La Mer Eye Balm vs Eye Concentrate

So, you've decided you want to try one of La Mer's best-selling eye creams, but you can't quite figure out what the differences are? We've all been there, don't worry!

Come with us as we compare the La Mer The Eye Balm Intense vs La Mer The Eye Concentrate side-by-side to help you decide which is right for you and your skin. Enjoy!

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La Mer The Eye Balm Intense vs La Mer The Eye Concentrate

While both The Eye Balm Intense and The Eye Concentrate share the common goal of reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles, you'll notice that each one also specializes in something slightly different.

The Eye Balm Intense primarily focuses on diminishing the look of puffiness, giving you a well-rested and revitalized appearance. Its key ingredients, Miracle Broth and Marine De-Puff Ferment, work together to energize the skin and help reduce the appearance of puffiness.

On the other hand, The Eye Concentrate specializes in targeting dark circles, aiming for a brighter and healthier look. Its unique blend of key ingredients—Miracle Broth, The Clarity Ferment, and Lime Tea Concentrate—work in synergy to brighten the undereye area and protect it against environmental stressors. The Clarity Ferment specifically targets dark circles, while Lime Tea Concentrate offers antioxidant protection.

The Eye Balm Intense has a rich, emollient balm texture that deeply hydrates and conditions the skin. The Eye Concentrate instead has a sumptuously soft cream texture that delivers potent energy and hydration to transform the look of lines, wrinkles, and dark circles.

When it comes to results, we have some bad news. The Eye Balm Intense is *not* very well received, with an alarmingly high proportion of recent 1-star reviews on La Mer's official site. More than a few customers have reported the balm causing irritation, leading to itchy, red, swollen skin. For this reason, we cannot recommend the current formula. Unfortunately, it's the same story for The Eye Concentrate. Although there's a linked clinical study with some pretty jaw-dropping results, the latest reviews are nearly an exact mirror of the balm's (it's not pretty).

What makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that most of these reviews are from customers who *loved* the old formula, as is evident by the repetitive pleas for La Mer to revert the changes. We have no problem recommending the pre-2021 formulas (which you might be able to find on third-party retailers such as Amazon), but we'd advise you to stay clear of the current versions. We'll keep this page updated, and hopefully we'll be able to report some happier news soon (*last updated, 5th May 2023).

We'd like to note that when we tried the eye creams for ourselves, we encountered no issues. This suggests that there's an allergen in their formulas that doesn't affect everyone, but some people don't react well to. As always, YMMV (your mileage may vary), and it's crucial to patch-test before using new skincare products.

If you're desperate to give them a go, and you're able to get your hands on either of the older formulas (and/or you're willing to diligently patch-test before use), choosing between the two depends on what your primary concern is. If you're trying to ward off dark circles, The Eye Concentrate is the way to go. If you're looking to reduce puffiness, The Eye Balm Intense has your name on it.