Peace out, tired eyes
Ah, dark circles. This under-eye discoloration ultimately (and annoyingly) boils down to things you can’t control, i.e., genetics. Not to mention that, because the skin under and around your eyes is thinner than on the rest of your face, the area is more prone to signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, puffiness, and, you guessed it, discoloration, says Dr. Marina Peredo, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
And if we’re being completely honest, there aren’t many topical ingredients that will truly help alleviate these shadows for good. (At the end of the day, a good concealer will always be your BFF.) Aging is a natural, beautiful process—one we’re thankful to be taking part in—but there’s also no harm in using a few products to help us feel our best.
And, using an eye cream isn’t totally futile, particularly when you’re talking about the latest formulas, which tout both tried-and-true ingredients such as vitamin C to help boost radiance long-term, as well as things such as light-deflecting particles for an instant pick-me-up. So, nab a concealer you love, pair it with one of these eye creams, and you’ll look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, no matter how late a night or early morning (or both) you’ve had.
Best Overall: OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Brightening Eye Crème
Surprise: There’s no actual banana in this superstar. Instead, the name comes from banana powder, a known dark circle defeater. The light yellow powder, which is often used by makeup artists to counteract purple and blueish shadows, offers a subtle yellow tint to pull double duty as both an eye cream and an instant color corrector. Plus, it’s also packed with vitamin C to help boost radiance over time and is nice and lightweight, ideal for use under makeup. The consistency is lightweight and creamy—something we loved from the moment we tried it out during testing—so it adheres to the skin without much effort and spreads easily along the skin. Something to note: It does tend to bleed into fine lines as the day goes on, but we’ve found that a quick pat of a finger or makeup sponge helps spread everything back out.
Who It’s For
This cream is a great choice for someone who wants hydration and an immediate glowing effect. Also nice: The vitamin C-rich formula actually boosts radiance over time the more you use it.
Best Drugstore: La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eye Cream for Dark Circles
Eye creams can be expensive, but this formula proves that you don’t need to spend a ton for a quality product. “This is a great high-quality, affordable eye cream. I love that it contains light-reflective pigments that instantly boost radiance around the undereye area,” says Peredo. Bonus points for the cooling metal applicator, which both dispenses the perfect amount of product and delivers a cooling sensation as well. Not to mention that the formula is also paraben- and fragrance-free, a boon for those with sensitive skin.
Who It’s For
This is a great pick for anyone seeking a cooling, calming eye cream. Thanks to a chilling metal applicator, this product is a must-have to soothe and hydrate under eye circles.
Best Splurge: La Mer The Eye Concentrate
Pricey, yes. Worth it? Also yes. This splurge-worthy pick is infused with the brand’s Miracle Broth—the brand’s proprietary blend of sustainably harvested sea kelp, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help replenish the skin. It’s rich and creamy and comes with a silver-tipped applicator to help you massage in the luscious formula. Keep it in the fridge for a few minutes before using it to make the experience that much more enjoyable.
Who It’s For
This is a stellar option for someone willing to pay the big bucks in order to see big results.
Best for Daytime: Honest Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream
Part color corrector, part mega-hydrating eye cream, this product is ideal for applying in the morning in lieu of (or in addition to) makeup. Two types of hyaluronic acid impart plenty of hydration (24 hours worth, to be specific) and also help make skin appear plumper. Still, because the formula is so lightweight, it absorbs quickly and won’t mess with your makeup. At the same time, it provides the sheerest wash of tint to help quickly camo dark circles even before you apply concealer. Some reviewers note that the formula can begin to separate as the day goes on, so you may want to keep some on hand for touch-ups.
Who It’s For
Lean on this pick if you’re in the market for a product that serves as both a color corrector and a hydrating eye cream. Use it in the morning for best results, though you’ll experience the benefits long after it’s been applied.
Best for Nighttime: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme Synchronized Multi-Recovery Eye Cream
Slather this on before bedtime to wake up looking like you got eight hours of sleep—even if you didn’t. The treatment works by boosting your skin’s own natural repair processes, targeting everything from lines to puffiness to dark circles, and yes, it hydrates, too. Peredo is a fan, lauding the ingredient list that contains tried-and-true actives such as antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, noting that it’s great for helping to restore and repair the skin. It’s worth noting that the container isn’t the most hygienic, as it requires you to dip your fingers into the jar each time. To avoid contaminating the formula, be sure to use clean hands each time.
Who It’s For
We recommend this eye cream for those who want a night cream for their under-eyes. Unlike creams intended for daytime use, night creams are generally thicker (although this one is super lightweight!) and contain active components—in this case, antioxidants and hyaluronic acid—to double down on your under-eyes.
Best Anti-Aging: SkinCeuticals Eye Balm
SkinCeuticals’ Eye Balm is a godsend for those worried about aging. Formulated for dry, aging skin, the balm packs a powerful (yet gentle, we swear!) punch thanks to a blend of plant-based ingredients like soy proteins, vitamin E, and milk thistle. It’s rich (and a little expensive), but it targets three major signs of aging—moisture loss, skin buoyancy, and free radical damage. Also nice: It reduces the appearance of under-eye puffiness and crow’s feet, too. It’s a top choice for Peredo, who says it evens out skin tone under the eyes almost instantly (credit optical diffusers).
Who It’s For
While this product is a pricier option, it’s been known to work wonders on crow’s feet, puffiness, and, of course, dark circles Peredo recommends it for those looking to even out the skin tone under their eyes—love that for us.
Best for Puffiness: Origins Ginzing Vitamin C Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff
Puffy eyes are a common complaint, and it makes sense—there can be a whole slew of causes, whether it be from aging, allergies, fluid retention from salt intake, or simply lack of sleep.1 That said, they’re not the easiest to treat, though we have a few tips from derms. Like a big ol’ cup of coffee for tired eyes, this formula does, in fact, contain caffeine which helps improve the circulation in the skin, helping to target both dark circles and puffiness.2 During testing, we fell in love with the optic brighteners, which instantly make us look wide awake. One note: It doesn’t sit as well as some other formulas underneath makeup, so we recommend giving the formula time to sink into the skin before layering concealer on top of it.
Who It’s For
Reach for this formula if you experience puffiness in addition to dark circles. Optic brighteners (which instantly make you look more awake) plus actual caffeine help you fake a full eight hours.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
The delicate skin around your eyes can often be more prone to irritation than the rest of your face—and that’s even more the case if your skin is already generally sensitive. Enter this formula, a fragrance-free, ophthalmologist-tested, allergy-tested option. It knocks out dark circles on all skin tones and is another pick that boasts a cooling, de-puffing metal applicator tip.
Who It’s For
For those who often experience full-fledged reactions to most skincare products, take notice. This eye cream is bound to work for you, thanks to the fact that it’s been allergy-tested and is fragrance-free.
Best with Illuminating Pigments: Summer Fridays Light Aura Vitamin C + Peptide Eye Cream
Featuring two super-concentrated forms of vitamin C, this serum delivers a lovely brightening effect while reducing the appearance of dark circles, dark spots, and hyperpigmentation. What’s more, it contains calming niacinamide, an ingredient known to boost luminosity, which works in tandem with vitamin C to minimize the look of fine lines. Also nice: soothing squalane adds hydration (the product was silky smooth on the skin and immediately hydrated it) and targets inflammation all at once.3 The eye cream also impressed us with its buildable glittery, highlighter-y tint that adds radiance to the eye area, regardless of skin tone. We also appreciated the fact that this formula doesn’t have a scent—a win for people sensitive to fragrance.
Due to the illuminating pigments in the formulation, we recommend limiting the use of this product to just your under-eye area to avoid getting any in your eyes.
Who It’s For
This is a stellar option for anyone in need of a little luminosity in the under-eye area. Not only will this option illuminate dark under-eyes, but it’ll hydrate the area, too.
Best with Retinol: Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Fine Line Eye Cream with Retinol
When it comes to tackling pretty much any skincare concern (from dark circles, fine lines, and dark spots to uneven texture and breakouts), retinol is where it’s at. Board-certified dermatologist Diane Madfes, MD, previously told Byrdie that retinoids increase cell turnover, offering mild exfoliation, and stimulating collagen production.4 With that in mind, we raise you: Glow Recipe’s Avocado Melt Fine Line Eye Cream with Retinol.
As you may have guessed, retinol is the main ingredient in this formula, which works in tandem with avocado and coffeeberry to hydrate, brighten, and de-puff the under eyes.5 During testing, we loved the thick, creamy texture that spreads effortlessly across the under-eye area (all we needed was a pea-sized amount to cover both eyes). Plus, it’s so silky and melts into skin in under a minute (rather than sitting on top of it). We’re pleased to report that it didn’t burn or tingle at all—which is impressive considering it contains retinol, which can be somewhat irritating as you get used to it. Instead, it felt calming and soothing.
Beyond the feel, we were really happy with how our under-eyes looked immediately after application; our under-eyes appeared so much brighter and more even-toned that it looked like we applied concealer. Retinol takes a while to garner results, so long-term improvement is definitely something that requires patience, but the formula itself is fantastic in the short term, too.
The only downside: We would include an applicator if we could. To apply the formula, we had to stick our fingers all the way into the jar, which can contaminate the rest of the product if your digits are dirty.
Who It’s For
This under-eye cream is a great option for anyone looking for a retinol eye cream that treats fine lines, wrinkles, and dark circles in the long term, while also offering temporary brightening and smoothing right away.
Best With Vitamin C: iNNBeauty Project Bright & Tight Eye Cream
We’ve sung the praises of vitamin C eye creams earlier in this article, and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. This vitamin C-rich eye cream from iNNBeauty Project is another option to consider for its brightening, illuminating, and hydrating capabilities. With three types of vitamin C, this formula works to reduce the look of dark circles while trying to firm the skin around the eyes with the help of peptides and caffeine. While we didn’t notice drastic results just yet—vitamin C takes time to work—we did love the formula’s light-reflecting pigments that gave our eyes a much-needed boost upon application. Speaking of application, we also thoroughly enjoyed the feel of this eye cream right away. It offers a soft, cooling feel before drying down and layering well underneath makeup and other cosmetics.
Consider yourself warned, this formula has a light sweet citrusy scent, like an orange lollipop, Although we found it to be pleasant, not everyone wants a candy-like scent wafting up to their eyeballs.
Who It’s For
This is a nice choice for anyone looking for an immediate pick-me-up (thank you, illuminating pigments) as well as a treatment that works to address dark circles head-on over time.
Where We Landed
Eye cream may not be the end-all-be-all solution to your dark circles, but it can definitely help. The Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Creme is one of our all-time favorites, offering both instant and long-term radiance-boosting effects. If you’re shopping at the drugstore, nab the La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eye Cream for Dark Circles, which boasts a cooling metal applicator tip that is great for reducing puffiness.
How We Tested
To compile this list, our team of editors spent hours researching the best eye creams for dark circles on the market, evaluating features like ingredients, size, and textures, before landing on 20 formulas to try out for ourselves. We tested each product, taking into account how well it lingered on the skin, whether or not the formula made our eyes burn, and if it actually addressed the concerns it said it would.
Other Options to Consider
The Inkey List Caffeine De-Puffing + Dark Circle Eye Cream
This hydrating eye cream features a blend of caffeine and peptides that work in tandem to reduce puffiness and dark under-eye circles.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Circle Brightening Eye Cream
If boosting radiance is what you’re after, look to this fragrance-free eye cream from Caudalie. It’s been shown to reduce the look of dark under eyes with the help of Viniferine, the brand’s proprietary ingredient that the brand claims is six times as effective as vitamin C when it comes to evening skin tone.
Tata Harper Superkind Bio-Barrier Eye Creme
This concentrated formula from Tata Harper helps brighten, depuff, firm, and smooth the look of wrinkles. It leans on a combo of barrier-supporting technology that fortifies the delicate skin around the eye.
What to Look for in an Eye Cream for Dark Circles
- Vitamin C: A great radiance-boosting ingredient6, this also has the added benefits of antioxidant protection and collagen production stimulation to minimize the look of fine lines. Vitamin C can be found in several of the picks on this list, including the Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Creme that we crowned our favorite.
- Caffeine: As far as fast fixes go, this ingredient is a go-to choice. Because it helps blood flow7, it can quickly minimize the look of both dark circles and puffiness. The Origins Ginzing Vitamin E Eye Cream contains caffeine and acts like a cup of coffee for the under-eyes, which can be very helpful on mornings after lousy nights of sleep.
- Light-reflecting particles: Given that a topical eye cream can only do so much to correct dark circles, opting for a formula with optical diffusers or light-reflecting particles is one of the easiest ways to at least make skin appear more radiant and even. SkinCeuticals’ Eye Balm contains optical diffusers to amp up the glowing power with each wear.
FAQ
What does eye cream do?
Eye cream hydrates the thin, delicate skin around your eyes. A good formula should be packed with ingredients that target fine lines, discoloration, and puffiness, all while boosting radiance and evening skin tone.
When should I apply eye cream in my skincare routine?
Eye cream should be the final step in your nightly skincare routine after any facial creams or serums and as the second-to-last step in your morning skincare routine. While your eye cream should be applied after any serums or creams, it should be applied before you put on sunscreen.
How often should I use eye cream?
You can use eye cream as often as twice daily, morning and night.
