015. This includes the following 5 products:
L to R: Whitening pore facial cleanser, skin (toner), synergy serum, eye cream & cream
A lot of Korean skincare products can seem daunting because whitening sounds like bleaching your face but actually whitening really just means the product helps brighten up your skin complexion so it doesn’t look dull and tired. In this particular eye cream, (and the rest of the whitening pore line), it inhibits the production of melanin – pigment in the skin – which is what can cause uneven skin discolouration. (i.e.freckles for example, are small concentrated areas of high melanin production which can result from high sun exposure).
‘Whitening pore takes care of your skin tone, dark spots, and skin texture for transparency’
Great packaging. Small and compact enough to carry around with me.
The whitening pore eye cream has multiple functions and utilises Jeju tangerine peel squeeze to even up dull skin tone, brighten dark eye circles, reduce dark spots, and tighten enlarged pores by refining skin texture. It also provides wrinkle care by firming up the thin and sensitive eye area, gives rich hydration and leaves a radiant finish.
This comes in a 30ml plastic tube with a pump dispenser, which means the cream stays hygienic as you don’t have to dip your fingers into all of it, but you can’t see how much product is remaining. I love the packaging with its white and orange theme, looks sleek and doesn’t feel cheap. My only gripe about the pump however is that it’s hard to control the amount as one full pump provides far too much product for both eyes. I have to press down on it very slowly about half an inch to get the desired amount for one eye.
I purchased this on Jolse during their 20% sale for approximately £17 ($25). This is a more expensive line within Innisfree but I think that’s because of the effectiveness and purpose of the products. It’s relatively pricey compared to many other alternative road shop brands, but I think this is worth it and it’ll last me a long time.
Really like the shiny white embossed tangerines on the tube.
Cap fits tightly onto pump dispenser. 1 full pump is usually too much for both eyes so I push it down about an inch only.
Ingredients:
The star ingredient of this eye cream is the 60.2% of fresh tangerine peel essence extracted from Jeju tangerine peel. Jeju is an island in South Korea where Innisfree harvest and source many of their natural ingredients. This essence contains 6 types of citrus flavonoids that are shown to be effective at brightening the skin and helping to smooth and tighten pores.
Shea butter – Very hydrating and moisturising for the skin. Contains antioxidants and fatty acids. Softens and reduces wrinkles and prevents water loss.
Arbutin – whitening ingredient that is gentle for sensitive skin. Very effective at inhibiting melanin production, reducing sun spots, dark spots and freckles.
Other notable ingredients include green tea leaf extract, orchid extract and titanium dioxide.
Smell:
If you like drinking ginger tea, then you’ll like the smell of this because it smells exactly like that. Was initially surprised because I was expecting something more citrus-y? The more I smell it though, the more I can smell the subtle hint of tangerine peel. It is quite heavily fragranced however, for those that are sensitive to that. It doesn’t particularly bother me as it doesn’t irritate or sting my eyes.
Application + Texture:
I apply this after my essences and serums, but before my final moisturiser (as instructions state before cream). I’ve been using this consistently every morning and night for over a month.
A little really does go a long way with this because it has such a silky texture so it spreads very easily. It comes out the tube as a milky white cream that actually looks thicker than it really is. It is like a watery/oily consistency in how light it is when you blend it out. There’s absolutely no need to drag it around your eye because it literally just glides along with the lightest touch – something I really like about this cream, because I don’t need to use any force at all applying around the delicate eye area.
1 full pump on the left VS the half inch pump I typically use for 1 eye.
Silky, almost oily, consistency
Smooth, slippery texture that easily glides along the skin
I use about half of a pea-size amount for each eye and smooth it over and under my whole eye area with my ring finger, focusing more on my inner dark circles. Then I gently pat in a circular motion around my eye to enhance absorption. This is an especially important step for this eye cream because it has quite an oily consistency and needs a few minutes to fully absorb and by patting it in, it absorbs and dries down quicker.
Results:
First off, this cream is more oily/slippery and takes longer to absorb than the Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream. Immediately after applying, the eye area looks very dewy and also feels oily. The oily feeling goes away once you’ve left it to absorb for a couple minutes and what remains is a thin film of moisture coating the eye. This makes it really great for winter time and if you have dry, sallow skin around the eyes, because it will plump it up and feel very moisturising. It certainly gives a more hydrating and firming effect than the Mizon one, but neither really do anything for fine lines in the long term.
This is immediately after the eye cream has been applied. You can see it gives off a dewy/shiny glow.
I do find however, that it tends to make my eyelids more oily because my eye makeup – especially eyeliner on my lower lids, tends to move around and smudge more. I don’t have this problem if I’ve given it sufficient time to absorb, but usually when I’m in a rush in the mornings I don’t always give it enough time, so I counteract this by applying less eye cream than I would in the evening and using a translucent powder after my foundation.
I also find this eye cream works really well under base makeup as it provides a nice natural dewy highlight around my eyes and cheekbones for that brightening, radiant look.
Most importantly though, does it work at brightening dark circles which was my main reason for purchasing? I can happily say it does and is really effective in this aspect. I don’t have extreme under eye circles but due to a lot of late nights before I started trying this cream, they were more prominent than usual. I was amazed to see there was an actual difference after the first night I used it. After weeks 1 and 2, the results were even better and I didn’t even need to use concealer under my eyes. After a month, I do think the results have plateaued slightly, but my dark circles are never as bad as they were prior to using this, even when I do have a late night. It doesn’t make them disappear completely but it does lighten up the eye area.
I can’t say whether it’s had an effect on dark spots, pigmentation or my pores because I don’t have any of those problems around my eye area. You’d have to test out the serum or cream from this same line to really see if it has an effect on those skin issues, but I will definitely try out the other products because this eye cream is great. I’m already eyeing up the Whitening Pore Synergy Serum for my summer skincare routine so look out for that review in the future.
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