These rich eye creams from RoC and SkinCeuticals target fine lines and sagging skin with consistent use. The closest you can get to turning back the clock? We’d like to think so.
Fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet are a natural part of the skin’s process of maturing, but you can consider buying the best eye cream for wrinkles if those are concerns of yours. Though you shouldn’t expect any OTC skin-care product to completely erase fine lines and wrinkles, Canton, Michigan-based board-certified dermatologist Fatima Fahs, MD, says that the key to a great eye cream is what’s listed in its ingredient list.
According to Dr. Fahs, one of the top ingredients for targeting fine lines is retinol. In case you’re not familiar with this vitamin A derivative, she says it increases collagen production to improve the look of fine lines while evening skin tone and reducing signs of hyperpigmentation. (Bye bye, dark circles.) However, we will note that retinol is an intensive active ingredient that might irritate sensitive skin types, so always patch-test new products before applying them to your entire face (or even your under-eye area).
Another ingredient Dr. Fahs says is a skin-brightening essential is vitamin C, an antioxidant powerhouse that fights free radical damage and helps fade pigmentation concerns. Dehydration is also a wrinkle-causing issue, so if you notice dry skin, she suggests incorporating a hyaluronic acid-infused product into your skin-care regimen. “[Hyaluronic acid] is a humectant that plumps and hydrates the skin to improve the appearance of fine lines,” she says.
Few skin-care ingredients come close to the firming powers of peptides, according to Dr. Fahs. “They act as the building blocks of proteins like collagen and elastin to boost skin’s firmness and improve texture,” she says. Speaking of proteins, Dr. Fahs also says to look for growth factors, “signal proteins that promote the production of collagen and elastin.”
Now, it’s time to put all of this precious skin-care knowledge into practice. We’ve rounded up 13 expert-approved options so you can add the best eye cream for wrinkles to your skin-care routine — and start intensively treating crow’s feet and crepiness on your delicate skin.
Best Overall: RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
The RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream is a fragrance-free drugstore favorite that’s won multiple Allure Best of Beauty Awards (our highest accolade) for its intensive formula. Both Allure editors and Dr. Fahs are fans of this relatively affordable retinol eye cream because its retinol-powered formula helps diminish the appearance of fine lines. Meanwhile, a mineral complex of zinc, copper, and magnesium provides antioxidant benefits to your eye skin and aids in collagen formation.
Jenny Liu, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Minneapolis, also backs this particular pick, pointing out that “the brand has over 25 patents, so [it’s] well-respected in the retinol space.”
Best Luxury Eye Cream: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream
Despite its high price point, David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York City, says that Sulwhasoo’s Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream is a thick, rich eye cream that’s great for people who need lots of hydration around the eyes. One swipe of this luxurious formula, and you’ll understand why. Among classic soothing ingredients such as squalane and glycerin, Dr. Kim calls out ginseng and retinol, which help with fine lines and wrinkles, as well as licorice for a soothing effect.
Best for Depuffing: Neocutis Illuminating Eye Cream
Dr. Fahs says the Neocutis Illuminating Eye Cream is one of her favorite wrinkle-preventing eye creams, thanks to its potent blend of growth factors and caffeine “to hydrate and plump the skin while promoting collagen production.” This dermatologist-favorite eye cream also contains antioxidant vitamin E for its moisture-retaining properties and hyaluronic acid to replenish skin hydration. Caffeine is a rockstar when it comes to depuffing — similar to how the ingestible kind is great at waking you up in the morning.
Best Eye Cream for Mature Skin: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex
SkinCeuticals is known for its impressive lineup of skin-enhancing essentials, and the A.G.E. Eye Complex lives up to this brand’s Best of Beauty-winning reputation. James Y. Wang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Los Angeles, gives this creamy-but-not-greasy formula two thumbs up, especially for tired-looking under eyes. Antioxidant-rich blueberry extract provides gentle exfoliation and protects skin against free radical damage, while also boosting moisture.
Best Eye Serum: Korres Black Pine 360° Eye-Lift Super Serum
We all have our sleepless nights, so to give our eyes some love, Korres delivers a bunch of goodness via a lightweight, quick-absorbing fluid called Black Pine 360° Eye-Lift Super Serum. We love the syringe-inspired packaging — it’s almost as if we’re injecting our eyes a bit of filler, but it’s totally non-invasive. You only need to dispense one pump to reap the fatigue-reversing effects from collagen-boosting black pine, dark circle-brightening mica, and wrinkle-smoothing peptides.
Fast-Acting Drugstore Eye Cream: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream
Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream is one of the best drugstore skin-care products for addressing signs of aging around your eyes. Dr. Liu recommends this formula, as it’s infused with line-targeting retinol SA, a complex of sugar, retinol, and hyaluronic acid, that improves hydration levels and boosts cell turnover to soften the appearance of crow’s feet.
Best Alternative to Retinol: Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream
The Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream is an Allure Best of Beauty winner that took our staffers’ breaths away when they witnessed its skin-firming properties firsthand. This ultra-rich cream contains 21 different peptide chains to boost elasticity and minimize puffiness.
“Peptides can be a great alternative to retinol,” Dr. Liu notes. “Peptides help to signal the skin’s internal production of collagen and have hydrating benefits to improve the appearance of crow’s feet.”
Dermatologist-Developed: Visha Skincare Advanced Bright Eye Booster
Visha Skincare’s Advanced Bright Eye Booster has an impressive formulation that was made by board-certified dermatologist Purvisha Patel, MD, but supporting a fellow derm isn’t the only reason why Dr. Fahs loves this eye cream. “It’s an amazing, dermatologist-developed eye cream that depuffs, brightens, and firms the delicate skin around the eye,” she says.
This eye cream’s innovative formula diminishes the appearance of dark circles and fine lines with a slew of skin-nourishing ingredients including hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing aloe vera, and caffeine to boost blood-vessel circulation. It also soothes dryness with the help of moisturizing, antioxidant-rich extracts derived from primrose and gooseberry.
Most Potent Wrinkle Fighter: Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum
As its name suggests, the Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum contains retinol and antioxidant ferulic acid, the latter of which is known to stabilize and improve the efficacy of other skin-care additives (like a skin-care version of Robin to your eye cream’s Batman). This Dr. Fahs-approved cream is also infused with bakuchiol, a sensitive-skin-friendly line-smoothing ingredient that has similar effects to retinol.
Most Refreshing Application: Colleen Rothschild Beauty Retinol Supreme Eye Serum
Dr. Fahs says that Colleen Rothschild Beauty’s Retinol Supreme Eye Serum provides a double-dose combination of wrinkle-targeting retinol and brightening vitamin C to noticeably illuminate and tighten undereyes. She also loves that this eye cream has a metal tip applicator so you can indulge in a cool, soothing massage each time you swipe it on.
Best Brightening Eye Cream: True Botanicals Renew Resurrection Radiance Eye Cream
Brighter undereyes are a jar of True Botanicals’ Resurrection Radiance Eye Cream away, thanks to its radiance-boosting and skin tone-evening blend of caffeine, turmeric, and licorice root extract. These key ingredients work alongside moisturizing mango seed butter, glycerin, and jojoba oil to address dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles all at once.
Best Anti-Inflammatory Eye Cream: Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
K-beauty powerhouse Belif is no stranger to nailing hydrating skin care, and the Moisturizing Eye Bomb is no exception. Laced with skin-conditioning glycerin, ceramides, and squalane, the formula keeps under eyes looking supple throughout the entire day — and then some. Not to mention, this eye treatment also contains some of the best anti-inflammatory ingredients like tiger grass and oat kernel extract to depuff under eye bags and soothe irritation.
Best Antioxidant: Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate
We’ll admit it: We initially fell in love with Fresh’s Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate, an Allure Best of Beauty Award winner, just because of its rich and cooling feel. When we saw how much brighter, smoother, and softer our under eyes looked — thanks to the antioxidant-powered black tea and lychee seed extracts in the formula — we knew our feelings were real.
Best for Dark Circles: Kat Burki Complete B Eye Creme Complex
Wrinkle-targeting creams that actually perform are few and far between, but The Kat Burki Complete B Eye Creme Complex meets all the qualifications. It’s spiked with five different B vitamins, including vitamin B3 (known as niacinamide), that work together to provide free radical protection as well as decrease hyperpigmentation. To top it all off, this formula also contains hyaluronic acid to pull water into the surface layer of your skin, resulting in a plumper appearance.
