Product Review: Clinique Pep Start™ Eye Cream

Back in the mid-1980's, Clinique was my first foray into a makeup and skincare line that didn't come from a drugstore. I was in my mid-20's, with sensitive, oily, breakout-prone skin, and I was just learning about skincare. I've come a long way since then, and so has Clinique.


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For the most part, I've learned that Clinique skincare and I just are not a good mix. (all about my skin) On the opposite end of the skincare spectrum is my mother-in-law. She used nothing but Clinique for 30+ years, and she has the most beautiful skin you've ever seen. That is one of the most important things I've learned about beauty products - it's not necessarily that there is an issue with your skin or the product, it may simply be that you aren't a good match. It's really all about finding what works for you. Even though I don't usually use the Clinique skincare line, when I received a deluxe sample of their Pep Start™ Eye Cream in one of my Sephora Play! boxes, I wanted to give it a try.

I realize I'm a little late to the show/review, since this product debuted in late 2015/early 2016. But hey, I don't usually use eye creams, so I'm just now trying it! I was especially interested in the eye cream because it contains caffeine, and I have been having some issues with puffiness under my eyes. I think it's partially due to allergies, but I'm guessing it's mostly just one more thing to chalk up to menopause and aging. As I mentioned, I don't usually use a product specifically for the eye area - for a couple of reasons. One is that my undereye area is extremely sensitive, so most products cause more problems than they help. The other is that I truly believe that whatever is good for the rest of my face is good for my undereye area (for the most part - there are a few exceptions).

The Clinique website says the Pep-Start™ Eye Cream hydrates and perks up the eye area, taking just 3 seconds to make you look wide awake and refreshed. "Its cool touch and de-puffing tip help keep eyes looking fresh."

I have to tell you that I was pretty doubtful that this could work in 3 seconds, and I was concerned over the "cool touch". Usually when a product says that, it means it contains menthol or something similar to give your skin that "cool" sensation. I don't like that, especially under my eyes. Fortunately, I don't see menthol or anything similar in the ingredient list, and there are several peptides, which is great for anti-aging.
Ingredients: water, glycerin, butylene glycol, butyrospemum parkii (shea butter), squalane, cetyl esters, dimethicone, methyl gluceth-20, polyethylene, glycereth-26, polybutene, sucrose, magnolia officinalis bark extract, sigesbeckia orientalis (St. Paul's wort) extract, algae extract, molasses extract, sapindus mukurossi fruit extract, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, whey protein, palmitoyl hexapeptide-12, trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2, caffeine, phytosphingosine, acetyl hexapeptide-8, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, yeast extract, glycine soja (soybean) protein, caesalpinia spinosa gum, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl actylate crosspolymer, glyceryl polymethacrylate, sucrose stearate, caprylyl glycol, PEG-8, sodoum hyaluronate, simethicone, polysorbate 20, carbomer, sodium hydroxide, dextran, hexylene glycol, sodium citrate, phenoxyethanol, mica, titanium dioxide.


The product is a white cream that is fairly thick, but absorbs pretty well. I did feel a slight cooling sensation upon application, but it didn't sting nor did I develop any irritation from it. As with Clinique's other skincare products - which is something I wish more skincare companies would consider - this one is fragrance-free. It has an applicator tip that is rounded like a ball. I understand that with the full-size version, you pull up on the ball applicator tip to open the tube (shown below).


I used the Pep Start™ Eye Cream twice daily for about a month, and other than providing a bit of moisture, there weren't many changes in my undereye area. I realize that a month isn't very long in terms of skincare, but in this case, I felt I should've seen results pretty much right away since it claims to work in 3 seconds. It didn't de-puff my eyes in 3 seconds. It may have helped the puffiness just a bit, but it took several minutes. It didn't brighten, and as a matter of fact, I felt like the dark circles actually looked a bit worse at the end of the month. Sorry, Clinique - this was just a miss for me.

The full-size product comes in a 0.5 oz. tube, and is priced at $26.50 on both the Clinque and Sephora websites. I found it for a couple of dollars cheaper on Amazon.

This is not something I would personally recommend, but I do realize that everyone has different needs for their skin and will likely get different results. So I would say if you want to give it a try, go to Sephora and ask for a sample. That should allow you to see whether or not it's a product that does what you expect it to do.

Have you tried the Pep-Start Eye Cream? Do you use a product specifically for the undereye area?