Dry and irritated
eye area

Read our guide to find out how you can care for the dry and irritated area around your eyes

In short:

Our home remedies for treating a dry eye area
Dry and irritated eye area
The causes of a dry and irritated eye area
Very dehydrated and irritated eye area
How to get rid of bags under the eyes?
How to avoid dryness around the eyes?

Our home remedies for treating
a dry eye area

Applying a cold compress to your eyes can help decongest and hydrate the dry area under your eyes. Below you'll find some home remedies for treating a dry and irritated eye area. They can also help brighten your complexion and soothe the whole eye area.

Putting cucumber on your eyes can help reduce dark circles, hydrate your skin and reduce inflammation.
Gently sweeping cotton wool soaked in milk over your eye area can nourish and hydrate your skin.
Dabbing olive oil around your eyes and leaving it on overnight can soothe the area thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Soaking cotton wool with rose water is soothing for sensitive skin that may be prone to irritation – place it over your eyes for 15 to 20 minutes.

Dry and irritated
eye area

The skin under your eyes is thin and delicate – it's up to five times thinner than the skin on other parts of your body. Dry and dehydrated skin is therefore more visible under your eyes. The skin under your eyes is very sensitive to dehydration. It can become creased and more prone to early wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and sagging. Your lifestyle, environmental changes and skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema can also cause a dry and irritated eye area.

The causes of
a dry and irritated eye area

Dry skin is the result of a breakdown in your skin's natural barrier, which is then no longer able to retain moisture effectively.

The skin around your eyes contains virtually no sebaceous glands or supporting fatty tissue. This means that it reacts more strongly to environmental influences such as dry air, strong sun, lack of sleep and an unhealthy diet.

Your eyes work hard for you: you blink up to 10,000 times and make thousands of facial expressions every day, not to mention the time you spend looking at screens.

As you get older and with the maturation of your skin, it becomes drier, while skin disorders such as eczema, contact dermatitis or conjunctivitis can also cause dryness around your eyes.

The causes of a dry and irritated eye area include:

Age – people over 40 are more likely to have dry skin under the eyes.
Smoking.
Vitamin or mineral deficiencies, such as vitamin D, vitamin A, iron or zinc.
Dry climate.
Seasonal changes, especially winter cold or hay fever season.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.
Very hot water.

Very dehydrated
and irritated eye area

Good hydration is essential for all your organs to function at their best, including your eyes and the area around them. Because the skin around your eyes is thinner than the skin on the rest of your face, any signs of dehydration show up more there. Dehydration can make the eye area look darker, discoloured, sunken or hollow. The best way to tackle this is simply to drink more water!

Screens and the blue light they emit can penetrate your skin and destroy collagen and elastin, both essential for keeping skin plump. This blue light can also be very dehydrating. Computer-related fatigue can also cause irritation and dryness under your eyes that you might be tempted to relieve by rubbing them more.

Pollution, sun damage, caffeine and alcohol can also lead to dehydration and damage the delicate eye area.

Take regular screen breaks and cut down the time you spend on devices as much as you can. Use a refreshing gel-cream or cold compress if you're dealing with dehydration and irritation in the eye area. To soothe skin around your eyes that feels dry, two slices of cucumber will do the trick!

Use a nourishing face mask as a complementary treatment. Look out for rich formulas designed to protect your skin against the effects of air pollution, which can cause stress and a dry and irritated eye area.

How to get rid of flaky skin in the eye area

If you're wondering how to get rid of dry and flaky skin under your eyes, let us guide you.

Because the skin around your eyes is very delicate and more likely to become dry or flaky, it's important to give it proper care quickly to stop it getting worse – especially if this area itches and you scratch or rub it.

Dry skin under your eyes results from a loss of the skin's ability to retain moisture, so always choose products that rehydrate it. For visibly healthier-looking skin, you really only need one thing: enough hydration. As you age, your skin's natural recovery capacity decreases.

If you notice that the skin under your eyes has become dry, try our Luminous eye cream morning and evening for a brighter and firmer appearance. Its formula helps reduce wrinkles, firms your skin and moisturises the sensitive skin around your eyes.

Dry eyes and bags under the eyes

A dry and irritated eye area and bags under your eyes are very common problems. Many people have puffy eyes, sometimes with dark circles. As your skin weakens with age, you're increasingly likely to have bags under your eyes together with a dehydrated eye area. As the skin loses structure, it starts to sag and the fat that was once around the eye moves down under the eyes. Fluid can also build up in this area, giving it a swollen appearance.

Ageing is the main cause of bags under the eyes, but your lifestyle also plays an important role in how they appear.

Here are some factors that can cause bags under the eyes:

Sleeping on your stomach, without a pillow or with a pillow that's too flat,
Smoking,
Drinking alcohol,
Being under stress or feeling anxious,
Lack of rest,
Genetics – bags under the eyes can run in the family.

Dry skin under your eyes can make dark circles and puffiness look more noticeable. If you have a dry and irritated eye area, you might be tempted to rub or scratch your eyes, which can make bags under the eyes even worse.

How to get rid of
bags under the eyes?

Drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep can help decongest your eye area, but it's by making deeper lifestyle changes (for example, quitting smoking) that you'll see the best results.

A gentle facial massage can help improve the appearance of bags under your eyes by stimulating the lymphatic system, which helps eliminate excess fluid.

When you're choosing a cream for bags under the eyes, look for one with a high moisturising capacity.

How to avoid
dryness around the eyes

Wear sunglasses with a UV filter on sunny days. This will protect your eyes from the sun's rays and stop you from squinting.

A close-up of a woman's eye and smooth cheek area.

Stop smoking. Smoking regularly dries out your skin and wrinkles appear faster if your skin is under-hydrated.

Nourish the sensitive skin around your eyes by using a specific eye cream.

Drink enough water so that your skin is properly hydrated from the inside.

Adopt a healthy diet: vegetables, seeds, fruit, herbs, natural oils and nuts are rich in valuable antioxidants that smooth your skin and help prevent wrinkles.