Launching this January, Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting eye cream is the latest edition to the Clinique Smart Clinical Repair collection. The range now comprises of 6 products:
The Clinical Repair collection is built around the brand’s patented CL1870 Peptide Complex, formulated with palmitoyl tripeptide-1, a repairing fatty acid; acetyl hexapeptide-8, a botox substrate and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 to reduce inflammation. Click here if you want to read the Clinique Smart Clinical Repair serum review.
The new repair wrinkle correcting eye cream is then also formulated with the Granactive retinoid and hyaluronic acid that can be found in the star of the range, the Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum. I covered all about the Granactive retinoid in that review, but it’s probably good to cover it again in relation to the eye cream.
Granactive Retinoids and retinoids in general are covered here in my comprehensive guide to retinoids.
Granactive is a highly potent retinoid developed by a company you’ve never heard of – Grant Industries Inc. Its chemical blend is two parts: Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate and Dimethyl Isosorbide that work together to stimulate skin cell turnover and regrowth. You may have heard of this retinoid before as it’s the retinoid you can buy on its own courtesy of The Ordinary.
What does Clinique Smart Clinical Repair eye do?
Very simply, remove surface dead skin cells; speed up skin cell turnover and hydrate. There’s all sorts of other botanicals and things in there to reduce inflammation and aid delivery into the skin, but remove, speed up and hydrate are the key points to take away and it does this actively and very effectively.
The ingredients are designed to turn up skin function to the max whilst even trying to kick the skin into repairing a little bit of damage caused by natural UV photo-ageing of the skin (lines and wrinkles) through the peptide complex.
Whilst nothing can repair wrinkles truly, even injectables and lasers have their limits; many wrinkles and lines look worse than they really are because they’re accentuated by dry, dead skin and dehydration – so by getting these things right through effective formulations and increasing skin cell turnover, you can effectively reduce the appearance of the wrinkles significantly. Radiant skin that reflects light better looks younger and healthier, it’s as easy as that.
All Smart Clinical Repair products, including this new eye cream, do this with Clinique’s patented CL1870 Peptide Complex; a potent retinoid (that isn’t proprietary) and hyaluronic acid. The eye cream does this in a way that’s clearly metered and gently suitable for the eye area.
As eye area is delicate and sensitive and when using retinoids, you need balance; I think this achieves that and as someone with very sensitive skin around the eyes, this hasn’t caused a single drop of sensitivity, reactiveness or redness – it’s hydrating, calming and softening.
It also has that signature purple tint from titanium dioxide (a natural and inert mica additive) that brightens skin when applied – it’s very subtle but definitely brightens.
The cream itself is lovely and light; it’s definitely a cream and not a balmy texture but is richer than many and still feels very nourishing. To note, the skin on my eyes is not prone to any real dryness or flakiness. I think anyone who does have that may want to get a sample to test first as you may want something with a richer, balmier texture. However, this works for me all day, skin feels hydrated.
How to use Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream
- Cleanse the eye area
- Take a rice-grain sized amount of Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream either with your ring finger or onto your ring finger with a cosmetic spoon/spatula.
- Rub this between your two ring fingers to warm
- Pat the product on the optical bone under the brow and around the eye area and into near the corner of the eye (but not in).
- Let the product sink in before applying anything else such as concealer or other products.
Get yourself a sample first
As someone who does struggle with eye creams due to sensitivity and a proneness to reactions, I was very pleased to see that you can go to counter for Clinique smart clinical repair serum samples – just ask nicely.
The free sample sachets have plenty in them to give you a few days use and is a great way to test the product out as it’s £45 for 15ml.
As long as you don’t take the mick, Clinique are usually very good with samples. Consultants are very good at knowing if you have any intention to buy or not so if you genuinely want to try it ahead of buying, they’ll most likely sort you out – it can sometimes help if you pick something else up like a face wash or concealer if you think they need a bit of convincing.
Clinique counters are giving away free spoons/spatulas with purchase
What was a lovely surprise, and I’m a sucker for a branded freebie, Clinique are giving away a small spatula spoon with every purchase. Quite a few high-end brands include these spatulas with eye creams.
They’re often great at stopping you contaminating your cream with your fingers and often allows them to use a little less preservative; although not sure in this case as it doesn’t come with every purchase but it’s metal and it’s cute.
Should I buy Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream? Is it worth it?
I think so. For £45 you’re getting an effective peptide mix with ingredients backed by peer-reviewed studies; a very popular and effective third-party retinol and then a whole host of other hydrators, botanicals and anti-inflammatory agents; all wrapped up in a dermatologically tested, fragrance free and gentle formulation. Clinique Smart Clinical Repair eye cream gets a thumbs up from me.
What I like:
- Allergy tested and fragrance free
- No reaction or irritation despite very active ingredients
- Proven and peer-reviewed ingredient efficacy
- Largely recyclable packaging (pot is 100% glass)
What I don’t like:
- Pricey for Clinique
- Spoon isn’t included