Say “Domo Arigato” to the Tatcha Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream
Tatcha’s Aburatorigami beauty papers are a mainstay in my purse — unlike so many other blotting sheets, they manage to absorb excess oil and sweat without interfering with my makeup or forcing me to reapply foundation, powder, or blush. When Tatcha first made its foray into the US market, it was largely propelled by the unparalleled effectiveness of its blotting papers. But, over the years, the company has continued to expand as founder Victoria Tsai developed skincare formulations based on the age-old beauty regimens of Japanese geishas.
It all started with a fortuitous trip to Kyoto, during which Tsai met a modern-day geisha who shared many of the beauty traditions that had been passed down orally from generation to generation for over 300 years. Ever the plucky researcher, Tsai eventually unearthed a 200-year-old manuscript that outlined the daily skincare regimens dutifully followed by geishas. With this information at her fingertips, Tatcha began to take form and Tsai found herself traveling to Kyoto regularly, working with scientists, scholars, and geishas to develop a skincare line largely based on these age-old traditions and formulated with Eastern ingredients like green tea, rice bran, and red algae.
Among the standout products in the Tatcha skincare line is the Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream ($135 at Tatcha.com), which I’ve now been using for about 6-7 weeks. Designed to nourish the delicate skin underneath the eyes, reduce puffiness, eradicate dark circles, and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, the Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream’s formula incorporates ingredients that work synergistically to promote microcirculation.
The luxurious eye cream, then, contains: antioxidant-rich peony extract, which is believed to brighten the skin and battle discoloration thanks to their high tannin content, which helps to promote circulation and to accelerate skin regeneration and natural exfoliation, sloughing off the dead skin cells that make skin look tired and dull; honeysuckle extract, which contains quercetin and rutin, both flavonoids with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, protecting the skin from UV rays and promoting circulation, thereby preventing the fluid retention that leads to puffiness; green tea extract, a soothing and skin-calming, antioxidant-rich substance that contains methylxanthines, which stimulates micro-circulation, helping to prevent the formation of fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin tone, and which inhibits collagenase, an enzyme that breaks down collagen and can lead to premature aging signs; rice extract formulated with an original Japanese fermentation technology that allows it to break down to a low molecular weight, thereby enabling it to penetrate the deeper keratin layers of the skin, providing optimal hydration; carrageenan, a polysaccharide extracted from red algae that features excellent water-binding properties, locking moisture into the skin and making it feel softer and smoother; soothing mallow flower extract, which forms a soothing and protective coating around the skin; gardenia extract, rich in phytochemicals that yield an anti-inflammatory effect; Japanese mugwort extract, used as a moisturizer since ancient times and believed to improve circulation and reduce inflammation; and Tsubaki oil, which is rich in oleic acids that soften the skin, help to boost collagen and elastin production, and improve the skin’s moisture retention abilities.
The eye cream is rather dense, so you’ll want to use it sparingly. Using a small amount, dab tiny dots underneath the eyes, creating a half-moon shape, and work it around the sides of the eye and up underneath brows, creating a “C” shape around each eye. Once you’ve dotted the area around your eyes, so to speak, massage the cream in using your finger pads. I personally like massaging the cream in using circular motions, thereby stimulating circulation. Unlike so many eye creams, it’s actually recommended that you smooth this product onto the area below the brows, so make sure to do so.
Since the cream is so rich and thick, I strongly advise that you apply it in front of a mirror to make sure you worked all of the product into your skin. Otherwise, you might unwittingly end up with white splotches and streaks that will make it look like a plain Greek yogurt exploded on your complexion. That said, if you use the cream as directed and always apply in front of a mirror (can’t stress that enough!), you should begin noticing effects within a few weeks’ time.
From my experience, this eye cream is particularly useful in reducing the appearance of puffiness and fine lines. It does lessen the appearance of dark circles, but not quite as swiftly or noticeably as it combats the other under-eye woes mentioned. Still, it’s pretty remarkable how taut and smooth the skin around your eyes looks when you use this cream regularly. Guess we have a lot to learn from those geishas!
