Our best overall pick is Kate Somerville Retinol Firming Eye Cream
The thin, delicate skin around the eyes is where signs of aging first start to appear. A good eye cream contains “active ingredients in concentrations specifically formulated for thin skin,” explains New York-based dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, MD. Eye creams are also formulated to minimize irritation to the skin around the eyes, which is more prone to sensitivity.
We went to work and tried a handful of top-rated eye creams spanning a range of budgets, skin types, and concerns. After using them for weeks at a time, our testers rated each formula’s texture, skin-feel, and how well it diminished the signs of aging around the eyes. We then combined these results with the recommendations of board-certified dermatologists, Kavita Mariwalla, MD and Stacy Chimento, MD, as well as our own research to compile a list of the best in show.
Best Overall: Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream
This all-star formula relies on retinol, the undisputed champion when it comes to reducing the signs of aging, well-known for its proven wrinkle-fighting and skin-firming effects.1 The formula also contains bakuchiol, the plant-based ingredient with similar effects to retinol, but it won’t irritate.2 Rounding out the mix is hyaluronic acid and a combination of natural oils for hydration. Bonus points for the metal applicator tip that helps you massage in the formula and offers additional de-puffing benefits.
Best Budget: Olay Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream
True to its name, this drugstore standout delivers seven different benefits, addressing eye problems ranging from dryness and discoloration to fine lines and wrinkles—it gives you some serious bang for your buck. Oil-free, it has a lightweight and fast-absorbing feel and is packed with niacinamide (known for its moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and radiance-boosting effects) along with soothing and antioxidant-rich vitamin E
Best Drugstore: No7 Youthful Eye Serum
Mariwalla lauds this affordable option for containing both vitamin C and vitamin A (two well-proven ingredients), plus hyaluronic acid and soft focus spheres, all of which work together to help make the skin under and around your eyes look better after about a month of use, she says. She adds that it’s an especially good choice for women in their 30s who might be starting to see some noticeable issues around the eyes.
Best Drugstore, Runner-Up: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream
Stacy Chimento, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Miami, favors this formula—another affordable find you can nab at the drugstore—for combining retinol and hyaluronic acid. “The former speeds cell turnover and helps with fine lines while the latter plumps the skin,” she says. There’s also a special glucose complex in the mix that’s meant to boost the effects of retinol so that you see results even faster.
Best for Puffiness: Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy SPF 35
Mariwalla says the metal rollerball applicator on this cream helps massage in the formula and simultaneously promotes lymphatic drainage to quickly de-puff.4 The cream contains a subtle tint to further conceal dark circles and provide SPF protection.
Best for Under Makeup: Olay Eye Lifting Serum
This serum is so non-greasy and fast-absorbing that you can apply it before you put on makeup and won’t have to worry about creasing. It delivers just the right amount of hydration, along with youth-boosting peptides and protective antioxidants to shield skin from damaging free radicals caused by exposure to things like the sun and pollution.
Best for Wrinkles: Revision Skincare D.E.J Eye Cream
A unique combination of carefully-chosen peptides yields what Mariwalla calls, “pretty impressive clinical results” when it comes to the formula’s ability to firm skin after just 12 weeks. It’s also deeply hydrating and full of antioxidants and can even be used on upper eyelids.
Best Firming: Shani Darden Skin Care Intensive Eye Renewal Cream
Powered by nine potent actives, this intensive cream helps to visibly lift and firm the eye area. Collagen- and elastin-boosting peptides and silk tree extract are the stars of the show here, targeting sagging skin while smoothing out the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It’s been clinically shown to help reduce the appearance of dark circles—all while delivering a serious dose of hydration, leaving the delicate skin surrounding the eyes supremely nourished.
Best for Dark Circles: SkinCeuticals Eye Balm
The hard truth of the matter is that there’s no magical eye cream that will completely erase the look of dark circles. The causes of this type of bluish-purple discoloration are multiple and tough to target with any kind of topical product. But Mariwalla notes this formula contains pharmaceutical-grade caffeine, one of the best ingredients for constricting blood vessels under the skin and making dark circles less noticeable. It also effectively targets puffiness and wrinkles.
Best With Vitamin C: BeautyStat C Eye Perfector Dark Circle Reducing Vitamin C Eye Cream
Vitamin C is a great ingredient to boost radiance, stimulate collagen production to minimize wrinkles, and offer plenty of antioxidant protection, and a derm-favorite for the eye area.7 The formula uses a 5% concentration of an extra-pure, extra-stable vitamin C to ensure maximum efficacy. The cream also contains anti-inflammatory CBD, which not only lends a silky skin-feel, it helps de-puff the eye area.
Best for Morning: OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Brightening Eye Crème
Mariwalla is a fan of this cream, which improves the application and wear-time of concealer. The subtle tint contains built-in light-reflecting particles to instantly add radiance to the under eye area. Vitamin C works to help further even out skin tone and smooth wrinkles.
Best for Night: RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
“Despite the affordable price, this cream delivers,” says Mariwalla, who attributes the effects to the retinol in the formula. Chimento is also a fan, saying it’s a good choice for those who have excessive wrinkling around the eyes.
Best for Dryness: SkinCeuticals Eye Balm
The fact that the skin around your eyes is so thin makes it more susceptible not only to signs of aging but also to dryness. This ultra-thick, ultra-nourishing balm restores essential lipids in the skin and helps increase firmness, too, says Chimento. Plus, it’s loaded with plenty of protective antioxidants, including vitamin E, silymarin (from the milk thistle plant), and soy isoflavones.
Best Serum: Epara Skincare Eye Serum
Lightweight and potent, serums help deliver higher concentrations of active ingredients deep into the skin than their creamier counterparts. This luxurious option is brimming with natural oils and botanicals that target eye bags, dark circles, and hyperpigmentation and absorb excess sebum, all while lifting and increasing firmness to create youthful-looking eyes.
Best Natural: Alpyn Beauty PlantGenius Line-Filling Eye Balm
This is a good pick if you’re looking to keep your skincare routine clean. The ingredient list touts a litany of plant-based actives, think things such as licorice root and bearberry extract for radiance-boosting benefits, plus bakuchiol to help smooth lines and wrinkles.9 There’s also caffeine to tamp down puffiness, always a plus in our book.10 The result is a cushiony cream that leaves skin looking firmer, smoother, and radiant.
Best for Sensitive Skin: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream
Given that the skin around your eyes is already innately more prone to irritation, finding a non-irritating eye cream can be even more of a daunting task for those who have sensitive skin in general. Enter this staple, a top choice for Chimento. Niacinamide in the formula helps calm the skin while ceramides help stabilize the skin barrier and hyaluronic acid adds moisture, she says.
Best Lifting: The Route The Sunny Eyes
A hero product from this luxury, clinical-grade line, this brightening and lifting eye cream is designed for day wear, with a soft focus diamond powder that adds tinted sheen. You can use on its own, or as a makeup base, beneath concealer. The hydrating formula contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid to plump and lift skin, while caffeine, pomegranate and green tea extract target puffiness.
Best Serum: The Ordinary Caffeine 5% + ECGC Depuffing Eye Serum
An affordable serum, this formula is packed with hyaluronic acid for a silky skin-feel that glides on smooth. The lightweight serum contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an intense antioxidant derived from green tea leaves along with caffeine to target puffiness.
Best Brightening: First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream
For under $25, this eye cream is able to brighten dark circles, minimize fine lines and wrinkles, tamp down puffiness, and more. Its star ingredient is niacinamide, which works to reduce pigmentation, while pumpkin seed extract and sodium hyaluronate soothe and hydrate the skin. Reviewers noted that the cream had a lightweight texture, making it perfect for day or night use.
Best Fast-Acting: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Cream
An iconic eye cream, the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair is known for its ability to visibly minimize signs of aging in one to three weeks. In the brand’s clinical testing, women said their under-eyes looked brighter and fine lines were reduced after 2 weeks. It also deeply hydrates the skin and is able to protect against environmental free radicals that can damage the complexion.
Final Verdict
The Kate Somerville Retinol Firming Eye Cream is our best overall pick for its formula of retinol, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid, and hydrating botanical oils. For a more budget-friendly option, consider Olay’s Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream, for a non-greasy, fast-absorbing formula with niacinamide to boost radiance.
What to Look For in an Anti-Aging Eye Cream
Ceramides
Ceramides help both strengthen the skin barrier and by doing so, lock in more natural moisture, says Chimento, which gives skin the appearance of more volume. Some of our favorite eye creams with ceramides include the CeraVe Eye Repair Cream, The Route The Sunny Eyes Eye Cream, and the Shani Darden Skin Care Intensive Eye Renewal Cream.
Hyaluronic acid
“This is a naturally-occurring substance in the body that has incredible moisture-retaining abilities,” explains Chimento. When hyaluronic acid is present in an eye cream, it not only has the benefit of hydrating but also helps to temporarily plump skin and fill in the look of fine lines.
Caffeine
Chimento says caffeine is a good ingredient to look for because it can help tamp down bags and puffiness, albeit temporarily. The Skinceuticals Eye Balm, which helps to treat dark circles and dryness under the eyes, is formulated with pharmaceutical-grade caffeine for effective results.
Retinol
The gold-standard when it comes to reducing the signs of aging, this vitamin A derivative targets wrinkles effectively. It helps to restore collagen to rebuild elasticity in the skin, says Chimento. Our best overall pick, the Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream, contains two forms of retinol to do exactly that without irritating the skin.
