FOR something that comes in such diminutive packaging, eye cream certainly has some huge benefits attributed to it. Touted to manage everything from dark circles and puffy eyes to lines and wrinkles, eye cream is a boon to many women who are worried about showing signs of ageing on the highly-visible and delicate eye area.

The rationale for using a specially-formulated product is that the skin around the eye area is different from the rest of the face, and therefore requires a cream that works differently. With so many products making grandiose claims, however, you can’t help but feel rather sceptical.

Do we really need a separate product for the eye area, or can we get by with our regular face cream? Are the many claims associated with eye cream true, or are they merely (excuse the pun) eyewash?

Here's the surprise - some beauty experts say the only special ability eye creams have is being able to convince consumers to spend more on something we don’t need.

Thes experts believe eye creams are unnecessary and the same moisturiser that you use for your face works just as well.

Author and beauty researcher Paula Begoun writes in her book The Beauty Bible that it is a fallacy that eye creams are specially formulated for the skin around the eye area.

She wrote: "There is no evidence, research or documentation validating the claim that eye creams have special formulations setting them apart from other facial moisturisers. It only takes a quick look at the ingredient labels (to see) that they don’t differ except for the price and the tiny containers the eye creams come in."

The only time a different product is necessary for the eye area, according to Begoun, is if the skin type there is different from the rest of the face. Even then, she recommends using a well-formulated moisturiser. She further adds that since most eye creams don’t contain sunscreen, they leave the eye area susceptible to sun damage and wrinkling.

Allure magazine’s longtime beauty editor Linda Wells is another disbeliever. In her book Allure: Confessions Of A Beauty Editor, Wells suggests that eye creams aren’t necessary at all in a skincare regime.

“(The skin around the eyes) does not require its own product. Regular moisturiser works just fine,” she says. Other beauty and skincare experts, however, beg to differ.

But Matthew Chong, the Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Director and pharmacist with Beiersdorf (parent company of skincare brand Eucerin), strongly recommends the use of eye cream.

He says the skin around the eyes doesn’t contain fatty tissue, making it much thinner and more susceptible to wrinkles than the rest of the face.

“Also, the pores around the eyes are small and tight, and regular moisturisers may not be able to penetrate them efficiently,” he adds.

Luxasia training manager Yvonne Tong points out that the skin concerns for the eye area and the rest of the face are different, which makes eye cream a must.

“The face will have problems like acne, oiliness, dryness and hyper-pigmentation, whereas the eye area could have dark eye circles, puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles,” she explains.

Women of different ages need eye care products that do different things. For example, Gatineau’s Hydromineral Eye Countour Gel targets dehydrated fine lines and dark circles in 20-something women, while Payot Rides Relax Regard is emulsion-based and prevents creases and crow’s feet in women aged 30 and above.

For those aged 40 and above, Tong suggests Decleor’s Experience D’Lage Triple Action Eye and Lip Cream, which targets wrinkles and firms the eye area.

These experts also assert that eye cream and moisturiser are indeed formulated differently, in order to suit the more delicate skin around the eye area.

“You absolutely need eye cream,” says Audrey Ang, who is senior education manager for Estee Lauder Malaysia.

“The skin in the eye area is about five times thinner, and this is usually where the first signs of ageing occur,” she says.

“Face creams are richer in texture and not suitable for the eye area, while eye creams are usually opthalmologist-tested, lightweight in texture and fragrance-free,” adds Ang.

According to Chong, not only are eye creams formulated and tested to avoid irritation to the eyes, they also contain higher concentrations due to constant movement of the eye area, such as blinking, squinting, and rubbing.

Eucerin’s Aquaporin Active Eye Cream, for example, is clinically proven to be suitable for contact lens wearers and even for those with sensitive skin. Using normal face cream around the eye, on the other hand would not only ignore the specific needs of the area, but may also give you a whole new set of problems.

Chong says using facial moisturisers on the eye area can cause the retention of sebaceous secretions, which may lead to milia (those white or yellowish nodules known as oil seeds).

The typically richer texture and stronger formulation of moisturiser can also be an issue.

“It may result in eye problems like stinging pain, tearing or puffiness,” explains Tong.

If you do decide to eschew eye cream and go with your regular face cream, skincare website Melbourne Dermatology has a few pointers for you.

It suggests that moisturisers may not work as well as eye care products under your eye make-up, so be prepared to experiment. Also, certain sunscreens and fragrances may irritate the eye area, so try face creams that are free of these. Finally, do keep in mind that moisturisers will not combat issues like dark circles, capillaries and puffy eyes.

Ultimately, the decision to use eye cream or not is a personal choice, depending on what really works for the individual when put to the test. Some of us may find that moisturisers alone do wonders for the eye area, while others will have that one eye cream they swear by.

If all else fails, do a Tyra Banks and simply “Smile with your eyes!”