"'Snake Venom'—the New Skin Power Player," the email's subject line read. Hmm, I thought to myself. Am I willing to apply the venom of a reptile I despise with Indiana Jones–esque terror all over my face in the name of beauty? Yes, I thought to myself. Yes, I am. After obtaining a few more important details from the brand, I discovered EIGHTH DAY's covetable Eye Renewal Cream (the venom-infused product in question) contains dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate (dare you to say that 10 times fast), which is a protein bio-identical to one found in snake venom. According to both science and ancient folklore—snake venom has been used for both beauty and medicinal purposes in Eastern cultures for ages—the protein relaxes muscles in a similar way to Botox, temporarily blocking the uptake of sodium by underlying cells, which in effect causes a softening and smoothing effect on fine lines and wrinkles. Yep, dabbing a pea-size amount of the cream onto your eye area is pretty much the IRL equivalent to swooping your face with the smoothing tool on Facetune.
Filled to the brim with the aforementioned venom, EIGHTH DAY's renewing eye cream features the brand's highly unique Active Placental Matrix, which targets the three main perps when it comes to less-than-bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed peepers: puffiness, circles, and those sneaky crepey fine lines. You'll also find designer eye peptides, vitamin C, arbutin, kojic acid, arnica montana, bilberry, and a host of brightening B vitamins in the ingredient mix as well.
But back to the snake venom because if you're a curious consumer like I am, I know that's the real reason you're here. According to board-certified dermatologist and founder of EIGHTH DAY Tony Nakhla, the Eye Renewal Cream only uses the venom protein that has an active effect on the muscle and in a small enough dose that the effect is immediate and temporary.
