Keeping the delicate eye area moisturized and nourished is the key to having a youthful appearance with no fine lines. If you have decided you really need an eye cream in your skincare routine, make sure to try one of the best eye creams for dark circles, dryness, puffiness or fine lines that we recommend below! To finish off, we give some tips on how to choose the best eye creams for your needs.
Our Picks of the Best Eye Creams
Below, we give some suggestions for the best eye creams for all the different eye needs.
Best Eye Creams for Dryness
1. Kiehl’s Since 1851 Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
Avocado oil and shea butter are perfect ingredients for nourishing the eye area and getting rid of dryness. This eye treatment is also loaded with antioxidants, so it is a perfect choice for preventing premature aging. It comes highly rated for its lovely texture. You can purchase it from Nordstrom.
2. Avene Soothing Eye Contour Cream
You cannot go wrong with this gentle, moisturizing eye cream. It is deeply hydrating and very simple, so it can work really well even for those with very sensitive skin. It contains moisture-binding superstar hyaluronic acid, along with a few other antioxidants and hydrators. You can buy it at Dermstore.
Best Eye Creams for Fine Lines
3. Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment
This lovely eye product is light and gentle, but it helps to diminish the look of fine lines both instantly, and in the long term. The silicone formula hides the look of fine lines, while glutamine and alanine help to rejuvenate the skin over time. This excellent anti-age eye treatment is available at Sephora.
4. RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream
The retinol in this eye cream makes it one of the more effective solutions to improving the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Hundreds of people swear by how effective it is, and the light, hydrating texture is another wonderful benefit. You can purchase a tube of this eye cream through Ulta.
Best Eye Creams for Dark Circles
5. Strivectin Intensive Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles
This product belongs in multiple categories, because of all of the moisturizing, anti-aging, and depuffing ingredients. Ultimately, I decided the respectable amount of niacinamide here would be excellent for dark circles caused by hyperpigmentation, while skin-repairing peptides would help to build up the skin cells and cover up dark circles caused by delicate skin. It is available for purchasing through Nordstrom.
6. Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment
For the best brightening, anti-aging, and skin repairing effect, how can you not opt for one of the most well researched ingredients – vitamin C. This brightening eye cream also moisturizes beautifully, with a collection of botanical oils along with squalane – one of my favorite ingredients! You can buy this eye cream from Sephora.
Best Eye Creams for Puffiness
7. 100 Percent Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream
Caffeine and green tea act as astringents in this eye cream, to firm up the eye area and break down fatty deposits, so your eye area will look healthy and tight. There are also lots of antioxidant-rich oils and botanicals to moisturize and protect from premature aging. You can grab yourself a tube at Dermstore.
8. Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate
You can nourish the eye area and eliminate puffiness with this caffeine-based eye cream. One of the best eye creams for puffiness, it also has lots of anti-aging ingredients including some of our favorite peptides. The consistency is silky, and sinks in quickly, so it’s great under makeup. You can pick it up at Ulta.
How to Choose the Best Eye Creams for Different Eye Needs?
Here are some guidelines for choosing the best eye creams for your specific concerns, with the best ingredients and textures for your unique needs!
Eye Creams for Dryness and Dehydrations
If your eye area simply needs more moisture, look for an eye cream (or a very gentle moisturizer, for that matter) with a mixture of hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and panthenol, and emollient/ occlusive ingredients that will look in moisture, like nutritious botanical oils.
Eye Creams for Hyperpigmentation and Dark Circles
This is the most common concern for the area around the eyes. There are two types of darkness people experience under the eyes, one of which is hyperpigmentation, which is normally brownish and can be fixed with eye creams and serums filled with skin-brightening ingredients like vitamin C, arbutin, niacinamide, licorice root extract, etc.
The second type of darkness under the eyes is caused by one of the following things: stress, not enough sleep, not enough iron in the body, and overly delicate or thin skin. This kind of darkness tends to be more blue-toned.
The key to improving these kinds of dark circles is in improving one’s lifestyle and diet, but topical eye creams can still slightly help. Look for eye creams with many antioxidants, skin-healing ingredients, ceramides, and retinol. These ingredients can promote cell regeneration, and help thicken up the skin under the eyes, to minimize the visible darkness.
Eye Creams for Puffiness and Purple Circles
The reason these two eye concerns are listed together is that they are both often caused by the same issue: congestion and circulation problems. The best way to treat them is with eye creams rich in topical ingredients that help improve circulation and tighten up the eye area. These include caffeine, green tea extract, and vitamin K. Gentle massage might also help, as would sleeping on the back, and keeping the sinuses clear.
Eye Creams for Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Crow’s Feet, and Loss of Elasticity
The same anti-age ingredients that help the rest of the skin will also help the eye area. To help minimize the look of fine lines around the eyes instantly, opt for humectants – especially hyaluronic acid, which has an instant plumping effect.
In the long term, you want to use skin-regenerating and protecting ingredients. Once again, retinol and vitamin C are good choices, as are all kinds of botanical oils and extracts that are rich in antioxidant vitamins.
Eye Creams for Sensitivity and Redness Around the Eyes
Many people find that they are more sensitive and prone to redness around the eye area, so using a gentle, fragrance-free eye cream is key. Opt for calming and skin-strengthening ingredients like green tea extract, ceramides, oat extract, and vitamin E, along with hydrators and botanical oils.
Eye Creams for Milia
Milia around the eyes look like whiteheads, and some people are very prone to getting them. Milia is essentially a hard plug of keratin (a protein that is part of human skin) that clogs the pores around the eyes.
The best eye creams for milia would include ingredients that can soften the plugs, and prevent their return. Most dermatologists recommend using retinol-based eye creams to do that, although it’s possible that gentle exfoliation with an eye product with salicylic acid could also help. For a quicker solution, you can also go to a dermatologist and have them lance and extract the milia.
Photos via Sephora, Nordstrom, Dermstore