The muscles under and around your eyes are constantly moving, and the skin in the under-eye area is thinner and more sensitive than the rest of your face. That makes the area especially prone to:
- puffiness
- wrinkles
- dark circles
That’s why some experts recommend making eye cream a part of your regular beauty routine. These specialized products help moisturize and tighten the skin under your eyes. They can also prepare the skin for makeup, even skin tone, reduce puffiness, lessen the appearance of dark circles, and minimize wrinkles.
But with tons of products to choose from, how can you decide on an eye cream that’ll benefit you the most?
Narrow down your list by thinking about the results you want your eye cream to deliver. Then, look for a product with ingredients to target those concerns.
Got a specific goal in mind? Read on for our top picks for several common concerns.
Best eye serum for under-eye bags
Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum
- Price: $
- Size: 0.5 ounces (oz.)
- Pros: affordable, good for anti-aging
- Con: some reviewers say it burned their under-eye area
Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum is rich in peptides and vitamins that encourage healthy circulation and skin cell turnover under your eyes. While it’s unlikely that a cream can truly eliminate under-eye bags, this one promises to hydrate the skin around the eyes while lifting and plumping for a brighter appearance.
The fragrance-free formula is also lightweight and absorbs quickly into your skin. It promises fast results with twice-daily use.
Best of all, this beauty favorite won’t break the bank. Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum is not only available to buy online, but it’s also readily found in drugstores.
Reviewers love how quickly the serum works and how little product is needed per application. Be cautious when applying, as some reviewers complain the product stings if you accidentally get it into your eyes.
Best eye cream for dark circles
La Mer The Eye Concentrate Hydrating Cream
- Price: $$$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pros: good for wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness
- Con: high price point
La Mer skin care products are considered the holy grail of boutique brands for many beauty enthusiasts and celebrities. As with every La Mer product, the main ingredient in this cream is what they call Miracle Broth, a fermented mixture of sea kelp, vitamins and minerals, citrus oil, eucalyptus, sunflower seed, wheat germ, and alfalfa. There are no parabens, phthalates, or sulfates.
Reviewers love the included applicator and say the cream reduces swelling. Many also mention how hydrating the cream is and how luxurious it feels.
While many positive reviews are from people with sensitive skin, some negative reviews mention sensitivity to the ingredients, which caused swelling and milia. It’s always best to read the ingredient list and do a patch test before using a new product.
La Mer products are available at department stores, beauty supply stores, and directly from the La Mer website. This is a pricier product, so be sure to purchase from a trustworthy vendor to make sure you’re getting the real thing.
Best eye gel for crow’s feet
Image Skincare Ormedic Balancing Eye Lift Gel
- Price: $$$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pro: good for puffiness and hydration
- Con: expensive
Image Skincare is a favorite of dermatologists — and for good reason. This hydrating and cooling gel relaxes wrinkles and crow’s feet while boosting collagen synthesis under your eyes. The gel may be used both morning and night.
Reviewers love how moisturizing this gel is, thanks to the organic olive oil, aloe extract, and a plant-based peptide compound. Quinoa extract reduces puffiness, as it contains a natural peptide.
You can find Image Skincare products online or at some dermatology offices.
Best eye cream for puffy eyes
Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Eye Recovery Gel
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pro: good for hydration and dark circles
- Con: may irritate sensitive skin
Another Image Skincare product, Vital C focuses on depuffing your skin and encouraging cell turnover. This makes your under-eye skin firmer and more resilient. Peptides help reduce the appearance of dark circles, while hyaluronic acid hydrates.
Reviewers love that this product is good for those with sensitive skin and feels rich yet not greasy when applied.
However, if you have extra dry skin, this may not be the product for you, as some users say it isn’t sufficiently moisturizing.
Best affordable retinol eye cream
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream
- Price: $
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pros: affordable, good for wrinkles and dark circles
- Con: may irritate sensitive skin
For a more affordable but still effective eye cream that targets wrinkles, try the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream. This retinol-rich formula claims to give users results in a week or less with regular use. Plus, it contains no parabens, mineral oil, or dyes.
Hundreds of happy reviewers say the cream absorbs quickly and completely, and the hyaluronic acid in the formula helps make eyes look wider and more awake.
As this product does contain retinol, start out using only once a day until your skin is able to tolerate more. Always use with sunscreen.
Best eye cream for daily use
Image Skincare Ageless Total Eye Lift Creme
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pro: good for fine lines and dark circles
- Cons: may irritate the eye, may not be good for sensitive skin
This paraben-free formula gently exfoliates and encourages healthy circulation, making it ideal for everyday use.
Green tea and cucumber extracts soothe skin and boost antioxidants, while retinol promotes cell turnover. Glycolic acid helps reduce the look of fine lines. This cream is also rich in the brightening ingredient vitamin C, which means you can say goodbye to dark circles.
Reviewers love that this is nonirritating and that it glides onto skin gently.
Overall, this is a great option for your daily skin care routine.
Best overnight eye cream
Clinique Moisture Surge 96-Hour Hydro-Filler Concentrate
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pro: good for puffy eyes and hydration
- Con: some users claim it’s sticky and irritated their eyes
This water-based moisturizing gel is ultra-light and absorbs quickly.
You can use it as part of your morning routine. But if you apply it at night, you can still see the effects when you wake up without reapplying.
According to online reviews, this product works best at plumping under-eye skin and minimizing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Some note that it has a tacky texture, but many like that this helps their makeup stay in place, while others say that the tackiness dissipates after a minute or so after application.
Algae extracts, green tea, and vitamin E are the foundations of this moisturizer, which claims to help your skin naturally lock in hydration for 3 days or more. It’s fragrance-, paraben-, and phthalate-free.
Best vegan eye serum
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B-5
- Price: $
- Size: 1 oz.
- Pros: cruelty-free, affordable
- Con: some users claim the product is too sticky
Several eye cream formulas claim to be vegan, but The Ordinary brand has demonstrated a consistent commitment to being cruelty-free. If you’re looking for a vegan alternative for eye cream, it’s hard to find one that’s better than this.
Vegan hyaluronic acid is the building block of this serum, which is remarkably affordable and praised by beauty influencers and dermatologists alike. It’s also super moisturizing, thanks to a vitamin B5 complex.
Reviewers love the nonsticky texture of this product and describe it as being best for dry, thirsty skin.
Best firming eye cream
m-61 Hydraboost Eye Cream
- Price: $$$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pros: overall great reviews, each bottle lasts a long time
- Cons: expensive, some reviewers say it wasn’t worth the price
Firming up the skin around the eye is a common goal, and according to the reviewers of m-61 Hydraboost Eye Cream, this product delivers. Although it falls on the pricier side of our list, a little bit goes a long way. Some reviews say they have purchased this cream repeatedly, with each bottle lasting several months.
This thick cream glides on smoothly, and the peptide-rich formula strengthens the skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and puffiness. It also includes aloe, which has healing properties.
Best brightening eye cream
Advanced Diamond Extract Eye Cream
- Price: $$$
- Size: 1 oz.
- Pro: reviewers say they saw quick results
- Con: expensive
This eye cream contains a combination of purified soy, rice, and yeast protein peptides to improve circulation and promote blood flow, which is essential for brightening skin tone. Hyaluronic acid helps skin retain hydration.
This cream also contains arnica and vitamin K, which are used to improve healing. In fact, you can use this cream on bruises or discoloration to promote healing, including from post-cosmetic surgery.
Advanced Diamond Extract Cream works fast. Reviewers say that within the first week of use, their dark circles had faded dramatically.
Best eye cream for men
Geologie Nourishing Eye Cream
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.34 oz.
- Pro: good for under-eye circles
- Con: some users didn’t see results
A combination of kojic acid, commonly used to prevent browning on fruit , hyaluronic acid, and caffeine work together to target signs of aging around the eye area.
While this product can be used by anyone, Geologie specifically markets their no-frills skin care products to men, with the Nourishing Eye Cream being the final step of a nighttime three-step routine.
Reviewers appreciate that Geologie’s eye cream is affordable and accessible, and that it helps reduce dark circles, fine lines, and the overall look of tiredness.
Best hydrating eye cream and makeup primer
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.51 oz.
- Pro: good for sensitive skin and fine lines
- Cons: may be too thick for some people
Hydration is the focus of Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment. Avocado oil and shea butter work to restore suppleness of the skin around the eyes and to protect against dehydration.
Reviewers love that this product works on sensitive skin, and many praise the cream for reducing the appearance of fine lines around the eye area.
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment is a luxurious cream at a lower price point.
Best eye cream for wrinkles
Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
- Price: $$$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pros: great hydrating ingredients, good for sensitive skin
- Cons: may turn waxy over time, expensive
Vegan, paraben-free, and cruelty-free, Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream is full of wrinkle-busting ingredients.
Paracress extract and marine algae are naturally occurring plant ingredients that lift, tighten, and plump the under eye area, providing an ideal canvas for makeup application.
According to reviewers, this eye cream goes on lightly yet velvety, and those with red and flaky skin say they experienced a marked improvement.
Best sustainable eye cream
Youth to the People Superberry Dream Eye Cream
- Price: $$
- Size: 0.5 oz.
- Pros: recyclable packaging, vegan
- Cons: may not be moisturizing enough for dry skin types, turns waxy over time
Without sacrificing quality, Youth to the People creates sustainable beauty products like the Superberry Dream Eye Cream. Made in the United States with all vegan ingredients, this cream is free of parabens, fragrances, sulfates, and phthalates. It arrives in a recyclable glass jar.
Superberry Dream Eye Cream is meant to be applied as the final step to a bedtime routine. Hyaluronic acid moisturizes and plumps the appearance of the skin, while vitamin C brightens. Goji stem cells round it off with reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Best inexpensive eye cream
E.L.F. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream
- Price: $
- Size: 0.53 oz.
- Pros: low cost, overall great reviews
- Con: some users claim it was irritating to the skin and eyes
At this price point, it’s hard to believe that an eye cream could have an impact, but reviewers love E.L.F. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream. Users wax poetically about how pleasantly surprised they are by this eye cream, even suggesting it blows the pricier competition out of the water.
Like many other eye creams, E.L.F. uses hyaluronic acid and peptides with other vegan and cruelty-free ingredients to fade dark circles and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.