13 best eye creams of all time
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Out of all the skincare must-haves, eye creams are those unsung heroes that you shouldn't underestimate. Be it in the form of a gel, a serum or a thick cream, a quality eye cream can go a long way in ensuring that our under-eyes are well taken care of – whether it's to brighten dark circles, minimise under-eye puffiness or reduce the appearance of fine lines.
Think about it: since the skin around our eyes is significantly thinner — and therefore much more delicate — than the rest of our body, it's only natural that it deserves extra TLC. It's also situated closest to our blood vessels, meaning it also requires something a bit more gentle than your average moisturiser or a face serum so as to avoid any irritation.
Michael Detmar, dermatologist and co-founder of IRÄYE Skincare, told us that the area surrounding our eyes has fewer sebaceous glands that produce oil, "the skin is also considered drier and it is easily stressed because contains a large number of lymphatic vessels.”
With this in mind, there's also a common misconception that only mature skin can benefit from the regular use of an eye cream. However, let us spare you the trouble and reassure you that it is far from true. Despite popular belief, "effects of eye creams are observed independent of skin age,” shares Michael.
Key takeway? If an eye cream isn't already a part of your skincare routine, it should be. Here's everything you need to know about the best eye creams on the market, plus expert advice from dermatologists on how and when to use them properly.
Best eye creams at a glance 2024:
- Best eye cream overall: Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye
- Best for dark circles: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright + Eye Crème
- Best for fine lines: Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream Rich
- Best for puffy eyes: The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream
- Best for dry skin: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme
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Meet the experts:
- Dr Michael Detmar, dermatologist and co-founder of IRÄYE Skincare
- Dr Dendy Engelman, skincare specialist and consulting dermatologist at Elizabeth Arden
- Kate Kerr, clinical facialist
Are eye creams worth it?
Still need convincing? We asked Dr Dendy Engelman, top skincare specialist and Elizabeth Arden's consulting New York dermatologist whether eye creams can really make a difference.
"I always say yes. Before you start thinking about injectables or anything like that, take a look at what you're doing with your skincare," says Dr Dendy. "You’re never too young for eye cream because we know it’s going to be the first area to really show crepiness, fine lines and wrinkles, so you do want to hydrate there." However, it's an area that can respond quickest to skincare, so you'll start to see results more quickly, which is encouraging.
What is the correct way to apply eye cream?
As well as under the eyes, Dr Dendy recommends going up on the brow bone and down to the crease. As for where to avoid? "If you put eye cream on your lash line, it’s going to transfer through into your eye while you sleep, which is irritating and then you’ll rub and scratch it," says Dr Dendy.
How we tested eye creams:
Over the years, our editors have tested hundreds of eye cream formulations, while paying close attention to how they manage to de-puff, hydrate and brighten our under-eyes. We also made sure to test said formulas on a variety of skin tones, including oily, dry and sensitive. Find out how we test here.
Check out all the best eye creams, as reviewed by our beauty editors…
Best eye cream overall
Why we love it: This brightening eye cream from Ole Henriksen features light-reflecting pigments that colour-correct and revive tired-looking eyes. It's crease-resistant and concealer-friendly too, on top of being fuelled by skincare-loving ingredients such as vitamin C and orange extract.
Best eye cream with retinoid
Why we love it: There's nothing quite like Medik8. The Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye cream is a personal favourite of mine – it's formulated with a healthy helping of clinical-strength retinaldehyde (a type of retinoid), along with a blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. All-in-all, it's a great solution for reducing the appearance of wrinkles, crow's feet and fine lines while depuffing and hydrating the delicate eye area.
Why we love it: Regardless of whether or no, we can all readily agree that just under £10 for an eye cream is an absolute steal. Powered by caffeine as an active ingredient, this affordable product helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and dark circles, giving you a much more even skin tone. Plus, it's small and portable, meaning you're free to pop it in your purse to help protect your delicate skin from environmental aggressors such as big-city London pollution.
Why we love it: Infused with key ingredients such as mulberry root extract and green tea leaf extract, this botanical eye cream is designed to protect your complexion from free radicals. It's also boosted with antioxidants and a bit of caffeine to help reduce the appearance of puffiness, dark circles and fine lines, as well as kickstart your natural collagen production for brighter-looking eyes. Seriously good.
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Why we love it: When it comes to delicate yet potent overnight skincare, no brand does it better than Estee Lauder. This gentle under-eye water-gel cream contains a blend of hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, peptides and caffeine that helps reinvigorate your skin while you sleep.
- 1/13
Best eye cream for sensitive skin
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
Why we love it: A creamy concoction that's almost good enough to eat (don't though…). I'm a big fan of this eye lotion – it's made with avocado oil, which helps it moisturise, brighten and smoothen out your delicate under-eye skin. On top of being suitable for all skin types (including sensitive skin), it's also a very versatile formulation that's designed to address multiple skin concerns at once. Puffy eyes who?
- 2/13
Best eye cream for instant results
Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye
Why we love it: Looking to depuff your eyes with near-instant results? Say no more. This lightweight formula comes with a patented technology that lifts and firms the appearance of skin by reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Perfect for times when you need a quick-fix solution to tired eyes.
- 3/13
Best eye cream for over 50s
SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Eye Complex
Why we love it: This advanced eye cream from SkinCeuticals is powered by a potent blend of proxylane, peptides and a new glycyrrhetnic acid that diminish the appearance of unwanted fine line and dark circles. Incredibly effective and has a pleasantly rich gel-cream texture that melts into your skin with each application.
- 4/13
Best eye serum for dry skin
L'Oréal Paris 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Serum
Why we love it: Sure, although this serum technically isn't an eye cream, it certainly does the job if you're looking for a more cooling and liquid texture to treat your under-eye area. This item comes with a metal applicator that helps gently massage the product into your dehydrated skin to help reduce any unwanted puffiness with ease.
- 5/13
Best eye cream for wearing under makeup
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base
Why we love it: Perfect for applying before makeup, this hydrating eye cream plumps and smooths the delicate eye area, nourishing it with sodium hyaluronate and shea butter. The result? No creasing or dryness, which helps this eye balm prime your skin to maximise concealer application, allowing your whole look to last longer.
- 6/13
Best eye cream for wrinkles
Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Triple Correction Eye Serum
Why we love it: The gold standard in firming, this 3-in-1 eye cream is packed with wrinkle-smoothing retinol, a substance derived from vitamin A that works wonders on fine lines by firming your skin. After all, the doc would know – he treats the great and good of Hollywood and his products are as close as we'll get to his clinic from home.
Save big when you shop for the best eye creams with these Cult Beauty discount codes. - 7/13
Best hydrating eye serum
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Eye Serum
Why we love it: You won't find any unnecessary filler ingredients in this product. This fragrance-free serum from La Roche-Posay contains vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid to plump, hydrate and ward off wrinkles. Plus, it's great for sensitive skin, and melts into the under-eye to support natural cell renewal in a very soothing and gentle way.
- 8/13
Best firming eye cream
Shiseido Exclusive Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate
Why we love it: This eye cream is able to restore and strengthen the delicate skin around the eyes to improve firmness, reduce puffiness and improve the appearance of lines and dark circles. Pricey, but well worth adding to your wishlist. If you're shopping around the holidays, then keep a look out – Shiseido often includes it as part of their bestselling skincare gift sets.
9/13Best affordable eye cream
Why we love it: This affordable option from CeraVe is a bestseller for a reason. Not only is it widely available in most beauty shops and pharmacies, but it also features a dermatologist-approved formula that targets dark circles, eye bags and unwanted puffiness. Toss it in your handbag, apply whenever needed and dab it into your under-eye area using your ring finger once or twice a day.
10/13Best eye serum infused with caffeine
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
Why we love it: Powered by a highly concentrated dose of caffeine and green tea-derived Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside (EGCG), these fast-absorbing under-eye drops are very effective when it comes to reducing eye contour and discolouration. Leaves your skin feeling refreshed and more hydrated with each use.
Is eye cream really necessary for the skin?
Meet the experts:
- Dr Michael Detmar, dermatologist and co-founder of IRÄYE Skincare
- Dr Dendy Engelman, skincare specialist and consulting dermatologist at Elizabeth Arden
- Kate Kerr, clinical facialist
When it comes to eye care, eye creams, eye gels and eye serums are both unmatched in their ability to reduce the appearance of puffiness, under-eye circles and fine lines. Overall, they provide “a radiant and firmer appearing skin around the eyes,” shares Dr Michael Detmar, board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of IRÄYE Skincare.
What does eye cream do?
"The thin skin around the eyes is the first to show signs of ageing, but if you induce collagen and elastin formation in thin skin, it very much translates clinically," says Dr Dendy. However, thin skin can mean regular skincare products such as moisturisers can be too irritating. "We have to make sure that the cream is formulated for the eye area so that it's not too irritating," she adds.
It's not just the density of our skin, that's different. "There are fewer sebaceous glands around the eye area than in oilier areas like the T-zone," says Dr Dendy. "Less oil means increased risk of wrinkling so I think you absolutely need the separate step of an eye cream to nourish," she says.
What ingredients are best in an eye cream?
If you do decide to incorporate an eye cream into your skincare routine, there's a wide variety of ingredients that can be called upon to tackle eye-related concerns like appearance of dark circles, crow’s feet, lack of elasticity, dry skin and puffiness.
Most skincare experts and dermatologists advise that the most common ingredients to look out for are hyaluronic acid (great for hydrating and nourishing tired eyes), vitamin C, which is a champion for brightening skin and diminishing pigmentation and dark circles, ceramides to plump skin, vitamin E, aloe vera, squalane and glycerin. They all work to give your under-eyes the proper TLC that they deserve.
The best caffeine eye creams are also great for reducing puffiness, while the best retinol eye creams are good for anti-ageing.
Speaking of retinol, clinical facialist Kate Kerr explains that “a retinol eye cream is necessary to help stabilise melanocytes [the cells that create pigment in skin] in order to prevent hyperpigmentation. It also thickens the dermis [which can mean veins appear less prominent], improves texture, smooths lines and wrinkles and hides purple skin tones."
Feeling inspired to upgrade your skincare routine? Shop the best moisturiser for dry skin, best moisturiser for combination skin, and the best moisturiser for oily skin. We can also help you pick the best face masks, sleep masks and eye masks, sunscreens and face SPFs, face cleansers, hyaluronic acid serum and vitamin C serums.
For more shoppable beauty content from Glamour UK Commerce Writer Denise Primbet, follow her on Instagram @deniseprimbet.
