Let’s start this off by saying I don’t support a questionable founder’s launch but I also cannot deny that the products are good. And they’re priced so nicely, making them attainable for everyone. So for Naturium, let’s focus on just the products and you can debate the ethics behind Susan Yara separately (and if her cancellation was valid…).
Now let’s chat about the Naturium Super Eye Cream Plus!
What’s the Difference between Naturium Eye Creams?
There are a lot of products to choose from and I’ve only tried the Super Cream, so I can’t speak to the others. But based on how they’re positioned, here’s how I interpret the differences.
Vitamin Bright Illuminating Eye Cream
Price: $18
Size: 0.5 oz
Key ingredients: 2% vitamin K liposome complex and light-reflecting pearl pigments
Coloring/tint (2 buildable shades): Light/medium & medium/deep
Packaging format: Jar
My interpretation: If you’re looking for a makeup/skincare hybrid, this would more likely be the product for you. Since there’s some pearlescence to it, I imagine this is going to make your under eye brighter through the pigment and the shine. But based on the experience with the highly sheer Naturium Dew Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50, I would not imagine this to have the most pigment in it. Yeah, it might help with the coloration of your eye, but I wouldn’t expect it to be as dramatic as putting a layer of concealer on.
Multi-Peptide Eye Cream
Price: $16
Size: 0.5 oz
Key ingredients: Argireline® Amplified peptide
Packaging format: Tube
My interpretation: This product is more focused on a “standard” lightweight eye cream, instead of something that will give you “instant” results aka through coloration of the skin. They mention tackling fine lines and wrinkles, which makes me believe that it is more of the expected eye cream.
Vitamin C Super Eye Cream Plus
Price: $20
Size: 0.7 oz
Key ingredients: Vitamin C plus gold complex, encapsulated retinol, and hyaluronic acid
Packaging format: Tube
My interpretation: This product seems to be more of a gel cream texture as compared to the more standard Multi-Peptide Eye Cream. It similarly tackles the fine lines and wrinkles, but it is positioned as more of a antioxidant protection and firming of the overall skin, instead of just the wrinkles. So I think they’re able to make a more holistic approach with this product than they would with the other ones. Interestingly, this is actually more affordable (by unit price) than both of the other eye creams from Naturium. This does not have the peptide technology that the Multi-Peptide Eye Cream does though, so I think it relies on more of the “tried and true” ingredients in skincare to get the effects.
The Good
Naturium really does a good job with skincare formulations. I’ve tried a handful of their products from facial to body skincare, and I’ve been impressed with the price point and the efficacy. Here are a few things I like about this product specifically.
Lightweight layerability
It’s no surprise to anyone here that I am a skincare maximalist… So by the time I get to my eye cream step, I already have a toner and serum(s) on my skin. And then a cream and possibly a facial oil waiting in the wings to be added after.
I like the Naturium Super Eye Cream because it spreads evenly without feeling thick. But it’s not so light that it just disappears and doesn’t stand up to the other products I have before and after.
Clear-ish usage directions
Naturium did a good effort with this by clearly stating it is to be used as needed. Since this has a retinol component to it, I absolutely hate it when brands say to use it daily. Or even worse, brands say to use it 2x a day. We should not need retinol at such a high rate, especially not applied in the morning to sensitize your skin to UV!
For me, I’ve been using it 2 times a week—at the same times I apply my retinol serum to the rest of my face. And in case you’re curious, I’ve been using the Maelove Moonlight Serum! I’m clearly on an affordable skincare kick right now!
But it’s a double-edged sword to say “use as needed” as I will touch on later…
Thoughtful formulation
The ingredient list, like all other Naturium products, is really an entire book. Normally, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is better. A longer ingredient list can mean that it has more possibility for irritation, unclear what the percentages are, or a higher price. Naturium uses a lot of functional ingredients, which helps with stability of the actives and in a better overall sensorial experience. And because of that, I don’t really have the concerns that I raised before with “stuffed” ingredient lists.
There’s an extensive amount of oils, silicones, and butters, which are all great for moisturizing but also giving that sensorial nature to the product. And then you have a handful of true “active ingredients” throughout. And of course, there’s the botanical extracts so they can make some additional claims if needed in the marketing. But I think this one had such a solid roster of your skincare OG ingredients that they didn’t need to highlight the botanical extracts as key ingredients.
The Not So Good
The list of pros for me is pretty extensive. The list of cons is a little briefer.
Tube packaging is a fail for me
Love it or hate it, you’re going to have tube packaging frequently in skincare. Whether it’s a cleanser or a moisturizer, I am sure you’ve already experienced it at least once. A tube itself, fine. A tube with a squeeze top, the devil.
My biggest gripe with this type of packaging is that when you get towards the end, you can never get all of the product out—or even close to all of it. No matter how hard you angle the tube, squeeze it, or do skincare acrobatics, you always have so much left in there.
Whenever I cut open a tube at the end, there’s probably 25% of the bulk product left in there! So yes, it’s great to discover that much product. But it’s also kind of disheartening that a lot of this product is now going to be exposed to the air and not in the tube anymore since it’s cut.
The only time I have ever been pleasantly surprised by a tube with a squeeze top is the Skin1004 SPF. It creates a vacuum as you use the product so that it gets pretty much every last drop out of the product by the time you finish. When you finally do cut it open, there’s maybe one usage left and that’s it.
What do you mean “use as needed”?
When it comes to retinol, it is almost like a black box. Everyone has a different sensitivity to it. Everyone has to figure out their appropriate amount. So telling me to use this retinol product on my eyes “as needed” is not the most helpful directive. Their website also does say 2-3x a week, but what if I’m a beginner? What if I am a retinol expert using it every single day?
Sometimes what is helpful is to understand what the percentage is of the retinol so I can get a ballpark of how frequently I should use this product, relative to other retinols I have used in the past.
Especially when it comes to the sensitive eye area, I want to make sure that I am not going overboard. I don’t want dry, flaky lids. I don’t want irritation around my eye. I want to reduce the appearance of my wrinkles and firm up the skin.
But alas, it’s trial and error.
Not as great results as the Allies of Skin
A whiiiile ago, I made a post on the Allies of Skin Peptides and Omega Firming Eye Cream. In that, I shared my 2 week experience and dramatic changes in my under-eye area.
It helped reduce the overall size of the under eye and it helped make it look brighter too. I was honestly shook when I saw the results.
Does the Naturium Super Eye Cream work as well? No. But it’s also a quarter of the price.
So if you’re a budget-conscious person, this is a much easier sell than the $85 Allies of Skin Eye Cream (for 0.5 oz)!
Is the Naturium Super Eye Cream Worth It?
For $20, you truly cannot beat this eye cream. If you’re looking for something that is much more strictly a gel, then this won’t be for you. But if you like a lightweight emulsion, you’ll really like this eye cream.
Not only are the sensorial elements working well, but you also have the tested ingredients (vitamin c and retinol) to help get your those eye-opening results for your eyes.
In terms of who wouldn’t like this product, I would imagine those who want a really thick, persistent eye cream or those who want a truly weightless eye cream would not like this one. Also, if you are pregnant, you probably would want to stay away from this since it has retinol in it (but the Multi-Peptide Eye Cream should be safe for you with respect to retinol!).
Where to Purchase
Naturium: $20
It’s not yet available (at time of publishing) at Target, Ulta, or Amazon — which is very unfortunate!
Note: there are affiliate links throughout this post. They do not cost you any money, but they help keep this blog running. Thanks for your support!