Peter thomas roth instant firmx eye before and after

We tested the viral TikTok eye-lift-in-a-bottle by Peter Thomas Roth that broke the internet. But does it actually work?

This is not an illusion, or is it? 

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The first viral TikTok video of Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye Treatment had us falling off our chairs in the office. The video showed a woman who complained of very saggy skin under her eyes, as well as puffiness and deep wrinkles. She generously applied the gel-like treatment to her under eyes and as if by magic, all these concerns completely disappeared in under a minute.

The clip now has more than three million views on TikTok, and the hashtag for the brand itself has 40 million views, which are almost exclusively down to this one product. Users have created countless duet reactions to the original video, with some trying the product for themselves and others simply trying to understand the science behind it. It's being dubbed the cheapest eye lift you can get, and the product sells out pretty much as soon as it goes back in stock. So much so, we had to fight tooth and nail to get our hands on it and the moment the product landed on our desks, we all started losing our minds. 

The product works by instantly tightening the skin around the eye, which temporarily minimises the appearance of fine lines, deep wrinkles, and under-eye puffiness. There are also long term benefits thanks to a powerful peptide complex they call Eyeliss and a potent combination of alfalfa extract and hydrolysed lupine protein, that protects skin and firms.

Now that all the science jargon is out of the way, let’s see the product in action. Here are five different people's honest thoughts on this viral TikTok beauty product sensation.

The product:

Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye, £32, Look Fantastic

The verdict:

Deborah Joseph, GLAMOUR’s European Editorial Director

A cream that instantly removes my lines?  Surely it's too good to be true? The packaging shows before and after photos worthy of a plastic surgery clinic, showing eyes with multiple crows' feet that have miraculously disappeared, apparently due to this cream. Yeah right, can you tell I’m a sceptic?

I try it on my right eye first. It feels reassuringly cold, and if nothing else, it’s a great pick-me-up eye cream. After a few seconds, the skin around my eyes tightens as if I’ve put Sellotape on there and pulled my skin upwards. I see a difference, but is it a trick of the light? I put it in my other eye.  It’s definitely working but feels tight. My friend comes round. She has a few more eye wrinkles than me. She starts weaning after a few minutes, her crows' feet disappearing before our eyes. I grab the bottle and put it on the lines around my mouth, on my neck. 

She smears it on her forehead, her forehead looks smoother, tighter, her lines almost erased. We are screaming, “omg, omg”! This actually works. Meanwhile, I try to smile. My face is distorted. It's so stiff it doesn’t move properly. My friends are laughing at me. I look like I’m trying to talk with a plum in my mouth. I may have flaky white residue on my face (this isn't so bad if you mix the product with moisturiser), and I may not be able to smile, but I don’t care. I look 10 years younger – so long as I stay totally still.

Rating: 7/10

Emily Maddick, GLAMOUR’s Assistant Deputy Editor and Entertainment Director

When it comes to puffiness, it tends to be above my eyes that suffer the most, but under my eyes, I have wrinkles, fine lines, and crows feet that I’ve been trying to eliminate for years. So when my (significantly younger) colleagues at work were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of this product, I was excited to try it. Full disclosure: I had Botox for my crows’ feet around six weeks ago (shout out to my doctor, the brilliant Mr. Kambiz Golchin) but I still have fine lines under my eyes and my skin can get very crepe-like in that area. I also am prone to dark circles which are particularly prominent right now thanks to jet lag. The Instant Eye Firm Temporary Eye Tightener did just that. 

I felt the tightening effects almost immediately; the cream tingled until the skin felt like it had been stretched as if I’d been in the really hot sun. After a few minutes, my under eyes looked significantly brighter and tighter. Although I did notice that the cream left a pale residue, not great for darker skin. Indeed, after I slept with it one night, I woke up to a lumpy, chalky film under my eyes, which was not ideal. The skin where I had applied the cream also felt dehydrated, which I didn’t like. But in terms of doing what it says on the tin, you can’t fault it. However after a few days of application, the skin under my eyes looked like it had been snagged and I worried that it was too astringent for such delicate skin, so I would not use it on a regular basis, maybe just for a one-off hit.

Rating: 5/10

Grace Barnes, GLAMOUR’s Creative Production Director

Puffy eyes in the morning are a real problem for me, especially if I am low on sleep or have been out the night before. No amount of concealer can hide my bags so I was hesitant to believe the hype of this eye cream. 

It looks and feels a little like a primer, you apply it directly to the area you want to see tightened, and it works instantly. However, I found that using too much left a white residue (if this happens, the brand suggests mixing it with concealer). If you use just enough, the result is quite amazing. Within seconds my bags had completely disappeared. I didn’t notice much of an effect on the fine lines around my eyes but the puffiness was no more. The product does feel a little tight on the skin which is a strange sensation, but I guess that means it’s working, right?

Rating: 7/10

Dennis Lye, GLAMOUR’s Creative Lead

I was quite sceptical at first sight as I don't have much under-eye puffiness, but I did try it on my 70-year-old mum who does, and, it does work! After about two minutes, she described a subtle tightening sensation and right in front of my eyes (pun intended) it was visibly smoother and made her whole face look refreshed. Inspired, I target the fine lines near the tear duct as well as my laugh lines, the verdict? 

I was inspired to try for myself. It gave my skin a soft blurring effect and seemingly filled in the lines so they're visibly (emphasis on visibly) reduced. I was impressed, but it only gets a seven out of ten for me because while it does exactly what it says on the tin, it leaves a yellowish, powdery residue that tends to flake off to the touch when it's dried, which might affect how makeup sits on top of it. That didn't stop my mum from stealing the rest of it from me, though. 

Rating: 7/10

Shei Mamona, GLAMOUR’s Beauty & Entertainment Assistant

I don’t really suffer from puffiness other than in the early mornings, of course. However, I was really looking to see if it would even out my fine under-eye lines, which would make it easier to apply my concealer. 

I think because I naturally have sunken eyes, it didn’t do what I needed it to do. I applied a pea sized amount as I was afraid of the white residue it warned me about if used in excess. Then, the product oxidised on my dark skin so it looked very grey and dark as it dried out. My looked more sunken than ever. It did tighten, but it felt like PVA glue on the skin. To try and counteract this, I applied my liquid concealer on top, and it went from bad to worse. The concoction crumbled, it didn’t really reduce the appearance of my under-eye lines, nor did it feel like a smooth surface to apply makeup on. I gave it a good go, but soon had to remove it. 

I see exactly how it might work for others as it's like liposuction under your eye, but it just didn't quite meet my needs. Perhaps it's a little too soon for me to be looking for a cream ‘eye-lift’. I gave it to my mum and she loved it, so at least it went to a good home.

Rating: 5/10

For more from Glamour UK Beauty & Entertainment Assistant Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona