Beauty review and interview: La Prairie White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire

“The Shape of Light” philosophy, one that considers shape and how light interacts with it, is at the heart of La Prairie’s illuminating White Caviar Collection, in particular its newest addition for the eye. The point at which art meets beauty also comes into play, which is a time-honoured tradition for the luxury brand.

La Prairie has a long-standing relationship with the art world, and Spanish-born artist Pablo Valbuena’s “Waves”, a mesmerising light installation for Art Basel Miami in 2019, was a direct commission by the brand and the perfect opportunity to tease their newest release - White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire. During the unveiling of “Waves”, the world was given a glimpse of this game-changing eye cream and its breakthrough ingredient: Lumidose. With clinical trials showing that, in just four weeks, wrinkles, fines lines and dullness had diminished by 74 per cent, it’s safe to say that Lumidose is the single most powerful illuminating molecule on the market right now, and it plays a major role in the efficacy of this luxurious new cream.

Anyone who’s tried to restore the ever-elusive, perfect “glow” to their skin over the age of 21 knows it’s harder than it seems. The secret to getting it right: understanding light. I was lucky enough to hear all about the new release and how best to “harness light” when I travelled to Sydney a couple of months ago to interview the fascinating Dr. Daniel Stangl, director of innovation at La Prairie. When we sit down it’s immediately following the local launch of White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire, an event which takes place at Glebe House, a stellar piece of work by architects Chenchow Little that sits elevated above a sandstone cliff overlooking the Sydney skyline. The home has been designed with capturing light through considered shapes in mind, and makes for a fitting venue.

The barrier to the human eye area being able to reflect light has been identified by Dr. Stangl and his team as “chromatic disturbances”, and these take many forms. “Grey” is when dust and pollution accumulate on the upper layers, diminishing otherwise healthy and youthful looking skin. “Brown” refers to the overproduction of melanin in the form of age or dark spots. “Yellow” points to the oxidative stress from exposure to free radicals and “Red” symbolises external stress factors (think UV rays and irritants) that lead to inflamed skin. The most recent addition to this line up is “Violet”, which directly relates to a loss of illumination around the eye area, especially when you’re not getting enough sleep. White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire is designed to effectively address all five of these, which is why the formulation has a myriad of benefits: it diminishes the greyness caused by pollution, smooths fine lines, decreases crow’s feet and improves moisture levels. 

Dr. Stangl gets most excited about “finding ways to increase the reflection of light – the quality of the light that is reflected, and the ability of the skin to reflect it”. He explains that young skin absorbs up to 90 percent of light, but over time that diminishes quite rapidly. “We do have a layer of collagen fibres in the dermis however, that is a kind of network that helps reflect light from within. Our goal was to strengthen that network and thus the amount of light that is reflected back”.

The day of the launch, White Caviar Illuminating Eye Serum was applied to my eyes prior to the new release. Is it vital to use both? “We always recommend you use a serum and a moisturiser for the optimum result, but some people will use one or the other depending on their personal preference and what you feel is best for you,” says the doctor. “You know your skin best, we just provide recommendations that make sense from a science point of view. Do what makes you happy.” He does add that a moisturiser will help seal in the ingredients in the brand’s high performance serums, reinforcing the skin barrier from the outside. “Creating a humid environment in the outer layers of the skin favours greater penetration of actives, which I think we can all agree is a very good thing.”

White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire comes with a delicate Ceramic Pearl applicator, which is designed to help massage and soothe the skin of the eye area, while further enhancing the efficacy of the cream. It takes the whole application process to a luxurious new level, which is what one has come to expect from La Prairie. I’ve been using the new release ever since the launch, and cannot get over the fact that it really does create this amazing filter across your under eye area, adding a slight pearl effect and as well as a brightness that definitely hides late nights. And, that's just what happens immediately. Over time, I saw the cream go to work softening, moisturising and strengthening the whole eye area. Unbelievable – and incredibly impressive.

I have been applying it during my morning skincare routine, and although the formula is quite dense, it is absolutely amazing when applied under makeup. With an RRP of $865 La Prairie White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire is most definitely an investment, but it has already gone on to be a runaway hit with fans of the brand with good reason. This marvel comes highly recommended.