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The use of the best eye creams is a heated debate in the Allure office: About half the team believes slathering the best eye creams for dark circles over this delicate skin can help depuff and minimize the appearance of dark circles over time, while the other half seems to think they're moisturizers in tiny tubs and offer nothing more than a placebo effect. There is one thing we can agree on, however: No one wants to look like they got only four hours of sleep. That's why we've combed through hundreds of formulas to find the most effective formulas for all skin types.
Our Favorite Eye Creams
- Best Eye Cream Overall: SkinCeuticals A.G.E Advanced Eye, $116
- Best Eye Cream for Dark Circles: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Eye Crème, $44
- Best Eye Cream for Milia: RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $30
- Best Eye Cream for Dry Skin: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex, $74
- Best Eye Cream for Wrinkles: Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream, $225
- Best Eye Cream for Puffiness: Ilia Beauty Bright Start Activated Eye Cream, $46
- Best Firming Eye Cream: U Beauty The Return Eye Concentrate, $148
- Best Brightening Eye Cream: Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Under-Eye Cream, $75
- Best Tightening Eye Cream: Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel, $65
- Best Eye Cream for Under Eye Bags: Isdin K-Ox Eyes, $102
Eye Cream 101
Best Eye Cream Overall: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye
SkinCeuticals
A.G.E. Advanced Eye
Despite its creamy, balmy texture, this formula isn't heavy or slow to absorb, as commerce editor Sarah Han attests. "I usually don't use eye cream in the morning but I love starting my day with this because it's packed with caffeine and optical diffusers for a brightening effect," she says.
- What You'll Notice: Brighter, firmer eyes, less puffiness, smoother surrounding skin and softer appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Key Ingredients: Proxylane, wild fruit flavonoid blend, Matrixyl 3000, caffeine, glycyrrhetinic acid
- Best For: Mature skin, people who are concerned with elasticity and/or want to prevent the formation of fine lines
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, paraben-free, 15 ml ($7.73 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Dark Circles: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Eye Crème
Ole Henriksen
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Eye Crème
- What You'll Notice: Brighter under eyes, less discoloration
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, collagen, orange extract
- Best For: Dark circles, dry skin, hyperpigmentation
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, paraben-free, vegan 15 ml ($2.93 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Milia: RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream
RoC
RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Softened look of fine lines, less texture/milia, smoother look of under eye bags
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Mature skin, dry skin
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, paraben-free, hypoallergenic, 15 ml ($1.47 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Dry Skin: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex
Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex
- What You'll Notice: Brighter and smoother under eyes, less discoloration
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, peptides
- Best For: Dark circles, mature skin, dry skin
- Product Highlights: Paraben-free, 15 ml ($4.80 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Wrinkles: Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream
Augustinus Bader
Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Firmer skin, brighter under eyes
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, niacinamide, peptides, cica
- Best For: Sensitive skin and eyes, mature skin
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, vegan, 15 ml ($15 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Puffiness: Ilia Beauty Bright Start Activated Eye Cream
Ilia
Ilia Bright Start Activated Eye Cream
Light-reflecting pearl illuminates the skin but the main player in the airy formula is sea fennel extract, which is a plant-based retinol alternative that acts as the major brightening, firming, and smoothing agent, while a blend of upcycled avocado extract, caffeine, and peptides minimize the look of puffiness and dark circles.
- What You'll Notice: Brighter and firmer under eyes, less puffiness, cooling sensation
- Key Ingredients: Avocado extract, caffeine, peptides, sea fennel extract, pearl
- Best For: Dark circles, puffiness, fine lines
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, silicone-free, vegan, 15 ml ($3.07 per ml)
Best Firming Eye Cream: U Beauty The Return Eye Concentrate
U Beauty
U Beauty The Return Eye Concentrate
While the cream feels rich, it does absorb quickly, Han notes, leaving behind a soft-focus glow (which is inevitable when light-reflecting diamond powder is involved). The fast absorption is partially due to the short-chain hyaluronic acid, which means smaller molecules that can penetrate more deeply into the skin—as opposed to the "sitting on top of skin" sensation. Ceramides are also present to strengthen the skin barrier, which is key for long-term skin health.
- What You'll Notice: Brighter, glowing under eye skin, less sagging and puffiness, firmer skin, quick/deep absorption
- Key Ingredients: Plankton extract, peptides, diamond powder, hyaluronic acid, ceramides
- Best For: Dry or dehydrated skin, mature skin, fine lines, dark circles
- Product Highlights: BIPOC-owned, 15 ml ($9.87 per ml)
Best Brightening Eye Cream: Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Under-Eye Cream
Perricone MD
Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester CCC + Ferulic Brightening Under-Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Brighter under eyes, quick absorption, no irritation
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, ferulic acid, oat protein, peptides
- Best For: Dark circles, hyperpigmentation, sensitive skin, puffiness
- Product Highlights: Paraben-free, 15 ml ($5 per ml)
Best Tightening Eye Cream: Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel
Dr. Loretta
Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel
- What You'll Notice: Cooling sensation, less puffy under eyes, less visible dark circles
- Key Ingredients: Peptides, algae extract, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Oily skin, puffiness, sensitive eyes
- Product Highlights: Cruelty-free, fragrance-free, cruelty-free, paraben-free, vegan, dermatologist-founded, 20 ml ($3.25 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Under Eye Bags: Isdin K-Ox Eyes
Isdin
Isdin K-Ox Eyes
- What You'll Notice: Less puffy, swollen under eyes, cooling sensation
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin K oxide, hyaluronic acid, peptides, biotin
- Best For: Puffiness, dehydrated skin, mature skin
- Product Highlights: Paraben-free, Cooling ceramic applicator, 15 ml ($6.80 per ml)
Best Caffeine Eye Cream: La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Yeux/Eyes Corrector
La Roche-Posay
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Anti-Dark Circle Brightening Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Brighter, firmer under eyes, cooling sensation, less puffiness
- Key Ingredients: Caffeine, niacinamide, thermal spring water, phe-resorcinol
- Best For: Sensitive skin, dark circles
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, paraben-free, cooling metal applicator, 15 ml ($3 per ml)
Best Eye Serum: Sunday Riley 5 Stars Retinol + Niacinamide Eye Serum
Sunday Riley
Sunday Riley 5 Stars Retinol + Niacinamide Eye Serum
- What You'll Notice: Quick absorption, brighter under eyes, minimized look of fine lines, cooling sensation
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, niacinamide, ceramides, centella asiatica, olive oil
- Best For: Mature skin, uneven skin tone, fine lines
- Product Highlights: Cruelty-free, vegan, paraben-free, synthetic fragrance–free, cooling ceramic applicator 15 ml ($4.33 per ml)
Best Color-Correcting Eye Cream: Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
Biossance
Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Quick absorption, instant moisturization, less noticeable dark circles/discoloration
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, marine algae, paracress extract
- Best For: Mature skin, fine lines, dry or dehydrated skin
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, cruelty-free, vegan, 15 ml ($3.73 per ml)
Best Eye Cream for Reducing Inflammation: Charlotte Tilbury Cryo-Recovery Eye Serum
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury Cryo-Recovery Eye Serum
- What You'll Notice: Firmer under eyes, less puffiness, cooling sensation
- Key Ingredients: Caffeine, Swiss ice wine, shea oil, aloe vera
- Best For: Dullness and dehydration, oily skin, dark circles
- Product Highlights: Cruelty-free, paraben-free, vegan, 15 ml ($4.67 per ml)
Best Water-Burst Formula: Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
Belif
Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
- What You'll Notice: Softened look of fine lines, smoother under eyes
- Key Ingredients: Tiger grass, glycerin, squalane, ceramides
- Best For: Dry skin, mature skin, fine lines
- Product Highlights: Paraben-free, synthetic fragrance–free, vegan, 25 ml ($1.92 per ml)
Best Affordable Eye Cream: The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream
The Inkey List
The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream
- What You'll Notice: Less puffiness, smoother under eyes, cooling sensation
- Key Ingredients: Caffeine, peptides, squalane, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Puffiness, uneven skin texture, dry skin
- Product Highlights: Fragrance-free, cruelty-free, gluten-free, 15 ml ($0.73 per ml)
Eye Cream 101
What does eye cream do?
Here's the deal: "Eyelid skin is thinner than the surrounding facial skin so it can be more prone to sensitivity and irritation," Tiffany Jow Libby, MD, a Rhode Island-based, board-certified dermatologist at Brown Dermatology, previously explained. It makes sense that you'd want a concentrated cream to address this delicate area that's susceptible to the formation of fine lines and crow's feet.
What's more: "As we hit our 30s, hyaluronic acid, our skin's natural water absorber and plumper, begins to decline," Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut, explains—which is why applying the ingredient topically and making up for lost hydration is of the essence. In fact, many of the best eye creams for wrinkles are packed with HA and other powerful ingredients like blood vessel-constricting caffeine and collagen-boosting peptides to help fake a full night's rest.
How to apply eye cream
A common rule of thumb is using your ring fingers to gently tap the eye cream into your skin, since you're dealing with the thinnest area on your face. Dr. Kim has a process that may reduce puffiness, or at the very least, feel calming. "I dot [eye cream] around the eyes, place my index finger on the upper eyelid area and third finger on the lower eyelid area, and rub it in as I'm doing a lymphatic massage," he says.
Do eye creams really work?
Ultimately, it comes down to the level of prevention you desire. "Because they are landing on thinner skin, eye creams tend to be thicker — a higher amount of oil, less water — than facial moisturizers," Dr. Gohara explains, comparing the use of an eye cream to "putting extra padding on a spin bike." And that extra cushioning just might pay off, since it's also known that the eye area is one of the first to show signs of aging such as sagging skin, fine lines, and crow's feet.
However, finding the right eye cream is another ordeal, as David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York City, points out. "I see a lot of patients with milia around the eyes from using Vaseline or eye creams that are too heavy," he says.
When should I start using eye cream?
Dr. Kim recommends incorporating eye cream starting in your mid-20s, which is "slightly before we start to lose noticeable amounts of collagen and our skin starts to lose firmness and the ability to hold on to moisture," he explains. Whereas younger people might fare better with light, gel-like textures, he recommends people in their 30s reach for slightly richer, lotion-like eye creams with retinol, peptides, and vitamin C. If you struggle with dark circles, brightening ingredients such as vitamin C, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, arbutin, and licorice root "help decrease skin pigmentation over time, ultimately resulting in the lightening of the dark circles," Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, previously said.
Once you hit your 40s, seek out creamy, rich eye creams infused with retinol, peptides in higher percentages, and antioxidants to get the maximum line-smoothing and plumping benefits. "With repeated use, retinol can stimulate the production of collagen, making the skin less thin," Dr. Nazarian explained. (Just remember: If you use a retinol-enhanced eye cream, don't forget to wear sunscreen — you should be using SPF regardless — or check out our curation of the best eye creams with SPF.)
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best eye creams, we considered each product's performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors — along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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Sarah Han is the commerce editor at Allure, where she has been covering the best beauty deals for sales like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day for 4 years (and 8 years in total). Previously, she served as an associate editor at BuzzFeed, where she spearheaded coverage… Read moreCommerce Editor
Sarah Madaus is a graduate student at Pratt Institute in New York City, seeking a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. Aside from her studies, she is a freelance writer, brand consultant, and copywriter. You can find her work in Sports Illustrated, Architectural Digest, Town & Country, Oprah Daily,… Read more
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