All about: The Ordinary’s Lacto-PDRN 4% + B9 eye cream

Some beauty insiders call them an afterthought, but I believe that a skincare regime isn’t complete without a great eye serum, gel or cream. The skin around the eyes is the thinnest you’ll find on your body as well as having fewer oil glands than the rest of the face, so needs extra special care when and where it can get it.
Most good eye creams and serums are formulated specifically for the skin around the eye, so tend to be a little richer and packed with active ingredients aimed at issues associated with that area. It is more fragile, more prone to dryness, and quicker to show age and fatigue. Squinting can hasten the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and fluids collect under the eyes and cause puffiness and dark circles.
A good eye-specific product can address at least some of these issues, but first make sure you are applying it for optimal effect. First, don’t overdo it. Follow instructions and go gentle - patting in with your ring finger is the best forms of application for this most fragile of areas, and allows your chosen product some time to sink in.

Which brings me to the newest formula that I’ve been lucky enough to have a play with, the eagerly awaited Lacto-PDRN 4% + B9 eye cream from unabashed industry disrupters, The Ordinary.
All was revealed to me (along with some other exciting drops I’m not allowed to share just yet) over a private dinner in Sydney last month, where their Consumer Education Manager, the inimitable Liam Hislop shared some incredible insights into the new eye formula’s considerable powers, and intriguing ingredient deck.
First, let’s address the use of PDRN, and how on earth the formula can actually be vegan. The ingredient is most often associated with Salmon DNA skincare treatments, which are most definitely trending right now as polynucleotides (or PDRN, also referred to as polydeoxyribonucleotide) becomes more available for topical use as well as in-clinic aesthetic procedures. The Lacto-PDRN component in this eye cream is vegan however, and made by fermentation of a probiotic bacterium. The Ordinary says its DNA is broken down into fragments sharing structural components with salmon DNA, so the skin also responds in a similar way. It’s billed as helpful with promoting smoother-looking skin, and improving the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and elasticity, which makes it the perfect ingredient to address the forever-tricky eye area.
The Ordinary Lacto-PDRN 4% + B9 Eye Cream (which retails at an incredible $19.30 NZD) delivers immediate firming and long-term eye-aging repair using this 100 percent vegan, biotechnology-derived alternative, which it pairs with Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) and a flexible "shapewear-for-eyes" polysaccharide film.
And it comes with clinically backed proof, with users saying it visibly lifts eyelids from the first use, and immediately tightens to visibly reduce under-eye bags. It also boosts skin hydration by 72 percent in just two hours while reinforcing its barrier, and I love the fact that the lightweight, nourishing formula layers perfectly under concealer.
And yes, after using it exclusively over the last month and a bit, I have fallen hard for the extremely clever and efficacious little marvel. It has hydrated my eye area like no other eye cream or serum has in a very long time, and the fact that it comes in sub-$20 really does mean I recommend it to all in sundry. It must be noted that a little goes a long way too, with a grain of rice the size to reference when squeezing it out of the tube.
My only gripe? That I can’t yet justify using it over my whole face, it is THAT good... so grab a tube now before it sells out again!

Main image via Pinterest