24 Best Eye Cream for Dark Circles in 2023, According to Experts | Vogue

While some people appreciate the natural look of a shadowy under-eye, many of us hope to find a solution—which is where the best eye cream for dark circles comes in. “Not all eye creams are created equal, because not all eye problems are equal,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Shereene Idriss. “When a person is looking to treat dark circles, the question is “Why do you have dark circles?”

She explains that the pesky dark circles could be the result of pigmentation or underlying redness and vasculature. “If the dark circles are due to pigmentation, then you want to look for ingredients with brightening effects. Products containing vitamin C, hydroquinone, and kojic acid work best. Also, look for products with retinol in them because retinol can help a person even out pigmentation over time. However, if the dark circles are due to underlying redness or puffiness, then you want to look for eye creams with caffeine or vitamin K, which is an “underdog” and not used as frequently as I wish it was.”

The Best Eye Creams:

Like many other skin conditions, dark circles can be reduced with lifestyle changes as well. According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Morgan Rabach, “good sleep, hydration, low salt, and sunscreen under the eye” can make a positive difference because “factors are genetic and environmental.” (On the makeup front, consider layering your tinted moisturizer with SPF beneath your concealer of choice to temporarily veil dark under-eye circles.) For more intensive treatment, Rabach often uses “fillers made from hyaluronic acid to mask the bags and also, sometimes under eye surgery (called a lower blepharoplasty) to remove the eye bag.”

With this guidance in mind, here are the best eye creams that target dark circles—according to beauty experts, and our own skin-care cabinets.

SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex for Dark Circles

• Why We Love It: “SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex For Dark Circles is a great option, especially for mature skin,” explains board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman, founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama. 
• Skin Benefits: “This works well for anyone who suffers from severe dryness and lack of elasticity, which often happens with mature skin—it’s an intensely moisturizing cream with blueberry extract to pack an exfoliant punch. It makes the eyes look radiant right away and provides more youthful-looking skin in the long run with continued use.”

La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eye Cream for Dark Circles

• Why We Love It: Powered by niacinamide, caffeine, and the brand’s thermal spring water, the La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar is an all-around solid eye cream to tackle your dark circles with ease.
• Skin Benefits:  Even better: This drugstore, brightening eye cream features a cooling metal applicator to help soothe and decongest the under-eye after each use.

RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: Those searching for a retinol eye cream, consider this option by RoC—a top pick of Rabach because it “contains retinol formulated for the thin skin of the under-eye, which helps boost collagen production.”
• Skin Benefits: Thanks to the infused retinol and glycerin, expect puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles to be quelled with ease.

Sunday Riley Auto Correct Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: New York City–based esthetician Sean Garrette tells Vogue that the Sunday Riley Auto Correct is one of the first eye creams he ever finished. 
• Skin Benefits: “It helps to depuff, brighten, and hydrate the under-eye with ingredients like caffeine, horse chestnut, watermelon extract, and antioxidants like lutein. This also has very fine light-reflecting particles that help the eye look more lifted and awake,” he explains.

Isdin Isdinceutics K-Ox Eyes

• Why We Love It: “The thin skin of the eyelids displays the prominent blood vessels and hemosiderin deposits that give the area a purple hue,” says Hartman. “Enter Isdinceutics K-Ox Eyes.”
• Skin Benefits: “It contains vitamin K to treat the darkness, haloxyl to improve firmness and skin tone, and hyaluronic acid to improve hydration as it moisturizes.” Idriss is also a fan because it helps with redness. “As a tip, I use it on other places on my face: around my nose that has occasionally endured redness to lighten up my appearance.”

Paula’s Choice Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: “This is a treatment eye cream formulated with retinol, vitamin C, and 5 skin-identical ceramides that help brighten and revive the under eye,” says Garrette
• Skin Benefits: He explains that “retinol and vitamin C are two ingredients that are great at reducing fine lines and fading uneven pigmentation, which are most people’s concerns when it comes to their under eyes.”

Augustinus Bader The Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: Eye bags, fine lines, and puffiness don’t stand a chance against Augustinus Bader’s rejuvenating eye cream that not only boosts the appearance of the under-eye but protects skin from environmental stressors. It’s so good that senior beauty editor Lauren Valenti named it one of the best skin-care products she tested in 2022.
• Skin Benefits: “It’s formulated with the TFC8 or Trigger Factor Complex to activate the body’s stem cells and support cellular renewal with other antioxidant-packed ingredients, including seaweed and pennywort,” writes Valenti in her review of the eye cream, highlighting its hydrating properties and luxurious feel. 

Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Crème

• Why We Love It: Upon applying Tata Harper’s Illuminating Eye Crème, expect the included diamond dust to veil the under-eye with a pink-gold luminous tint. 
• Skin Benefits: What’s more, a blend of 100% natural-based ingredients like fruit extracts and plant-derived oils target signs of aging from dark circles to wrinkles.

Dior Capture Youth Age-Delay Advanced Eye Treatment

• Why We Love It: If you find retinols to be too irritating to your skin, consider trying retinol alternatives like crithmum, a botanical that powers Dior’s Capture Youth Age-Delay Advanced Eye Treatment. 
• Skin Benefits: This ingredient cocktail promises to completely revitalize the under-eye to reveal soothed, brightened, and depuffed skin. 

Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches

Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches

$18

at ULTA

• Why We Love It: When we asked top dermatologists to detail their skin-care routines, Dr. Chris Tomassian revealed his penchant for these vegan eye masks. “For dark [circles] and puffiness, I will use Good Molecules Caffeine Eye Masks, which I keep in my skin-care fridge for the cooling sensation,” he says.
• Skin Benefits: Its blend of 1% caffeine, licorice extract, peptides, aloe vera, and moisturizing technology ensures a brightened, youthful-looking under-eye. 

Revision Skincare D.E.J. Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: “Revision Skincare D.E.J Eye Cream is a creamy, lush formulation that provides instant moisture and nourishment to the dehydrated skin of the eyelids,” says Hartman.
• Skin Benefits: “It does a little of everything providing antioxidant protection, retaining moisture, and fortifying skin’s microbiome with prebiotics.”

Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème

Olehenriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème

$42

at SEPHORA

• Why We Love It: Certainly one of the most popular eye creams on the market, the Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème won’t disappoint.
• Skin Benefits: Housed in a little orange jar lies a formula packed with vitamin C and collagen to illuminate the eye area and improve firmness over time.

Bioderma Sensibio Gel Eye Contour

• Why We Love It: According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu, the Bioderma Sensibio Gel Eye Contour “contains caffeine, which has been shown to improve the microcirculation in the skin and therefore brightens dark discoloration.”
• Skin Benefits: She notes that “It’s a gel formula, so it’s less likely to clog pores and cause milia cysts (those white bumps that can appear on the eyelids from using eye creams that are too heavy).”

Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: Another eye cream for dark circles that Idriss prefers is this option by Kate Somerville.
• Skin Benefits: “It can be hard to formulate retinol for the under-eye area as the skin is more sensitive, but this one works wonders, and I have personally never had a weird reaction from using it, so I really like it.”

Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream

• Why We Love It: A dual-action eye cream that seamlessly combats both eye creams and wrinkles through a powerhouse peptide complex, gamma proteins, and an innovative ingredient list. 
• Skin Benefits: Part of the brand’s Peptide 21 Collection, the Peter Thomas Roth eye cream is designed to reduce the look of fine lines and brighten the area for a youthful appearance—a thoughtful addition to anyone’s anti-aging skin-care regimen.

BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector

• Why We Love It: Crafted by cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson, the BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector is a beauty editor favorite to treat the delicate skin around the eye.
• Skin Benefits: It’s formulated with 5% pure vitamin C, along with antioxidants, CBD, and hyaluronic acid, to not only brighten but soothe and hydrate skin.

Furtuna Skin Cuore Visione Di Luce Eye Revitalizing Cream

• Why We Love It: “I’ve used so many different eye creams since I was like in my twenties, and I started earlier because, you know, why not for preventative reasons,” says Ashley Tisdale in her installment of Vogue’s beauty secrets. “And this has to be like the best one, I’m not kidding you.” 
• Skin Benefits: The eye cream in question is this option by Furtuna Skin powered by lilac stem cells and natural botanicals to quell discoloration and puffiness. 

Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel

• Why We Love It: “This is a new favorite, and I’m obsessed with how hydrating this eye gel is. If you’re someone who can handle a rich eye cream, this is the perfect one for you,” says Garrette.
• Skin Benefits: “[The gel] is packed with antioxidants that help combat free radical damage and brighten the under-eye, Chromabright that fades uneven pigmentation, hyaluronic acid, and peptides that hydrate and plump the skin under the eye.”

Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel

Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel

$56

at SEPHORA

• Why We Love It: “[The Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel] contains niacinamide, a B vitamin that helps improve discoloration and is a natural anti-inflammatory ingredient, so it’s safe for the delicate eye area,” explains Wu.
• Skin Benefits: “An added benefit: it also boosts skin hydration. This is one of my favorites for patients with sensitive skin.”

Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

$64

at SEPHORA

• Why We Love It: With a powerful blend of five forms of vitamin C, eight peptides, ceramides, and cucumber extract, it’s no surprise Drunk Elephant’s eye cream is one of our go-to products for dark circles.
• Skin Benefits:  This quickly firms and brightens without irritation—making it dependable for daily use. 

SkinMedica Instant Bright Eye Mask

SkinMedica Instant Bright Eye Mask

$50

at DERMSTORE

• Why We Love It: Although a traditional eye cream will do the work to reduce dark circles over time, according to Rabach, the SkinMedica Instant Bright Eye Mask is an excellent supplement to your routine. 
• Skin Benefits: She says that the mask “contains rhodiola rosea root extract which is high in antioxidants to brighten skin.”

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream

• Why We Love It: Neutrogena Hdyro Boost’s impressive gel-cream texture is only half the draw to this top-rated formula. Led by hyaluronic acid and glycerin, this is like a drink of water to awaken tired eyes.
• Skin Benefits: Its quenching blend keeps the under-eye supple and moisturized all day long, whether under makeup or on its own. 

Perricone MD Brightening Eye Serum

• Why We Love It: Looking for weightless solution to reduce the appearance of dark circles? Give Perricone MD’s eye serum a try for its formulation, rich in active ingredients.  
• Skin Benefits: This elixir blends supercharged vitamin C, squalane, and chamomile extract to brighten dark circles and  minimize the look of fine lines without causing irritation. 

Skinbetter InterFuse Treatment Cream Eye

Skinbetter InterFuse Treatment Cream Eye

$110

at SKINBETTER

• Why We Love It: Both Hartman and Idriss recommend the Skinbetter InterFuse Treatment Cream Eye because of its blend of peptides, vitamin C, and caffeine to brighten and depuff.
• Skin Benefits: Even more, Hartman explains that this “also gives skin a huge boost of moisture with its use of humectants. It’s my go-to reliable eye cream that will protect the skin and make it look even better.”

Meet the Experts

• Sean Garrette is a New York-based esthetician and Dior skin-care expert. 
• Dr. Corey L. Hartman is a Birmingham, Alabama-based and board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology.
• Dr. Shereene Idriss is a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist who specializes in facial aesthetics.
• Dr. Morgan Rabach is a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist and Clinical Assistant professor of Dermatology at The Icahn School of Medicine. 
• Dr. Jessica Wu is a Los Angeles-based board-certified cosmetic and clinical dermatologist.