I sleep like a cat and I've always put my ability to get a minimum of eight hours of uninterrupted shut eye as the reason why I've never had dark under eye circles, but no amount of beauty sleep will banish puffy eyes. After a month-long test, I can report that Dermaxime's Rejuvenating Eye Cream ($69) has sent my bags packing.

Being the cosmetic nerd that I am, I was excited to find a new (to me) ingredient in Dermaxime's eye cream. Tetrapeptide-5 is marketed as Eyeseryl and is undoubtedly the secret sauce. It is supposed to reduce water retention and ensure lymph drainage, while protecting collagen from cross-linking and causing baggy eyes. Apart from this it reduces leaking of fluids from the capillaries into the tissue, which can cause puffy eyes. In clinical tests, it has also reduced dark under circles, but I can't comment on that personally.

Dermaxime puts a lot of store by pseudoalteromonas ferment extract. I have to admit that I've always found this ingredient be fairly implausible. It is a bacteria found at the bottom of the Antarctic sea that is able to withstand extreme cold. It does this by producing glycoproteins that retain water. Whether that makes it a good moisturizing ingredient for human skin seems to be a bit of a stretch. Also, the only research (showing it to be a wound healer and a booster of collagen and elastin) has been conducted by Lipotec, the cosmetic manufacturer that also makes the above mentioned Eyeseryl.

Thankfully there is independent research backing caesalpinia spinosa as an antioxidant. This Chilean shrub is full of tannins and is also known as the tara bush. The extract has molecules called glactommans that will release moisture into the skin, making this a highly hydrating ingredient as well. I was also pleased to see cornflower (centauria). This also appears in Jack Black's eye cream. The extract is rich in the polyphenols called flavonoids and anthocyanins, as well as an anti-inflammatory and slightly astringent.

Although I'd rather Dermaxime hadn't included three potential irritants (phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin and sodium hydroxide, I have had no adverse reactions. In conclusion, I think that this eye cream will be given serious consideration for the next Five Best.

Ingredients: Aqua, cyclopentasiloxane, C30-45 alkyl cetearyl dimethicone crosspolymer, acetyl tetrapeptide-5, caesalpinia spinosa oligosaccarides, caesalpinia spinosa gum, glycerin, pseudoalteromonas ferment extract, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, horse chestnut seed extract, centella asiatica extract, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, centaurea cyanus flower extract, jojoba seed oil, camelia sinensis, cranberry seed oil, carbomer, sodium hyaluronate, disodium EDTA, sodium hydroxide.