15 Best Eye Creams For Dark Circles For Different Skin Types

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The latest wave of peeper protectors worth a look, broken down by skin concern

If neglecting to use an eye cream for your dark circles is somewhat of a black mark on your otherwise clean skincare sheet, then you're not alone. Far from it in fact, given that ‘do eye creams really work?’ is one of the popular beauty questions typed into Google.

A smaller, more expensive version of your everyday face cream, these miniature pots of wonder often promise the world — from brightened eye bags to diminished puffiness and even, in the case of retinol formulas, smoothed-out crinkles and wrinkles.

But can the science really live up to the claims? And does the best eye cream really exist?

To help you figure out whether to part with your hard-earned cash and invest in that eye product, we asked the experts to see whether our biggest concerns (namely dark circles and fine lines) can really be solved by a topical treatment.

We also tested an array of eye creams in the Women's Heath Lab to see which ones brightened, soothed and smoothed successfully. Here are our top recommendations, but scroll on for more detail.

The eyes may be the window to the soul but it's actually the skin surrounding them that reveals the most about you. In fact, research carried out by Olay shows that the skin around the eye can have a biological age of up to 22 years older than other parts of the face.

‘The skin under and around the eye naturally has fewer oil-producing cells and a weaker moisture barrier than the rest of the dermis,’ explains Dr Frauke Naus, Olay's principle scientist. It's a double whammy, which means any signs of dehydration and dryness, including fine lines, materialise quicker around the eyes than elsewhere on the face or neck.

‘It's also the thinnest area of skin on the body, with an external barrier — that is, the uppermost protective layer of the epidermis — measuring six cells deep under the eye, compared to 50 cells deep across the rest of the body,’ adds Dr Mervyn Patterson, dermatologist for Woodford Medical, London. It means environmental aggressors such as pollution and UV rays can easily penetrate and wreak havoc on the skin around the eyes.

However, while the skin around your orbital bone clearly needs a little more pampering, it may not require an entirely separate product, as Dr. Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and author of The Skincare Bible explains.

'Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily need an eye-specific product, as many facial moisturisers are suitable to use in this area,' she says. 'Generally speaking, if a product is suitable for the face, it should be fine to use around the eyes. If you look at the ingredients, there is no real difference between most products for the eyes compared to the rest of the face.

'However, there are exceptions to this rule. If you suffer from oily skin and your regular day moisturiser is being used to combat this, you may benefit from a separate, lighter eye product. Also, products made for blemish-prone skin may irritate and unnecessarily dry the under-eye area, so it's best to use a gentler product.'

The science surrounding eye creams can seem hazy at best. Can brands really explain how snake venom or the sap of a scared tree will effortlessly erase the wrinkles that manifest due to stress or parenthood?

A study carried out by University of Stockholm found that sleep deprivation can cause a drastic change in the appearance of your eyes over time, resulting in heavy-feeling, hooded lids and premature ageing in the eye area. ‘Lack of sleep also reduces lymph drainage, so you get a build-up of water in the tissues around the eyes,’ explains Dr Patterson. Hence the matching bags that are far from designer.

Caffeine is often touted as an ingredient able to wage war on dark circles. However, as Dr Mahto explains, 'caffeine can constrict blood vessels around the eye area to some degree and improve skin tone, but this is a temporary fix and not a long-term solution.'

Yet caffeine is not entirely to blame for your persistent panda eyes. 'It's not the efficacy of ingredients that you need to question; it's whether the problems you’re trying to treat are even fixable in the first place,' adds Dr Mahto.

Dark circles and puffiness for example, are like cellulite in the sense that your genetic make-up will determine how susceptible you are to them. Then there's your ethnic background. 'Asian and southeast Asian ethnicities can have hereditary hyperpigmentation around the eyes and, like genetics, these are circumstances where no amount of eye cream will take effect,' Dr Mahto explains.

So, is your scepticism towards eye creams valid then? 'Not entirely,' reveals skincare founder and expert Paula Begoun. 'While no eye cream is going to completely eliminate wrinkles, lift sagging skin, or completely erase puffiness, a great eye cream will hydrate, smooth skin texture and diminish the look of lines or some types of puffiness, and that's exciting' she adds.

Dr Patterson explains further: 'The formulas that work best are the ones that keep skin healthy by repairing its barrier, hydrating skin cells and dampening down chronic inflammation by harnessing botanicals.'

Our panel of over 900 members tested 63 eye creams for a four-week period to see which performed best when it came to improving puffiness, dryness, dark circles and wrinkles.

In the Women's Health Lab, our experts then used a VISIA Complexion Analyser to measure the number of deep-set wrinkles and fine lines before and after testers had used each eye cream consistently over the course of the month.

Here are our top picks for your peepers.

In 2022, Soho House, the iconic members club for creatives and collaborators, branched out from pinstripe towel pool-scapes and started its own skincare line — to be stocked in all its hotels and health clubs and finally sold to Joe Public (no fancy membership required).

Despite initial scepticism over the brand's skincare credentials — cue debate about celebrity skincare lines across the world — it has impressed our experts and customers alike with its thought-out, efficacious formulations.

This time, our panellists praised the cooling metal applicator and ergonomic design of its eye cream, calling out the packaging as the best of the bunch. Testers loved the lasts-all-day brightening durability and said their skin even looked smoother and less wrinkled after the trial period.

This plant-powered formula really did the trick when it came to tackling eye bags that appear overnight. We found it gave a pleasant tightening effect and absorbed quickly, leaving skin feeling moisturised. We saw improvements in dark circles, puffiness and fine lines, too — combating all our under-eye concerns in one bottle.

When it comes to tackling fine lines around the eyes, we love hydrating ingredients. This eye cream is packed with wild yam and soy bean to drench under-eyes in moisture, all while brightening any dull patches.

Testers were impressed with how well it diminished the appearance of fine lines and dark circles, while also providing a soothing sensation upon application.

Introducing us to the Inkey List has got to be one of the best things to come out of TikTok. The brand is known for nailing effective formulas at affordable price points, and this product didn't disappoint.

Packed with vitamin A and shea butter, the cream banished rough texture and helped improve the look of wrinkles. Puffy eye bags? Gone. It was so impressive, everyone said they'd continue to use it after testing. Did we mention it's under £15? Run, don't walk.

There's no excuse to miss the eye cream step from your skincare routine when it costs you less than £10.

This vegan organic formula didn't skimp on hydration, leaving almost all testers with more moisturised, brighter, smoother under-eyes. It helped erase that puffiness after an early workout, and also helped make-up last longer.

We're all well versed by now in the many benefits retinol has to offer, but you may also be wary about its side effects (AKA redness and sensitivity). Adding the potent ingredient to an eye cream can be risky, but it paid off in this case.

The 0.1% dosage kept most testers completely irritation free, while our lab test showed it was still effective at targeting deep-set wrinkles and fine lines. It was lightweight, yet still hydrating for parched skin, while most saw dark circles appear brighter.

Whether they're from a late-night training session or a Netflix marathon (no judgement), if you want those tell-tale dark circles to disappear, try this serum.

Testers said dark shadows appeared brighter and they noticed their skin looked smoother and firmer. It addressed puffiness too, with one tester saying it had a plumping effect around their eye area. Those with sensitive skin praised its brightening powers, while it didn't cause break outs or aggravate sensitive areas.

This lightweight product with a hybrid cream-gel texture doubles up as an under-eye primer, to keep concealer in check throughout the day, as well as cooling and calming skin under the eyes.

The hydrating effect soothed and softened the delicate area, which handily reduced the prominence of wrinkles.

Yep, it's not cheap but the effect this cream had on frown lines and crow's feet earned it a place in this round-up.

It blends our favourite hydrating ingredient — hyaluronic acid — with the brand's signature honeys to create a velvety texture that instantly reduced puffiness and dullness, not to mention lines and wrinkles.

Cheat eight-hour sleeps with this refreshing gel eye mask. The texture is so lightweight that we found it sank into skin instantly, without disturbing any make-up we put over the top.

Dark circles were reduced too, while fine lines appeared softer. Keep in the fridge for an extra icy treat.

Not only is this eye cream one of the more affordable options on our list, but you also don't need a lot of it to successfully moisturise the under-eye area — meaning it will last you a while.

The soft gel spreads easily, leaving skin feeling smoother, and we found it so hydrating that it managed to blur deep-set wrinkles.

In the skincare world, collagen (which naturally starts to deplete with age) is pretty much like gold. This eye cream aims to replenish the skin's supply, and we found it smoothed the sensitive under-eye area.

The light texture made it easy to pat on too, and it didn't leave any uncomfortable stickiness behind.

Find colour-correcting concealers confusing? This pot simplifies the process. It contains pigments designed to correct and counteract any darkness, along with vitamin C to provide a hit of brightness.

Despite having a rich texture, we found skin drank this one up immediately, helping to correct any dark circles and leaving skin looking fresh and feeling silky-smooth.

Aiming to revive tired under-eyes as you snooze, this eye cream is formulated to address the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation: puffiness, lines and dryness.

Our testers' skin soaked it up like a sponge, and they loved the silky feel it left behind. They noticed a difference in dark circles and fine lines on waking, and it left the eye area feeling firmer with a lifted effect.

We’ll admit, this one didn't have much of an impact on deep-set wrinkles, but considering it cost less than £10, it did a pretty good job at deflating puffy eyelids formed from one too many late nights.

The plumping and nourishing effect was greatly appreciated on parched peepers too, and the tube design dispensed the perfect amount of product.

1. Tweak your own skincare habits

‘Many women apply SPF daily but stop short of the eye area for fear of causing irritation,’ reveals Dr Patterson. Change your ways, stat.

2. Be gentle

Experts warn against being too heavy-handed when applying and removing make-up. Any make-up or skincare products should be worked in to the eye area gently with a light fingertip pat or softly buffed on with a brush. Always pour a little remover on to a cotton pad then hold the pad over your eyes for 5-10 seconds. Gently sweep it across the eye, before turning over and placing back over the eye. Hold again for 5-10 seconds, then gently sweep across the lid to remove make-up.

3. Re-think your make-up

Once armed with the right products, move on to acing your application technique. Soft brushes for make-up application are kinder to the skin. Also, consider introducing an eye primer into your routine; it means you don't have to keep reapplying.

4. Forget facial wipes

When it comes to removal, facial wipes are your eyes’ biggest nemesis, as they rarely lift all the make-up effectively from the lid or lashes, so you spend longer rubbing the wipe back and forth across delicate skin. Goodbye natural elasticity. Plus, should there be any make-up residue left on the eye area, it helps feed tiny mites that live between your lashes (known as demodex folliculorum), which cause puffiness.

5. Think about your diet

What you're putting into your plate is worth a second glance, too. As well as raising blood pressure, salt causes your body to retain water, which can lead to swelling. Since the skin around the eyes is so thin, this can lead to puffiness, even if you have had eight hours’ kip. It's never too late to prevent further damage.

Denny is our Beauty and Grooming Tester and has an in-depth knowledge and background in beauty and PR. She has spoken on panels with Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW) and has worked with many beauty brands as a commercial model.

Since joining in October 2022, she has worked on numerous testing categories including over 18 different brands for vitamin C serums, scalp scrubs, shampoos for dry hair and many more.

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