Courtesy of brand
The use of eye cream is a heated debate in the Allure office: About half the team believes slathering the undereye area with decadent creams can help 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: No one wants to look like they got roughly four hours of sleep.
That's why we've combed through dozens (hell, maybe even hundreds) of formulas to find the most luxurious and effective ones — packed with eye-opening ingredients like blood vessel-constricting caffeine and skin-plumping hyaluronic acid — to help fake a full night's rest, no matter how many hours of Zzz's you have or have not managed to squeeze in.
Ahead, you'll find 22 eye creams, including a drugstore favorite by Neutrogena and a retinol-laced serum from Kiehl's, each formulated for the thinnest, most sensitive skin on your body. You won't believe your eyes (wink, wink) once you see the transformative effects.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Courtesy of brand1/23
BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector
Cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson is the beauty expert behind this editor-beloved BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector, which picked up a 2021 Best of Beauty Award. This fragrance-free, creamy formula contains 5 percent pure, stabilized vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) and antioxidant-rich green tea for major brightening benefits, while hemp oil and hemp leaf extract soothe inflamed skin. This, in conjunction with the Universal C Skin Refiner, forms a practically unstoppable duo in terms of brightening, firming, and smoothing skin.
Courtesy of brand2/23
The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream
Don't be deceived by the price tag — The Inkey List's Caffeine Eye Cream is just as powerful as pricier options on this list. The caffeine in the cream helps flush away water retention that can cause puffiness, and peptides smooth over roughly textured skin on this delicate area of the face.
Raj Shah 3/23
Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
A combination of skin-tightening marine algae and deeply hydrating squalane in this Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream smoothes and moisturizes the eye area so that makeup doesn't crease or cake. This Allure Best of Beauty winner has a light texture that melts into skin with minimal rubbing.
You'll find the Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream in the Limited-Edition Allure Best of Beauty Box. For just $65 (or $40 exclusively for Allure Beauty Box members), you'll get beauty products worth $210 in value.
Courtesy of brand4/23
Isdin K-Ox Eyes
Isdin's K-Ox Eyes might have a hefty price tag for such a small tube, but trust us when we say that this 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner is the real deal. This potent serum is infused with hyaluronic acid and vitamin K oxide to significantly decrease puffiness and dark circles, all the while keeping that area incredibly hydrated. (However, as with any eye cream, don't expect results right away. Consistent use matters in the long run.) The pointed tip on the ceramic applicator is particularly useful for targeting all of the nooks and crannies around your delicate eyes. It's the perfect cooling yet gentle wake-up call.
Courtesy of brand 5/23
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado
This little white jar with its signature green text is a mainstay on top shelves around the world. Avocado oil in Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado is one of the most potent natural moisturizers and works to nourish and hydrate the undereyes.
For a limited time, new members can score the above eye cream in the bonus luxury bundle, which is valued at $120, along with their July Allure Beauty Box. While supplies last, order now!
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Courtesy of brand 6/23
L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Manuka Honey Eye Gel
Equipped with a cooling rollerball applicator, L'Oréal Paris' Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Manuka Honey Eye Gel won a 2020 Best of Beauty Award for its depuffing and dark-circles-reducing abilities. The soothing combination of manuka honey, caffeine, and hyaluronic acid is especially perfect for dry, mature skin. Gently pat in any excess product with your fingers.
Courtesy of brand7/23
Trinny London BFF Eye
If you search for the intersection between eye serums and concealers, you'll find Trinny London's BFF Eye waiting for you. After all, this 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner literally melts into your undereye area and looks just like your skin — but perhaps after a week's worth of rest. This lightweight, non-creasing formula helps correct red and blue undertones, thus concealing the appearance of dark circles. In addition, hyaluronic acid boosts hydration, and stabilized vitamin C adds an undeniable brightening effect — and the cooling metal applicator will definitely wake you up in the mornings.
Courtesy of brand 8/23
Olay Eyes Brightening Eye Cream
Olay Eyes Brightening Eye Cream is formulated with vitamins and a light-reflecting complex to revive tired-looking skin — and the ghosts of sleepless nights.
Courtesy of brand9/23
Peter Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream
Peter Thomas Roth's Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Eye Cream might sound a little intimidating with ingredients called Regu-Age, Reforcyl, and Gamma Proteins, but let's focus on what those ingredients can actually do. In addition to a potent blend of 21 peptides and neuropeptides (which may boost collagen production), these ingredients work incredibly hard to minimize the appearance of crow's feet, fine lines, and deep wrinkles. Dark circles, puffiness, and lack of elasticity will also become much less apparent, thanks to daily use of this 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner.
Courtesy of brand 10/23
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex
Not getting enough of those all-important z's? Keep 'em guessing with Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex, a luxurious gel-cream that combats the side effects of sleep deprivation, UV damage, and pollution buildup.
Courtesy of brand11/23
RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream
Retinol near your eyes sounds scary, but with this gentle cream, you've got nothing to fear. RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, an ophthalmologist-tested, two-time Best of Beauty Award winner (2020 and 2021), slowly releases the vitamin A derivative to fight fine lines around your eyes. And because it also contains hyaluronic acid, it does all this with lots of hydration.
Courtesy of brand 12/23
Dior Capture Youth Age-Delay Advanced Eye Treatment
Call it bright eyes in a bottle: Dior's Youth Age-Delay Advanced Eye Treatment features a fast-absorbing gel to address concerns including sagging skin, dark circles, and puffiness.
Courtesy of brand13/23
Dr. Loretta Tightening Eye Gel
Dr. Loretta's peptide-packed Tightening Eye Gel nabbed a 2019 Allure Best of Beauty Award for best de-puffing eye cream for the ability to improve the area's contour. But there's a bonus: The proprietary Chromabright complex fades uneven pigment, making this a great pick for dark circles, too.
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Courtesy of brand14/23
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème
The hint of yellow tint in 2020 Readers' Choice and Best of Beauty Award winner Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème — which doesn't actually contain banana, by the way — instantly brightens and color-corrects dark circles. Vitamin C and collagen support skin's clarity and elasticity.
Courtesy of brand 15/23
Tatcha The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment
Like a tinted moisturizer for your undereyes, Tatcha's almost-too-pretty-to-use The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment is available in three versatile shades to instantly mask discoloration and improve the appearance of skin.
Courtesy of brand16/23
Skinbetter Science EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream
Board-certified dermatologist Corey Hartman, who is based in Birmingham, Alabama, says that the retinol-infused Skinbetter Science EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream has become a staple in his nightly routine. "I've been using it for the last couple of months," tells Allure. "[It's an] eye cream with retinol and no irritation — huge!" The retinol tackles crepiness, puffiness, and fine lines while a soothing version of chamomile called matricaria, and moisturizing glycerin prevents any sensitivity.
Courtesy of brand 17/23
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eyes
La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Eyes was born of studies about dark undereye circles. As it turns out, the blue ones are due to a lack of microcirculation, which can result from fatigue and are worse in the morning because we sleep horizontally; brown circles can result from sun exposure, genetics, and even excessive rubbing of the eyes. If you didn't even know undereye circles came in two types, there's good news: This innovative LRP product was created to target both.
Courtesy of brand18/23
Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate
Think of the black tea at the heart of Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate as invisible goggles for your eye area. The ingredient is rich in antioxidants that protect skin from damaging free radicals and helps improve elasticity so that skin is soft and smooth.
Courtesy of brand 19/23
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel Cream
Drugstore fave Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream is packed with potent hyaluronic acid, which as you may know, helps lock hydration into the skin. It's one of those good-for-everyone picks: light enough for oily skin, hydrating for anyone, and the gel texture makes it cool to the touch. We like to swipe it on under makeup in the morning.
Courtesy of brand 20/23
Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
Hydrate the delicate undereye area with a formula that's infused with hyaluronic acid, peptides, and avocado protein extract. Plus, brightening ingredients like date seed extract mean less concealer over time.
Courtesy of brand 21/23
Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
Like a tall glass of water for your undereye area, Belif's Moisturizing Eye Bomb kicks hydration into overdrive. The line-smoothing cream promises long-lasting moisture and a visibly radiant finish.
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Courtesy of brand 22/23
SK-II LXP Ultimate Revival Eye Cream
Pitera is the ingredient that has made SK-II the global phenomenon it is today. And while we'd assume it's pretty highly concentrated in its fan-favorite essence, the SK-II LXP Ultimate Revival Eye Cream has eight times more of the ingredient than any product before it. The result? A rich, deeply hydrating treatment that nourishes the area and provides vitamins and nutrients to brighten, firm, and prevent damage from pollution.
23/23
How to Get Rid of Wrinkles
On this episode of The Science of Beauty, Ophthalmologist Jean Carruthers tells the truly unbelievable tale of how she "accidentally" discovered that Botox could smooth brows and erase frown lines, and dermatologist Melissa Levin shares the most effective topical ingredients to treat every kind of wrinkle, even those pesky ones between your brows and along your neck.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Keywordsskin careeye creamFreshOlayKiehl'sundereye circlesundereye bagsdark circleswrinklescrow's-feetshopping guideshoppingeye creamsbest eye creamsPeter Thomas RothOle HenriksenISDINRoCBeautyStatbeauty shoppingABB ProductsAllure Best of BeautyBest of Beauty 2021