Eye creams can sometimes get lost among buzzier skin care staples, but it’s hard to wave off any offering from Drunk Elephant. In July, the beauty brand added a new elixir to its slate of beloved skin and hair care products: the Drunk Elephant Ceramighty AF Eye Balm. It’s an ultra rich under-eye cream chock-full of ceramides and plant oils that are meant to moisturize and soothe tired eyes while improving elasticity and fine lines. Sign me up.

I stay up way too late most nights, usually soaking in blue light from one of my devices — which leaves me with tired-looking eyes in the a.m. that don’t seem to bounce back until around lunchtime after a goblet of water and a couple cups of coffee. Needless to say, I was sold on the promise of rich hydration that would plump my sluggish eyes into a more awake state.

I’m a relative newbie to the eye cream game, but I’ve discovered a few other noteworthy ones that have managed to steal my heart. Naturally, I had to try the Drunk Elephant Ceramighty AF Eye Balm to see if it held up against my faves — read on for my honest review.

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If you’re not familiar (though I’m sure you are), Drunk Elephant has earned a cult following for its commitment to using only effective, fuss-free ingredients that work in tandem with one another — and they leave out the potentially problematic stuff (their trademarked “Suspicious 6”): essential oils, alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrance/dyes, and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).

The Ceramighty AF Eye Balm isn’t Drunk Elephant’s first venture into the eye cream/balm/serum space. It also has the C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream, meant to firm and improve tone, and the Shaba Complex Eye Serum, a formlua that helps hydrate and minimize fine lines. But about this latest launch: First and most notably, the Ceramighty AF Eye Balm is designed to deliver a serious hydration TKO. To do so, it features an unusually high concentration of 3% ceramides to support the skin barrier — the shield that locks in moisture and helps keep pollutants out — and maintain the moisture balance of the skin around your eyes. Ceramides, BTW, are lipids that naturally occur in the skin, but you lose them as you age — so they’re always good to replenish.

The Drunk Elephant Ceramighty AF Eye Balm also contains a 10% plant-based omega-lipid complex, which is loaded with nourishing fatty acids and antioxidants that protect against free radicals that can damage skin. Then there’s oat kernal oil, a super skin-soother, and vitamin F to smooth the complexion.

You can use the product day and night, and the ingredients work together to hydrate, soften, soothe, moisturize,and firm under-eye skin — and thwart signs of fatigue.

It may not be everyone’s jam, but I happen to love when a skin care product smells authentically like the ingredients in the bottle. As mentioned above, Drunk Elephant doesn’t add fragrance to its formulas, and with the Ceramighty AF Eye Balm, the potent concentration of plant oils really comes through for an intoxicating earthy, almost sweet scent. It’s like a dewy morning in a bottle, and I’m completely on board.

The Ceramighty bottle is small, not unlike other eye balms, but a little goes a long way. One half-squirt is more than enough for both eyes. It has a great creamy feel, and it goes on as smooth as butter and absorbs quickly.

As of today, I’ve only been using it for about a week, so I can’t speak to any long-term effects like fine lines fading quite yet, which could take four weeks to be apparent. But the skin under and around my eyes is absolutely plumper and peppier; I could spot a difference almost immediately. And the area feels super hydrated and smooth to the touch. Seriously, I can’t stop patting my under-eye area. I’ll try to quit, though.

I’ve been using the Drunk Elephant Ceramighty AF Eye Balm day and night for about a week, and the results are undeniable already. The skin around my eyes is firm and perfectly drenched without feeling greasy. Moral of the story? I think I’m in love with a new eye cream — just in time for cuffing season.

Coderich, L. (2003). Ceramides and skin function. Am J Clin Dermatol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12553851/

Spada, F. (2018). Skin hydration is significantly increased by a cream formulated to mimic the skin’s own natural moisturizing systems. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197824/