Eye cream convert: AHC Ten Revolution Real Eye Cream for Face (first impressions)

I was very much of the opinion that eye cream was an unnecessary step.

I'd tried a few drugstore eye creams that were unremarkable in every way so that confirmed my opinion.

I'm happy to say I was wrong about eye cream! I just needed the right eye cream.

I will add, this doesn't mean you need an eye cream but I definitely wish I'd converted sooner.

What converted me?

It started off as a why not kind of situation.

I'd stopped using actives for a bit and even though I've since restarted, I've always had a really stubborn line under my right eye that's becomes more noticeable without retinal but is constant regardless of whether I use actives or not.

Also, and just because I can use actives daily, I don't necessarily want to do so because it is extra steps and they could potentially contribute to additional dryness. Plus I often find it boring to keep using the same products as I enjoy trying new things

That being said, I do very much enjoy the new Minimalist acids I've recently purchased and I tend to be more consistent with these.

I was rewatching Odile's video on the AHC Real Eye Cream For Face that covered seasons 8-10. It made me think that I do very much like layering creams, like the Decorte softener I recently wrote about (link to Decorte review). Suddenly it made sense to get an eye cream, plus with my extra dry skin recently I thought my eye area probably deserved some love.

Obviously, I couldn't resist getting the AHC!

This is a first impressions review after using it for a couple of months

Please watch Odile's video for swatches and detailed information about the different versions, including season 10, the version I purchased. Link to Odile's AHC video for seasons 8-10.

The reasons to try specifically AHC are many and this is a summary of what I gleaned from Odile's video: it's Korea's best selling eye cream using cutting edge technology. It's reformulated every year to incorporate new technologies but don't despair: the previous versions are still produced even after they release a new one!

AHC Ten Revolution Real Eye Cream For Face (season 10) review

I'm adding "season 10" to the title here because the new version is out, which also appears to be called Ten Revolution.

Cost of the AHC

I purchased it from KoreaDepart, discounted to about $7 for 30ml. I immediately loved it so on my next TesterKorea order, I got a back-up ($11).

You can also get 12ml minis for about $4 from KoreaDepart.

Just after I purchased the Season 10, I saw Odile's IG post that Season 11 was out! I'm not mad about the timing, though. I definitely want to try the 11 but I'm definitely happy with the 10 for now.

Season 11 is $11 at KoreaDepart at the moment.

This is cheap, right?

Well, Odile says in her review of the AHC Premier Ampoule in Eye cream version that the original eye cream first released in 2012 was $50 but the price was dropped to make it a loss leader, the intention of which is to draw consumers to the brand so theyll try ofhef prodicfs.

Consider me loss leader influenced as I'm considering other products from AHC!

Link to Odile's review of the AHC Premier Ampoule in Eye cream.

Introduction

I kinda feel like I've already introduced the why of this product.

I should add something about the technology and ingredients but personally, if I were you I'd just watch Odile's video because I'd just be repeating it.

Second link to Odile's AHC video of the season 8-10 because if you haven't watched it already, I really think you should!

Packaging

The tube has a specially designed nozzle for gentle application. I'm not too bothered about this so I just squeeze it in my hand.

I very much like that it's a tube rather than a jar. I have a lot of spatulas but needing a spatula puts me off using a product because it's an extra step.

I particularly like the packaging of the season 10, looks classy!

Texture

Odile has excellent swatches. Watch the video!

I'll add that I find the texture very interesting. On the one hand, there's a richness to the formula but, on the other hand, it applies very lightly and spreads superbly.

I tend to prefer to pat it into my eye area. For properly thick creams, this application method works inconsistently and requires some gentle rubbing.

I have no issue with gentle rubbing but when I discovered this can be patted, I was impressed.

The formulation of the product is seriously good - thick enough to be appropriate for the delicate skin around the eye but the patting makes it a second skin.

Patting helps absorption and takes about a minute so by the time I'm done patting, my previous layer has dried enough across my face that I can apply moisturiser.

Multitasking bonus!

Ingredients

Legion.

Ok so I threw away both boxes so I can't write the ingredients here based on the actual product I purchased.

It is chock-full of things to help fine lines.

Here's the ingredients list, I think the AHC wins the prize for the most ingredients ever.

This list is taken from Yesstyle - as usual, please do your own research if you have sensitivities or allergies.

Hydrolyzed Collagen Extract, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cyclohexasiloxane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Water, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Pentaerythrityl Stearate/Caprate/Caprylate/Adipate, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Betaine, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lycium Chinense Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Collagen Extract, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Extract, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Triticum Aestivum Peptide, Phaseolus Lunatus Seed Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Soluble Collagen, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Methylpropanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyacrylate-13, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-10 Distearate, Vinyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Allantoin, Glycosyl Trehalose, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Raffinose, Cholesterol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Disodium EDTA, Micrococcus Ferment Lysate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Lecithin, Propanediol, Ceramide NP, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Laurate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Lauric Acid, Cyanocobalamin, Tromethamine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Human Stem Cell Conditioned Media (10ppm), Hydrolyzed Collagen, Collagen Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Xylitylglucoside, Schizosaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Glycolipids, Sorbitan Laurate, Glucose, Sodium Palmitoyl Proline, Capryloyl Glycine, Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, Maltodextrin, Hexylene Glycol, Squalane, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Collagen, Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether, Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Tetrahydropiperine, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Collagen Amino Acids, Mannitol, Lactic Acid, Sarcosine, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Rutin, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, Citrulline, Cysteine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Ornithine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Taurine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Valine, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, 3-Ascorbyl Carbonyl Dipeptide-17, Capryloyl Dipeptide-17, Acetyl Glutamine, Heptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12, Dipotassium Phosphate, Hyaluronic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Pantothenic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Gluconolactone, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Palmitic Acid, Glycine Soja Peptide, Saccharomyces Polypeptides, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Atelocollagen, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Capryloyl sh-Nonapeptide-6, rh-Polypeptide-1, Avena Sativa (Oat) Peptide, Glycine Max Polypeptide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Calcium Gluconate, Dipeptide-2, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Acetyl Tripeptide-1, Nonapeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-2, Hexapeptide-9, Tripeptide-2, Dipeptide-1, Pentapeptide-3, Tripeptide-3, Alanine/Histidine/Lysine Polypeptide Copper HCl, Dipeptide-4, Oligopeptide-6, Retinyl Palmitate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine HCl, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine, Menadione, Myristic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Polypeptide-3, sh-Polypeptide-4, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Polypeptide-11, sh-Polypeptide-14, sh-Polypeptide-16, sh-Polypeptide-22, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Polysorbate 80, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance

Well. I didn't read the ingredient list myself before I purchased it because it has coconut oil which I already knew gives me breakouts.

I used this all over my face and I had pimples within the next few days. It's a shame because it's a lovely cream that I would have no qualms using all over otherwise.

Thankfully it doesn't seem to breakout my eye area unless I use it twice day.

So: once a day only. But because I'm now an eye cream convert, I obviously had to get another for day use. I'd seen a good review of the Mary & May Tranexamic + .... on Reddit so I got that.

Anyway. It's very intriguing to know I can actually use a little coconut oil as long as I'm conservative it.

Fragrance

The fragrance is barely noticeable.

I can't really describe it as I can't really smell it! It's faint and inoffensive to my nose.

A floral whisper perhaps....

What Step?

Well, it's an eye cream but you can use it for your entire face.

Interesting, the marketing also suggests you can use 12ml as an "at home treatment".

This probably isn't something I'll try (as much as I want to) because of the coconut oil.

I'm trying to use up things before they go out of PAO so currently my routine is something like this:

• [Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% / Minimalist 10% AHA BHA serums]
• Decorte Hydra Clarity Treatment Essence Water
• Sooryehan First Ginseng Essence
• [Retinal]
• Sooryehan Hyobidam Fermented EmulsionA
• HC Ten Revolution Real Eye Cream For Face Season 10
• Sooryehan Bon Firming Cream / Sooryehan Hyobidam Fermented Cream / Mary & May Blackberry Intense Cream

You might notice that one of my HGs is missing: where's Sooryehan's The Black Serum?

It is not forsook but if I use it, I know I'll get lax and not make the effort to pan these products!

I can probably switch the Bon Firming Cream for the Hyobidam Fermented Cream or the Mary & May (with an emulsion) and go back to the Bon more regularly when it's warmer. I've got a few months before the PAO is up!

Experience

I feel like I've kind of covered parts of this section so here's what I haven't said yet:

Fine lines

Smoothing and plumping out the eye area is why I got this cream in the first place, as well as dealing with a bit of dryness.

I've got a line under my right eye that is distinct, it's a crease that resembles a fold in a piece of paper. For my left eye, the lines are faint and crinkly, like smoothed out crepe paper.

There's a definite effect on the lines, even my right eye. For my left eye, the lines that were becoming mini creases are smoothing out.

Although I've heard that there's studies which report that side sleeping doesn't affect fine lines, my anecdotal experience is that the line on the side where I sleep is the most visible.

There could be other factors I'm not considering here as correlation doesn't necessarily equal causation.

The progress I'm seeing could be down to using an extra cream, I'm not discounting this, but as a person who often uses emulsion + cream or layers multiple creams, that seems unlikely.

As it's been over way over a month, it would make sense that the ingredients are starting to have an effect. I strongly suspect that further usage, combined with the actives, will keep the benefits coming.

What I particularly like about the AHC is that it doesn't matter if I slide on my actives: it's still working on my fine lines.

And I do slide on the actives whereas using the AHC is a joyful experience because I always enjoy adding extra cream products.

I like choice in my routine, which is partly why I find actives boring I think, even fun ones like the Minimalist.

Eyelashes

I am one of those people for whom peptides appear to cause facial hair to grow. Apparently it's an urban legend but on a basic level there must be some peptides that are meant to help with hair growth as you find them in eyelash and hair serums.

I definitely notice an effect on my eyelashes. My bottom lashes seem longer, my top lashes are curling better.

I did have a gap in my top lashes and whilst I don't think it's filled in the gap wholly in this short time, it's potentially helping with how they grow so that gap isn't so much of a big deal now?

Either way, mascara is easier to apply now so that's a bonus. I should add having two new tubes of mascara may also make a difference. It's hard to separate the variables!

Why it's changed how I think about skincare

I am solidly in Team Eye Cream now.

Whilst I think the AHC is the more potent than the Mary & May, I think having eye cream as part of my morning routine is beneficial as well.

I do think the texture of eye cream is different to standard creams. Whilst a standard creamy moisturiser will pat in OK, there seems to be something slightly different about the texture of these eye creams.

Granted, I do use face creams that are dense so most things would seem light in comparison.

I think part of what I mean is that there's a soft elasticity to these eye creams - it's a texture that spreads very lightly and absorbs extremely quickly. A nice gentle round of patting and you're done!

In comparison, my Sooryehan face creams are more densely textured but they become spreadable as your skin warms them.

I find I don't want to pat the face creams, smoothing them across my skin is the appropriate application technique. Smoothing the eye creams spreads them out too much once they've warmed.

Final Thoughts

I clearly see a place in my routine for eye creams now.

Which of course tempts me towards an offering from Sooryehan or Whoo. What might I be missing out on??

But I liked the AHC immediately - so much so that after testing it for a week (my usual time period), I added another when I was doing an order for a backup Whoo Royal Essential Golden Lip Cerin.

I should also say that I'm not even close to panning the AHC yet.

With my back up, I'm probably set for eye cream for a year.

Whilst I definitely like trying new products, there's something comforting about knowing that this part of my routine is locked down.

I had thought I'd got face cream locked down too but I'm wondering if the Hyobidam is actually going to be too heavy for spring/summer use. Ah well, cross that bridge if it happens.

Side note: I'll be ready to do my review of the Whoo lip cerin soon too!