One nice thing about dark circles? Everybody has them, whatever your age or skin tone. That’s partly because there are a ton of different causes — think late nights, thinning skin, shadowing caused by puffiness or bone structure, and good old hyperpigmentation. Because of this, it can be tough to find an eye cream that can address all of these things, on top of the usual hydrating and firming benefits that usually come with it.

Enter Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream. The newest addition to the Guava fam is designed to brighten and reduce puffiness around the entire eye area — including the eyelids! — and, in doing so, deliver a refreshed, well-rested look, without any dark circles in sight. As the lightweight counterpart to Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream (which targets fine lines and wrinkles), the new eye cream has all the skin-brightening, tone-evening effects of Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum but in a formula designed for this especially delicate area of the face. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream is the home makeover. With that, here’s everything you need to know about it.

What’s inside

We’ll start with one of the most powerful active ingredients in this formula (and in general): vitamin C. Vitamin C got its great reputation for being a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals formed by sun exposure and pollution, preventing them from creating dark spots, lines, and wrinkles. But when it comes to dark circles, vitamin C is particularly important because it’s a tyrosinase inhibitor. Translation: It shuts down tyrosinase, which is a key enzyme needed for the production of pigment. Without it, excess pigment can’t be made, which in turn improves discoloration.

But we couldn’t just settle for any vitamin C. Inside, you’ll get a 10% complex of five water- and oil-soluble forms of C, which are encapsulated. This was a strategic decision. For starters, the encapsulation enhances their stability, so you get the maximum potency every time you apply. It also helps them better penetrate skin, since skin is naturally hydrophobic (meaning it resists water); the oil-soluble vitamin C basically acts like a Trojan horse for the water-soluble stuff. And finally, the capsules allow for a slower, gradual release of the actives over time, which minimizes irritation — key for the fragile eye area.

Next up on the brightening front is niacinamide. We’ve long been big fans of this multitasking ingredient, putting it in everything from our highlighting serum to our SPF. Here, it works alongside vitamin C to minimize excess pigment — just in a slightly different way. (Instead of messing with pigment production, it stops the transfer of existing pigment to the surface of the skin.)

Then, there’s the namesake guava seed oil and fruit extract. Not only are they packed with vitamin C, but they’re also rich in a variety of potent antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lycopene, and quercetin. We take care to process it in a way that both minimizes waste and conserves water. The guava seed oil is extracted from upcycled guava seeds (which are cold-pressed to preserve their many nutrients and, of course, save energy). Not only that, but any leftover pulp, seeds, and peels get reused as fertilizer, too.

Puffiness can also contribute to dark circles, casting shadows that make you look like you’ve pulled an all-nighter. They can also be annoying on their own terms, resulting from loss of elasticity and the fluid retention after a night of tossing and turning. To address that, you’ll find a blend of peptides, which work together to lift and strengthen the skin around the eyes to reduce puffiness. And finally, green caffeine helps firm and strengthen the eye area. They both boost circulation, keeping fluid under the eyes from pooling and potentially causing puffiness.

How to use it

After applying toner but before patting on face serum, dab a small amount of eye cream around the eye area, gently tapping it in with your ring finger beneath the eyes, around the orbital bone, and above the eyes. (FYI: The formula is ophthalmologist-tested!) We recommend using it before your serums in order to protect the delicate skin from active ingredients and formulas that haven’t been tested for the eye area. If you’re applying makeup afterwards, give it one minute to sink in before applying eye makeup or concealer. In fact, it’ll up their performance, since the moisturizers in the formula hydrate and smooth skin.

If you prefer a lightweight eye formula, you can use the gel-cream twice a day (if you’re a vitamin C newbie or have sensitivity, use it once a day for the first few weeks!). You can also use it in the A.M. and switch to Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask in the evenings; it’s a richer cream and has encapsulated retinol, so it’s best used at night.

In about two weeks, you’ll start to see results. In a clinical study conducted in that time period:

• 100% agreed the eye area, including eyelids, looked firmer, with less crepiness and drooping 
• 100% saw smoother texture around the eye area
• 100% saw improved dullness and fatigue around the eye area
• 96% agreed the product softened the appearance of their dark circles
• 96% agreed eyes looked less puffy
• 93% agreed their upper eye area (including eyelids) appeared tighter
• 93% agreed it helps concealer and eye makeup stay on all day
• 90% agreed under-eye bags were less noticeable

We’re so happy that we can finally share this exciting launch with you, and can’t wait for you to try the Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream for yourself. Got questions? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you!

Read more about eye cream:

• Here’s Why You Need an Eye Cream
• How to Apply Eye Cream
• When You’ll See Results From Your Fave Glow Recipe Products