An Imperfect Plan — New Origins A Perfect World SPF 20 Age-Defense Eye Cream with White Tea

Beauty experts, myself included, are always carrying on about the need to wear sunscreen daily, and to reapply every two hours, so it’s actually somewhat baffling that more skincare brands haven’t developed eye creams with SPF protection. After all, while we might slather sunscreen on our faces, we’re not that likely to pay much attention to that delicate skin under our eyes — which is somewhat ironic since the outer corners of our eyes are one of the first places where wrinkles emerge. In theory, then, I was quite excited about the new Origins A Perfect World SPF 20 Age-Defense Eye Cream with White Tea ($38 at Origins.com), which promises to brighten the under-age area while providing 100% mineral SPF protection and thereby keeping the skin under the eyes safe from the UV rays that lead to collagen degradation and, as a result, wrinkles and sagging.

Part of Origins’ revamped A Perfect World collection, the eye cream is also designed so as to protect the skin from environmental aggressors such as infrared rays, which is invisible to the human eye and which scientists have found has the ability to penetrate deep into the skin and wreak havoc therein, damaging proteins, causing oxidative stress, and  generating free radicals, speeding up the skin-aging process. Here’s why that’s such an important discovery: as our environment grapples with increased pollution and the global warming crisis worsens, we’re being exposed to ever-increasing amounts of infrared light. See, when an object isn’t hot enough to emit visible light, it will instead emit infrared radiation — the heat we feel when gathered around a campfire, cooking ribs on a charcoal grill, or  walking along a hot sidewalk is largely the result of infrared rays. When developing the products in the A Perfect World collection, then, Origins sought to incorporate ingredients that would protect the skin against UV rays, infrared rays, and pollution (which can weaken the skin’s natural protective barrier).

To accomplish this feat, the brand relied on ingredients like Edelweiss, a flower that grows in the Alps and which has been shown to have extraordinary adaptogenic qualities, surviving in even the harshest conditions. When applied to skin, Edelweiss has been shown to strengthen the skin’s barrier, keeping moisture in while blocking any environmental aggressors. Similarly, the white birch in the formula defends the skin by inhibiting the release of elastase, an evil little enzyme that degrades proteins such as collagen and elastin. To complete the trifecta, there’s Silver Tip white tea (also called Silver Needle tea), which provides three times the antioxidant benefits of green tea — particularly of the ployphenol EGCG, which is effective at warding off UV rays and preventing inflammation.

Within a broader context, then, this eye cream is meant to act as a bodyguard of sorts, a skincare sentinel, a protector against environmental aggressors. It doesn’t, however, stimulate collagen production, increase circulation, or boost cellular rejuvenation so, if you’re in the market for an anti-aging cream, you may want to invest in another product and use this eye cream atop it during the daytime.

Sadly, despite all the benefits I could discern from the ingredients in the eye cream’s formula, its “irritation-free” promise didn’t ring true in my experience. The cream has a tendency to seep into your actual eye and, when it does, the burning sensation is unbearable.  The first time the eye cream went into my eye, I wrote it off as a one-time incident, likely the result of me applying the product haphazardly. But then it happened again. And again. During one of the incidents, the burning was so excruciatingly painful that I rinsed my eye out, put in a few drops of Visine, rinsed my eye again, and even washed my face all over again. Nothing worked. Eventually, with one eye pressed shut, I laid down on the couch. I must have dozed off since I woke up an hour later and, finally, the pain had subsided. I kept thinking, What if I had been driving? After all, I can’t exactly operate a vehicle with one eye squeezed shut.

Sure, there were also plenty of times when I used the cream without any incident, but in these occasions, I purposely dabbed the product along the lower orbital area, steering clear of the outer corners of my eyes and avoiding getting too close to the lower lash line. This, of course, meant that I wasn’t covering some crucial areas in need of protection.

Also, I was disappointed that this wasn’t a 360-degree eye cream (meaning a product you can apply around the entire eye area, including atop eyelids). After all, our eyelids are so prone to drooping and puckering that they’re certainly in need of some protection from the very same environmental aggressors that we now know accelerate the skin aging process.

While I appreciate Origins’ intentions with this eye cream, I was disappointed with the execution. I had a much better experience with the Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF 30, which also has 100% mineral filters and never caused any irritation.