Can you believe you still have to put cucumbers onto your eyes to make your puffiness disappear?
It’s 2014. Surely we should have a more advanced treatment by now? I mean, what the heck have cosmetic scientists been doing all this time?
Well, there’s something. A peptide called acetyl tetrapeptide-5. Nickname: Eyeseryl. It’s the latest scientific discovery in the fight against puffy eyes and undereye bags.
Does it really work?
Eyeseryl (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5): What Does It Do For Skin?
Lipotec, the company that makes Acetyl tetrapeptide-5, swears it “can fight puffy eyebags by working on several mechanisms, like improving the vascular system and strengthening the skin under the eyes preventing fluid accumulation.”
Let’s start with the skin strengthening claim. Eyeseryl does it by inhibiting glycation. Glycation is what happens when you eat too much sugar. Sugar reacts with fats and proteins in an abnormal way, producing something called “advanced glycation endproducts” (or AGEs for short).
Long story short, AGEs destroy collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep your skin firm and elastic. Eyeseryl stops this in its tracks. It hunts down proteins involved in the glycation process that are looking for their mates to finish this process. When it spots one, he attaches itself to it. Now that place is taken, that protein can’t bind to its nasty mates and cause glycation.
Acetyl tetrapeptide-5 fights another cause of puffy eyes: water accumulation. Plenty of things can cause this, but the main culprits are poor lymphatic circulation and high capillary permeability. Eyeseryl decreases the permeability of blood vessels in the eye area. Now fluids can’t accumulate there anymore. Bye bye puffiness!
Related: I Went On The Low Glycemic Diet And It Transformed My Skin
Struggling to put together a skincare routine that minimises wrinkles, prevents premature aging, and gives your complexion a youthful glow? Download your FREE “Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):
Can Eyeseryl (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5) Really Treat Puffy Eyes?
So far, Acetyl Tetrapeptide sounds awesome. But I’ve told you only what Lipotec says. I’m not saying they’re lying but they aren’t… unbiased.
Unfortunately Lipotec also did the only study I could find on Eyeseryl. A group of 20 women used a cream with 0.01% Eyeseryl for 60 days. 70% saw a reduction in puffy eyes after only 15 days.
The study is promising but I won’t rush out and buy a cream with Eyeseryl until independent studies prove me it works. But if a cream I’m eyeing also happens to have Eyeseryl, then why not?
The Bottom Line
Eyeseryl is one of the most promising new actives in the fight against puffy eyes. But the jury’s still out there on how well it really works. For now, don’t waste your money on it.
Good info, Gio. It’s always so hard to know whether to invest in these more experimental ingredients or stick with the tried-and-true!
Laurie, my philosophy is: if you can find a well-formulated product full of goodies, such as antioxidants and retinoids, that also contains these new experimental ingredients, go for it. But don’t look especially for them or splurge on an expensive product because of them. 🙂
Sounds good to me:)
Helena, it is very promising indeed.
Great post 🙂
Anubhuti, thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.