I am such a huge fan of Tatcha products, that when I heard about THE PEARL, I was counting down the days. This is an illuminating eye treatment formulated to hydrate and reduce the look of dark circles. “Light-refracting pearl pigments work with Akoya pearl extract to restore radiance by helping to address the three causes of under-eye darkness: thinning skin, blue undertones, and pigmentation.” It’s a sort of 2-in-1 product that provides some coverage while helping to treat the undereye area instantly and over time.

Ingredients (from Tatcha)

• Liquid Extract from Akoya Pearls: A naturally-derived anti-glycation ingredient that helps to reduce the intrinsic signs of aging and fatigue around the eye area associated with A.G.E.; works to address dark circles and fine lines and wrinkles by supporting natural collagen production and inhibiting hyperpigmentation; boosted by niacinamide, known to visibly brighten and firm, and pearl pigments for sheer, radiant coverage.
• Silk Powder: Provides a blurring effect with a natural silken finish, and absorbs excess oil while still moisturizing to help makeup glide on smoothly and wear longer.
• Hadasei-3 and Hyaluronic Acid: A fermentation of detoxifying uji green tea, polysaccharide-rich Okinawa mozuku algae, and nourishing akita rice is combined with hyaluronic acid to soften, plump, and hydrate skin for enhanced suppleness and youthful radiance.
• Protective Blend of Botanical Extracts: Anti-pollution natural active ingredients fight attack from environmental stressors and act as a barrier between makeup and skin, helping to protect against signs of aging over time.

My Experience

If you follow me on Instagram and caught my Insta story, you know I had mixed first impressions. But I’ve used it every day since I received it to help solidify my thoughts. My intention for the product was to use it on days I wasn’t really wearing makeup… on the days I wanted to swipe on some CC cream, mascara and go. While it is not concealer, it does have some coverage, although not significant. I did find the coverage enough for what I wanted, however.

What I loved:

Of course the packaging is as beautiful as we’ve come to expect from Tatcha. A round, lavender container mimics a pearl, with the top unscrewing to reveal the cream inside. THE PEARL really brightens beautifully and visibly. I used a rice grain-sized amount in the lightest of the three available hues (Moonlight) and dotted under the undereye. I smoothed out the product by pressing it in from the inner corner to the outside of the eye, taking it all the way to my hairline. It instantly illuminated, emitting a pearlescent radiance.

I also love that it’s a treatment that improves the undereye over time, with hyaluronic acid and other botanical extracts.

What I didn’t love:

At 0.4 oz, the amount is typical for an eye cream, but when I opened the container there was a big, empty bubble. I asked Tatcha’s Instagram contact who immediately responded, and was told that some head space is normal and that the product would still weigh in as indicated. While I did not measure or weigh, it did feel like it was a big bubble/small amount for the $48 price tag.

My other, more important miss is that I feel the product doesn’t completely get absorbed. It doesn’t entirely sit on top of skin, but it does not wholly disappear into it either. You just have to work it in diligently, dotting and blurring the edges of where the product is visible on the skin.

Overall thoughts

I’ll continue to use this because the brightening is lovely, but I do think there’s room for improvement in the formula. I absolutely love the sunscreen, for example, how it gets absorbed by the skin, visibly blurring pores too (you need this sunscreen if you don’t have it yet — it’s the best I’ve used!).  I also think that it’s absolutely critical that you hydrate your undereye area before you apply THE PEARL to help better promote absorption by the skin. If you have dark circles and are looking for coverage, this may not be your jam either as the coverage is light. A radiant, medium to full-coverage concealer may be a better option if you really want to conceal the darkness.

I’d love to hear from you and your experience if you’ve tried it! Below are the other Tatcha products I love love love and use on the regular.

SHOP THE PEARL