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My husband is an amazing cook, and I will get into how that is related to the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream in a minute. First though let me quickly address that on the website, it is called eye sleeping mask in the description.
They explain the difference to a regular eye cream with the „more powerful ingredients“ added, but truth be told, it is an eye cream with encapsulated retinol, more on the rich side. You know I love my retinol eye creams, I barely use any others (More info: Are eye creams just a waste of money), and the lovely thing about this one is that texture and name remind me of my husbands Guacamole, which is the best I have ever eaten.
Two reasons that already speak for the product – but could the performance convince as well? Let‘s see.
And if you are interested in my thoughts on more Glow Recipe products, I have a video on them here:
What the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream claims
Meet the powerful yet gentle eye treatment that brightens, moisturizes, firms & de-puffs.
Facts about the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream
Prize and size
One pot made from green glass (of which 20% is recycled glass) and contains 15 ml. It is available for 42 $ on the website here. All Glow Recipe products are vegan.
While 15 ml doesn‘t sound much, it is the amount most eye creams contain as you really don‘t need much.
Texture and smell
The Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream has no scent I can notice, but does contain fragrance. It is probably used to cover the own scent of some of the ingredients that are the reason that fragrance free products can often have a weird smell. (More info: Is fragrance in your skincare dangerous?) And while I had secretly hoped I would get a whiff of Avocado when I opened the product for the first time, it might have been weird in actual application.
The texture is quite rich and with the light green color really reminds of ripe avocado, but melts into the skin much quicker than expected.
How to use the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream
There are very strong opinions out there about when in your routine eye creams should be applied, but even though I do it like the majority of people here (after serum, before moisturizer), I don’t really think it matters that much. Most people take neither their serum nor their moisturizer right up to their eyes anyway, but stop at the orbital bone area.
Usually retinol is supposed to be used at night as it isn’t stable to UV exposure, but Glow Recipe states daytime use is fine as long as you wear it underneath SPF. Still the rich texture for me makes this more of a night time product than something I would wear throughout the day, but one that is gentle enough to be used every night even for beginners. When used during the day it didn‘t interfere with my makeup though, so if you want to wear it in the mornings, go for it.
Ingredients of the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream
sii|h 0 0, Propanediol solv|h, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1–2, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil 
aox|emo 0 0–3, C9-12 Alkane solv, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2–3, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emo|vc, Kaolin col|abrasive/scrub 0 0, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate surf, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract so|emo|h, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Hexylresorcinol sb|amic, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract abrasive/scrub, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice so|h, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Fruit Extract aox, Hyaluronic Acid sii|h, Ethylhexyl Palmitate emo 0 2–4, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Retinol cci, Pei-10 vc, Hydrated Silica abrasive/scrub|vc, Sodium Chloride vc, Fructan, Maltodextrin, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Ci 75300*, Potassium Chloride vc, Potassium Phosphate buff, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, Sodium Phosphate buff, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate h, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Arginine sii, Silica Dimethyl Silylate emo|vc, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine h|emu, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Citric Acid buff, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract perf, Malachite Extract aox, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract aox|so|amic, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate emo|solv, Polyisobutene vc, PVP vc 0 0, C13-15 Alkane solv|emo, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer surf|emu, Fragrance/Parfum** 
perf, Hexylene Glycol solv|emu|perf|surf 0–1 0–2, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Phenoxyethanol presHover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
There is Avocado Oil in the formula, which is supposed to be good for dry skins and rich in beneficial fatty acids and Vitamins A, E and D and that paired with the Squalane and the Shea Butter explains the rich texture.
Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid act as humectants and, which surprised me, Kaolin, a type of clay that acts as absorbent for excess sebum, nothing you usually see used around the eyes. (More info: The benefits of Hyaluronic Acid in skincare explained)
The retinol used here comes with no percentage, so I can’t give you an idea of the supposed strength, and is also encapsulated, meaning it comes in a coating of a lipid or fatty acid molecule. That means two things: a) it is supposed to be gentler, as it is released from its “capsule” over time, not everything at once, and b) the concentration given for the encapsulated retinol wouldn’t be comparable to the concentration of a pure retinol, as it behaves differently. (More info: Your comprehensive guide to retinoids)
It is paired with Niacinamide, which is usually a good combination, and again a variety of plant extracts, for example Coffee Fruit Extract, which contains antioxidants and several others. (More info: The benefits of Niacinamide in skincare explained)
Here is how to read the ingredient list in skincare products.
Does it live up to its claims?
Yes.
Retinol containing eye creams are more „powerful“ than regular ones if „powerful“ is a term you want to use when talking about skincare – I don‘t think it is the best one as more power doesn‘t equal better results. It is gentle and has the ingredients to firm, brighten and moisturize. Not sure about the depuffing part, I would have expected Caffeine for that, but I can‘t say it won‘t do it either, I don‘t really struggle with puffy eyes.
How does it compare to…
The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream
This is for those of you that want a more budget version, as 42 $ for 15 ml is a lot. Both use encapsulated retinol as well as humectants, but The Inkey List has a much more straightforward formula, without the added plant extracts you find in Glow Recipes version. If that is better or worse, I can‘t judge, it depends on your preferences and your skins sensitivities. Especially when you are on a budget though, I think The Inkey List is the better choice.
You can read my full review of The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream here.
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum
This one is surely not a budget friendly version either, but my current favorite due to its elegant and lightweight texture. Now I don‘t think it has a more potent retinol effect or that the plant extracts added to the formula have amazing additional benefits, my preference is solely based on the serum like texture that suits my skin very well. If that is worth spending extra for you is a personal decision.
You can read my full review of the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum here.
Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream to?
Even though I like the eye cream especially for the colder months, when the extra richness is appreciated, I will not change from my current favorites to this one. It is a nice, gentle retinol eye cream for more mature skin or skin that is more on the dry side though.
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