Lancôme Genifique Eyes ($62.34, amazon.com) promises younger, smoother, and brighter looking skin around your eyes. It’s star ingredients have little research behind them, but what little research there is — though much of it is industry-sponsored — shows positive results.
Bifida Ferment Lysate: Does it Help Microflora on the Face?
Lancôme Genifique Eyes has quite a bit of Bifida Ferment Lysate, a probiotic bacteria said to turn back time with its gene altering capabilities. This 2009 patent, along with cosmetics companies, have suggested that this bacteria works as a DNA repairing agent. Claims say that in the same way this ingredients helps microflora in the GI tract, it also helps microflora in the skin to flourish. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily true.
There’s been one study that showed that Bifidobacterium longum lysate helped stimulate the skin’s ability to repair itself (Experimental Dermatology). It may also lessen skin sensitivity by reducing neuronal activity and accessibility.
The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study randomly assigned female participants either a cream with 10 percent bacterial extract or a placebo cream. After 29 days, those participants who’d used the bacteria-containing cream had decreased skin sensitivity and increased skin barrier function. There was no significant increase in skin hydration.
Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine: Will it Reduce Wrinkles?
There hasn’t been much study on this ingredient. The company that created it, Degussa, sponsored the only study I was able to find that demonstrates its effects. The in vivo study found that the ingredient helped to reduce the depth of volunteer’s wrinkles and help to improve the appearance of photoaged skin (International Journal of Cosmetic Science).
Other Ingredients: HEPES, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Dimethicone
Hydroxyethylpiperazine ethane sulfonic acid (HEPES) is essentially a buffer, used to maintain the pH of a formulation. Lancôme Genifique Eyes does include sodium hyalruonate, which can hold many times its weight in water and is, thus very hydrating and helps prevent transepidermal water loss (Baumann). Finally, dimethicone, a type of silicone, works well to help fill in wrinkles, but its unique structure still allows other ingredients to get through (Principles of Polymer Science and Technology in Cosmetics and Personal Care).
Bottom Line
The ingredients in Lancôme Genifique Eyes have had little testing done, but the testing done so far has been positive. Ideally, we’d see more independent studies that show that these ingredients work the way Lancôme claims that they will.