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With picks from Revision Skincare, Olay, and Chanel to help reduce dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness
There’s something undoubtedly enticing about cosmetics formulated to improve the eye area. But if you’re like lots of folks, you might not know what to make of this skincare category. Do you need to use eye cream, and if so, why can’t you just use your regular moisturizer? “People use eye creams to help with crepey skin, wrinkles, dark circles, and ‘bags’ under their eyes,” says Diane Madfes, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist specializing in dermatology and dermatologic surgery.
NYC-based dermatologist Hadley King, MD, explains that it’s best to use products formulated specifically for the eye area because it’s thin and delicate compared to the rest of your face. Besides hydrating the skin, Dr. King explains, eye creams “can have multiple additional benefits, depending on their ingredients.”
Some of these all-star ingredients include retinol, caffeine, peptides, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe, green tea, and vitamins C and E—to name a few. Eye creams are formulated to address concerns such as wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles on the thin skin under the eyes. So, what are the best eye creams out there today? We rounded up several suggestions from derms and tried a handful of these products ourselves, our testers rating each product’s texture and feel, ingredient list, and overall performance. The following options include the best eye creams that deliver visible results.
Best Overall: Revision Skincare D.E.J Eye Cream
When it comes to eye cream, most dermatologists can agree on D.E.J. “It includes moisturizing ingredients to plump and support the skin barrier, as well as antioxidants to help protect the skin from free radicals and peptides to help stimulate collagen production,” Dr. King explains.
“Revision eye cream is one of my favorites,” says Dr. Madfes, who appreciates that the ultra-hydrating formula offers flexibility for day or night application.
According to Paul Jarrod Frank, MD, Revision D.E.J “helps with lifting and overall tightening of the upper and lower lids.” Not only that, but the results are long-term, and there’s a good chance you’ll see a noticeable improvement in four weeks.
Best Budget: Pond’s Rejuveness Lifting & Brightening Eye Cream
“This may surprise your readers, but I don’t recommend spending a lot of money on an eye cream,” says Sheilagh Maguiness, MD.
You don’t have to tell us twice! Dr. King is a fan of Pond’s Rejuveness, a budget-friendly pick full of “moisturizing ingredients, as well as niacinamide (vitamin B3) to help improve tone and texture, and retinol to help stimulate collagen.”
Best Drugstore: Olay Regenerist Retinol24 MAX Night Eye Cream
While Dr. Frank isn’t a fan of Olay skincare products containing fragrance, he tells Byrdie, “Their Retinol24 fragrance-free is a good anti-aging choice that can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.”
Best Splurge: Chanel Sublimage La Crème Yeux Ultimate Regeneration Eye Cream
Chanel Sublimage is a favorite of Dr. Frank’s. If you’re willing to shell out the big bucks for noticeable results, this velvety-smooth eye cream won’t let you down. The secret to the sauce is vanilla planifolia, which boasts a firming, evening effect with healing properties to boot.1
Best Gel: Baebody Eye Gel
“Baebody is a cult-classic eye cream with phenomenal reviews for its cooling and hydrating effect,” says Dr. Frank. The lightweight, ultra-hydrating gel formula is packed with skin-loving peptides, soothing organic aloe, and protective plant stem cells.2
Best for Sensitive Skin: Priori R-Spinasome Ultimate Eye Crème Moisturizer
According to Dr. Madfes, sensitive skin can always benefit from fewer ingredients. “The eye area is extremely sensitive. It’s important to use products that have been specifically tested for tolerability and use in the eye area. I like a clean formula, such as Priori R-Spinasome Ultimate Eye Crème, as it uses green plant technology that is non-irritating and also boosts collagen.” Although this is one of the more expensive eye creams on our list, we love that the formula is non-irritating and gentle enough for sensitive skin, which makes it worth the spend.
Best Serum: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum
According to Dennis Gross MD, “Serums tend to be a thinner consistency than creams.” This makes them a little easier to apply and spread around the delicate eye area.
Your best bet is this brown tincture from Dr. Gross, a fast-absorbing, skin-smoothing retinol blend. Serums are typically followed by a moisturizer, but this one happens to be highly effective when used alone.
Best With SPF: Supergoop Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream SPF 40
Eye creams can help smooth out crepiness and deliver a more even skin tone, but as Dr. King points out, “The best prevention is sun protection.” With this in mind, we’re loving this SPF 40 option from Supergoop! In addition to safeguarding your delicate skin from UV damage, it leaves a radiant under-eye in its wake.
Best Retinol: RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
In addition to applying SPF every morning, Dr. King recommends “a nightly retinoid or retinol cream like Roc Retinol Correxion EyeCream to increase collagen.” The vitamin A derivative addresses the most common concerns about the eye area, including puffiness, fine lines, uneven skin tone, and dark circles under the eyes.3
Best for Fine Lines and Wrinkles: Shani Darden Skin Care Intensive Eye Renewal Cream
Whether you’re looking to prevent crow’s feet and wrinkles or are hoping to fade the appearance of existing ones, this powerhouse of an eye cream is for you. Powered by nine different actives (see: peptides, silk tree extract, squalane, and niacinamide), this luxuriously potent formula helps to soften lines, fade dark circles, and leave the eyes visibly firmer and brighter. Not to mention, it has the clinical studies to back these claims up. Although this is one of the pricier options on our list , we think the powerful formula is worth the spend.
Best Daytime: First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy A.M. Gel Cream
If you tend to wake up with puffy eyes, you might want to add a caffeine-infused eye cream to your morning skincare roster. “Caffeine constricts blood vessels and can therefore reduce the amount of fluid accumulating,” explains Dr. King. “One I like is First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy.”
Best Nighttime: Paula’s Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Cream
“I love this product because it contains a blend of antioxidants, which improve the appearance of dark circles and minimize the appearance of wrinkles,” says cosmetic injector Kristina Kitsos. “It helps hydrate the delicate skin around the eyes.”
Best for Dark Circles: Revision Skincare Teamine Eye Complex
According to Dr. King, Revision Teamine Eye Complex is one of the only clinically proven topical products that diminishes the look of wrinkles. “This serum contains seven different anti-aging peptides,” she tells Byrdie. “It softens the appearance of seven types of expression lines: forehead lines, glabellar frown lines, crow’s feet, bunny nose lines, nasolabial laugh lines, lip lines, and marionette lines.”
Best Hydrating: Neocutis Lumière Firm Riche Extra Moisturizing Illuminating Tightening Eye Cream
Saggy or crepey skin might just be thirsty. Dr. King recommends ultra-rich and super-moisturizing Neocutis Lumière, which “contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and caffeine to help diminish puffiness.” Dr. Madfes appreciates that the formula calls on vitamin C to boost the skin’s radiance.2
Best Brightening: REN Clean Skincare Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream
“Sensitive skin responds well to Ren Radiance Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream,” says Kitsos. “It has a special formula that is designed to limit irritation, and it includes bio-actives that work to brighten, hydrate, and plump the look of the entire eye area.”
Best Depuffing: Fenty Skin Flash Nap Instant Revival Priming Eye Gel-Cream
Puffy under-eye bags got you down? Looking (and feeling) like you need a serious nap? Look no further than this cooling and priming gel-cream from Fenty Skin. Infused with hyaluronic acid, horse chestnut, and green tea, this guy will visibly brighten and firm the skin around the eyes over time while providing an instant pick-me-up by reducing puffiness. Did we mention it makes the best base for concealer to mask those dark circles? This eye cream won’t give you more energy, but it’ll certainly make it look more alive—would you expect any less from Rihanna?
Best With Vitamin C: SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel
“Eye products containing antioxidants may also be helpful, such as SkinCeuticals AOX+, a potent vitamin C gel,” offers Dr. King. “The antioxidant interferes with the production of pigment and will therefore brighten dark circles, improve pigmentation, and prevent free-radical damage from UV light exposure.”
Runner-Up, Best with Vitamin C: BeautyStat C Eye Perfector Dark Circle Reducing Vitamin C Eye Cream
Another great (and slightly less expensive) vitamin C option is this cream from BeautyStat. With 5 percent vitamin C, it contains just the right amount of the powerhouse antioxidant to not irritate the delicate eye area, while hemp oil, hyaluronic acid, and EGCG help to further hydrate, smooth, and increase collagen production.
Best Clean: Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
If you’re partial to clean formulas, you’ll appreciate this award-winning eye cream from Biossance. Dr. King likes that the lightweight, fast-absorbing formula “contains squalane, a helpful emollient, as well as niacinamide to help with tone and texture.”
Best Tightening: Peter Thomas Roth Instant FIRMx Eye Temporary Eye Tightener
Need a pick-me-up before heading to work or hitting the town? You might consider a tightening eye cream. “Eye creams work by two modalities: extreme hydration and tensor to tighten. My favorite for tightening is Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Eye,” says Dr. Madfes. If it’s smoother, firmer skin you’re after, this quick-fix potion will deliver instant (albeit temporary) results.
Best Night Eye Cream: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream
Using a richer, heavier eye cream to hydrate the under-eye area can be ideal at night versus during the day—you don’t have to worry about how it wears under makeup. This silky cream contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and peptides to address signs of aging around the eyes. Although the formula is concentrated, the gel texture keeps it feeling light and refreshing yet hydrating.
Best for Dark Circles: Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream
If you have dark under-eye circles, you’ll want to look for a formula that contains vitamin C, and this eye cream is packed with five forms of it, plus peptides. With all the potent vitamin C action, the formula is balanced with ceramides and cucumber extract to nourish and hydrate skin. But if your skin is particularly sensitive, you’ll want to start slow to make sure no irritation shows up.
Best With Caffeine: Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening + Depuffing Eye Cream for Dark Circles
Caffeine is an all-star ingredient when it comes to depuffing and tightening the eye area.4 And when you combine it with horse chestnut extract, as with this brilliant eye cream from Sunday Riley, you get even more firming and smoothing benefits.5 Auto Correct also contains light-reflecting particles, vitamin C, and other antioxidants that instantly brighten the eye area and minimize dark circles over time.
Best Applicator: ISDIN K-Ox Eyes
This eye cream leans on vitamin K oxide and hyaluronic acid to not only hydrate the eye area but also minimize dark circles and improve elasticity.6 We like how the contoured ceramic applicator has a pointed tip that helps you get into all the nooks and crannies around your eyes while offering a cooling effect that helps soothe irritation and decrease puffiness. The price might be hard to justify, but if it’s within your budget, we say go for it.
Final Verdict
Our best overall pick is Revision Skincare’s D.E.J Eye Cream. It is well-loved for its effectiveness in brightening, moisturizing, reducing the appearance of fine lines, and more. For a more affordable option, try Pond’s Lifting & Brightening Eye Cream. If you’re open to splurging on a luxurious formula, go with Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream.
What to Look For When Buying Eye Cream
Hydrating Benefits
First and foremost, Dr. Tanzi says to look for eye creams that offer hydrating benefits. Even if puffiness and dark circles are your main concerns, the skin surrounding the eye area is extra delicate and needs ample hydration to remain smooth and youthful. Look for ingredients like fast-absorbing hyaluronic acid, nourishing plant butters and oils, and barrier-repairing ceramides.
In addition to applying SPF every morning, Dr. King recommends “a nightly retinoid or retinol cream like Roc Retinol Correxion Eye Cream to increase collagen.”
Radiance-Boosting Benefits
Dr. Tanzi recommends also looking for eye creams that contain radiance-boosting ingredients, which can help improve the appearance of dark circles and, overall, make you look more awake and alert than you actually are.
Antioxidants like vitamin C are good options since they help to fade discoloration, as with SkinCeuticals AOX Eye Gel. Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eye Cream and other formulas containing caffeine can offer quick relief to both dark circles and puffiness since it helps to constrict blood vessels.4 Light-reflecting particles are also helpful as they can help temporarily fake a radiant, more even appearance.
Non-Irritating Formula
Finally, Dr. Tanzi says that eye creams should be non-irritating. The skin surrounding the eyes is extra thin and delicate, and something with too many active ingredients could cause an unpleasant reaction.
Plus, because you’re applying these creams so close to your actual eye, you wouldn’t want to use anything that would burn should it accidentally get into your lash line. It’s best to avoid anything heavily scented, but also look for formulas that specifically state that they’re eye-safe. If you have particularly sensitive skin, we recommend Priori R-Spinasome Ultimate Eye Crème.
Texture
Eye creams come in all different consistencies, ranging from thick, traditional creams to lotions to lighter gels and serums. Pick a formula based on your skin type and concerns.
If you prefer gels over creams, go with Baebody Eye Gel. Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum is another stellar choice for those who prefer lighter-weight formulas.
FAQ
Is eye cream necessary?
According to Dr. Tanzi, when it comes to taking care of the delicate skin surrounding your eyes, eye creams are a necessity. “The skin surrounding your eyes is very different from the rest of the face, and it has its own special needs,” she says. Eye creams are formulated specifically for this part of the face, meaning they typically contain a lower concentration of actives and are formulated to be much more nourishing than your average moisturizer—especially nighttime formulas.
Can eye creams actually eliminate dark circles?
Eye creams can be quite effective at combating dark circles; however, Dr. Tanzi says it’s important to use a cream with ingredients that target their specific cause. “If your dark circles are from puffiness, then an eye cream with caffeine is helpful,” she says. “If the dark circles are related to darkened skin, then you’ll want to use an eye cream with a [radiance-boosting] ingredient.”
When should you apply eye cream?
Dr. Tanzi says to apply eye cream twice daily, immediately after washing your face and before you apply any other serums, creams, or other treatments to allow for the best possible penetration. Be sure to apply under the eyes and not directly on the eyelids. And use a retinol eye cream at night.
Should you put eye cream on eyelids?
Dr. Tanzi only recommends applying eye serums to the upper eyelids, as cream formulations can be too thick for this area.
What eye cream is best to use for puffy under eyes?
An eye cream that contains caffeine, like the Neocutis Lumiere Firm Riche Extra Moisturizing Illuminating Tightening Eye Cream, can help de-puff the eye area or look at our top picks for best eye creams for puffiness. Storing your eye cream in the fridge can give a nice cooling effect that helps awaken tired eyes as well.
How We Researched & Tested
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. Our team also incorporated their own personal experiences testing products in their own lives. We then used these insights from our research and testing to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
