I held off on ordering an eye cream recommended by TIA for firming, lifting and diminishing puffiness when asked to test this exotic-sounding anti-aging product by a fairly new Los Angeles-based company called African Botanics. This natural and non-toxic skincare company uses pure natural plant oils and sustainable vegetable sources, and all products are free of parabens, mineral oils, BPA, petrochemicals, synthetic emulsifiers, toxic preservatives, phthalates, DEA, TEA, synthetic colors and fragrance. They are 100% vegan and do not test on animals. The brand wesite states that this product, Marula Botanical Eye Serum ($85), is formulated to “immediately lift, firm and smooth” and treat puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles.
Hand harvested from the exotic fruit seed kernels of bio-dynamic marula trees indigenous to South Africa, the active ingredient, marula oil, is claimed to be Africa’s miracle oil for the following reasons: It heals skin tissue, reduce redness and transepidermal water loss, and improves skin elasticity and firmness; it is rich in vitamins C & E and oleic acid.
The serum is light and fragrance free and upon first application on clean skin, I felt the tightness around my eyes right away. Not only did I feel it, but the fine lines seem to have softened and become smoother. It may be also due to the soy protein, contained in the serum’s formula, which is a plant peptide that promotes a tightening effect on the skin.
After a few days and nights of using of this pleasant and easily absorbed serum, the slightly red discoloration on the outer corners of my eyes seemed to appear less discolored. I believe that this is the effect of another active ingredient, rose otto, a rejuvenating oil. It is said to have astringent effects on capillaries just below the skin surface and thus is able to diminish redness caused by enlarged capillaries.
So far, Marula Botanical Eye Serum has done what it is formulated to do: tighten and smooth, hydrate, and lessen the discoloration on the outer corners of my eyes. In addition, the soothing and healing power of calendula flower extract in this eye serum seemed to work its wonders on eye puffiness that just calms down when I gently pat the product around the eye area.
This is indeed a product that lives up to its claims. I would recommend this, in spite of its $85 price tag for the full .96-oz size. My tiny sample size jar, which I estimate to contain at least a quarter of the full size product, was all used up in about four and half weeks.
Ingredients: Sclerocarya birrea (Marula Essential Oil), De-ionized Water, Glycerine BP, Glyceryl polyacrylate, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Rose Otto (Rosa Damascena), Calendula Officinalis (Calendula flower) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, D.Tocopherol (Vitamin E)