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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

PRODUCT REVIEW: FIRST AID BEAUTY EYE DUTY NIACINAMIDE BRIGHTENING EYE CREAM – ONE OF THE BEST EYE CREAMS FOR DARK CIRCLES

PRODUCT REVIEW: FIRST AID BEAUTY EYE DUTY NIACINAMIDE BRIGHTENING EYE CREAM – ONE OF THE BEST EYE CREAMS FOR DARK CIRCLES

FIRST AID BEAUTY | EYE DUTY NIACINAMIDE BRIGHTENING EYE CREAM

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This review was originally part of my blog article titled, A Few New Eye Creams I’m Really into Now With Farmacy, First Aid Beauty and More! You can still catch the full piece here.

I’ve reviewed multiple products from First Aid Beauty on the blog, and published an entire brand review titled, Brands I Love: First Aid Beauty and the Best Facial Skincare For Sensitive Skin.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand’s clean facial skincare for sensitive and irritated skin, get acquainted with FAB! Hands down, First Aid Beauty offers some of the best face creams for sensitive skin.

First Aid Beauty was founded in 2009 by Lilli Gordon, a mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur with a background in beauty who, like so many, struggled with sensitive skin. 

All of the brand’s products are formulated to calm inflamed skin, prevent irritation — and deliver nothing that could antagonize the skin, particularly sensitive skin.

FAB uses tried-and-true, soothing ingredients like Colloidal Oatmeal, Oat Kernel Extract, Shea Butter, Feverfew Extract, even honey, at active levels. And nary a drop of denatured alcohol, fragrance or fragrant plant oils. I love that about First Aid Beauty and it’s one of the reasons that I trust them to offer some of the best skincare for sensitive skin.

So sure I was pumped about the brand’s newest eye treatment, the Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream. As expected, it’s a clean, well-formulated and gentle treatment for around the eyes. But, it’s quite unexpected, too.

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The first thing you notice about Eye Duty is its strikingly iridescent orangish hue. If it weren’t in a tiny 15mL pot labeled eye cream, I’d have no idea what it is. Maybe a primer, a concealer, a tone corrector?

FAB says it’s “an illuminating eye cream that visibly brightens, hydrates, and smooths the eye area while helping to reduce the appearance of dark circles over time.”

It’s a rather extensive INCI for an eye cream and I’m going to estimate that Eye Duty contains a concentration of 5% Niacinamide, a healthy dose of the antioxidant power brightener. The inclusion of a truly active level of antioxidant Niacinamide is perhaps my favorite thing about Eye Duty.

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What is Niacinamide?

From the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team: 

“Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinic acid, niacinamide is a very effective skin-restoring ingredient that offers multiple benefits for aging and blemish-prone skin. Among these benefits is the ability to visibly improve the appearance of enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines, dullness, and a weakened skin surface.

Niacinamide can also mitigate and to some extent help visibly repair damage from UV light and offset other sources of environmental attack, including the negative impact of various types of airborne pollutants. Unlike many beneficial ingredients, niacinamide is stable in the presence of heat and light.”


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In addition to Niacinamide, there are several other actives and inert ingredients that help to illuminate the eye area and diminish the look of dark circles. Among them, mica, Caffeine, Coffee Seed Extract and Licorice Root Extract — an effective brightening agent common to A-beauty formulas. Licorice Root also happens to be one of the more popular ingredients in traditional Korean Hanbang herbal medicine.

If you’re not familiar with Hanbang herbs and the philosophy being it, check out this terrific article titled, What Is Hanbang & Why You Need It in Your Skincare Routine.

If you’re in the market for a clean eye cream to help brighten dull skin around the eyes and to help treat dark circles, the Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream is an excellent option. Of course, nothing addresses dark circles like drinking more water, getting more sleep — and using a well-formulated sunscreen in the immediate eye area.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream for $36 here.



The Ingredient List of the First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream:


PRODUCT REVIEW: LANEIGE EYE SLEEPING MASK – BEST EYE CREAM FOR NIGHT

PRODUCT REVIEW: LANEIGE EYE SLEEPING MASK – BEST EYE CREAM FOR NIGHT

PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY MINERAL UV FILTERS SPF 30 WITH ANTIOXIDANTS - THE BEST MINERAL SUNSCREEN

PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY MINERAL UV FILTERS SPF 30 WITH ANTIOXIDANTS - THE BEST MINERAL SUNSCREEN