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The Best Eye Creams To Invest In Now

There's now a targeted treatment to nix any beauty concern, from sallow shadows to puffiness. Here, see the innovative formulas a beauty editor really rates.

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best eye cream

Whether your concealer is sinking into lines more than it used to, or that morning-after puffiness is giving the game away in the office, investing in a targeted eye cream could be the solution you seek.

'The skin around the eyes is thinner and more fragile than that on the rest of your face,' explains Dr. Maryam Zamani, oculoplastic surgeon and founder of MZ Skin. This means it requires special treatment – especially if you’re trying to get rid of stubborn pigmentation or erase the signs of a late night.

The best eye creams can work to tackle a wide range of concerns, including dryness, puffiness, dark circles (to a certain extent – let’s be real), and fine lines and wrinkles. To ensure you’ve got your hands on your perfect match, it pays to delve into the ingredients a little.

For puffiness and eye bags, caffeine could be the one. 'It reduces the build-up of lipids that lead to eye bags, and restructures skin proteins to smooth, firm and tone the surface,' says Dr. Zamani. Studies have also shown caffeine to boost microcirculation, meaning it could help shift those sallow dark circles that linger after a late night.

For fine lines, you have options. Hyaluronic acid is your quick fix: proven to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water when correctly harnessed in a formula, 'it prevents moisture loss, helps smooth wrinkles and improves the skin surface,' explains Dr. Zamani. And for more intensive, long-term results, consider the new school of retinol eye creams. Previously a rare find due to retinol's tendency to irritate the skin, vitamin A eye creams are now coming to the market, backed by serious formulation nous and gentle enough to be used on your most sensitive spots.

And for dark circles, your best bet may lie in a spot of product cocktailing. Try using a retinol-based eye treatment at night, which can boost collagen production, call on caffeine to kick lymph flow into gear, and cheat with an illuminating cream for instantly brighter eyes by day. While no eye cream on this earth can change your bone structure (which largely contributes to the appearance of shadows under the eyes), reflective pigments work wonders when it comes to tricking the light.

When should you apply an eye cream?

This depends on how often you feel your peepers need a little pick-me-up – and what ingredients your cream features – but the general rule is before your face cream in the morning and before you slip into bed at night.

If an eye cream includes retinol (as many of the wrinkle-focused ones now do) then keep it reserved for night time. As powerful as retinol is, it degrades in sunlight, meaning the morning isn’t exactly ideal application time. Apply before you snooze and don’t forget your SPF in the morning – that part is non-negotiable.

Vitamin C, on the other hand, is great for a morning routine. Although there’s no reason the brightening ingredient can’t be used at night, it’s more helpful in the AM due to its antioxidant powers, which help keep the free radicals in our increasingly polluted air at a distance.

Here, discover the eye creams that have genuinely impressed me, along with the issues they are best placed to tackle.

The Best Eye Creams For Dark Circles, Lines And Bags

Best eye cream for bags

Dermalogica Awaken Peptide Eye Gel

Awaken Peptide Eye Gel
Best eye cream for bags

Dermalogica Awaken Peptide Eye Gel

£59 at LookFantastic

This stellar gel formula from Dermalogica delivers instant satisfaction when it comes to shifting puffiness. Caffeine and rosemary work together to bring down swelling on application, while a peptide complex does the really hard work, smoothing surface lines over time. Cooling and quickly absorbed, it's a real crowd-pleaser for all skin types.

Best eye cream for quick depuffing

Murad Targeted Eye Depuffer

Targeted Eye Depuffer
Best eye cream for quick depuffing

Murad Targeted Eye Depuffer

Murad's latest launch is one that made it straight into my regular rotation. The premise is similar to that of Dermalogica's – it uses a peptide to gradually tighten the skin – but there's the extra addition of a light-reflecting golden pigment that makes skin look bright and dewy instantly.

There's a bit of a knack to getting the most out of this one: use the cooling metal applicator to apply the cream around the entire orbital bone (including your eyelid). Then, tap the product in and leave it to sink in for a few minutes.

Best eye cream with SPF

Medik8 Advanced Day Eye Protect™

Advanced Day Eye Protect™
Best eye cream with SPF

Medik8 Advanced Day Eye Protect™

It's not easy to formulate a good eye cream with proper SPF protection, which is why you don't see so many on the shelves. Medik8, however, has triumphed with this brilliantly hard-working formula: it'll prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin (caused by free radicals in the air) while delivering broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection.

Use this one in the AM and the brand's buzzy Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye at night for a serious one-two punch.

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Best eye cream for mature skin

SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye Cream

A.G.E. Advanced Eye Cream
Best eye cream for mature skin

SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye Cream

A new Skinceuticals launch always piques my interest – and although this one was formulated with an older age bracket in mind, my thirty-something skin has loved it.

Its primary goal is to tackle the aesthetic signs of collagen degradation: an inevitable part of the ageing process. A patented proxylane compound plumps the surface of the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines, while peptides play the long game, helping skin feel firmer over time. And because we all want to look better rested than we really are, there's a dose of circulation-stimulating caffeine in there too.

Best intensive eye cream

111SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Eye Cream

Celestial Black Diamond Eye Cream
Best intensive eye cream

111SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Eye Cream

I've seen countless luxury skincare products packed with precious metals – and while some do warrant a firm side-eye, 111 Skin's is not one of them. This outrageously indulgent, satisfyingly effective formula uses diamond particles to enhance the delivery of the real star ingredients: inflammation-calming centella asiatica, regenerating retinol, brightening liquorice root and line-relaxing argireline. If you are under 30, you do not need this – but for anyone looking to upgrade their actives in their third decade, it'll be money well spent.

Best eye cream for twenty-something skin

Glossier Full Orbit Eye Cream

Full Orbit Eye Cream
Best eye cream for twenty-something skin

Glossier Full Orbit Eye Cream

Glossier has recently made its eye-cream debut, and I'm impressed. The brand always takes a refreshingly frank approach to its skincare, promising realistic improvements rather than overnight miracles, and this gel-cream formula is no different.

It won't erase wrinkles, vanquish dark circles or make you look like a Gen Alpha overnight, but it will hydrate supremely well, with a lightweight texture that won't encourage the development of milia. The obligatory dose of hyaluronic acid is cleverly supercharged with polyglutamic acid, while plant extracts work to boost microcirculation, shifting puffiness and making you look bright and well-rested.

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Best eye cream for brightening

Sunday Riley Autocorrect Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream

Editor’s Choice
Autocorrect Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream
Best eye cream for brightening

Sunday Riley Autocorrect Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream

It's a big statement, but I reckon this is Sunday Riley's best product ever. Both your eye treatment and illuminator in one, the pearly, creamy formula sinks into those puffy morning-after bags to shift the excess fluid and make sallow skin look instantly brighter.

The secret is a circulation-boosting combination of caffeine and horse chestnut, which kicks a sluggish system into gear. Either worn alone or beneath concealer, the effect is impressive.

Best eye cream for everyday hydration

Beauty Pie Elastic Lifting Eye Serum

Elastic Lifting Eye Serum
Best eye cream for everyday hydration

Beauty Pie Elastic Lifting Eye Serum

For simple hydration, there's no need to spend triple figures. This stellar formula combines caffeine with hyaluronic acid to simultaneously plump the skin surface and shift underlying fluid. If you're not already a Beauty Pie member, it's worth signing up just to get your hands on this affordable hero.

Best eye cream for under make-up

Antipodes Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream

On Sale
Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream
Best eye cream for under make-up

Antipodes Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream

Now 20% Off

Ok, so while I admit this one isn't a top-shelf stunner, I urge you not to judge the product by its packaging: this is one case where the formula truly belies its rather fusty appearance.

Rumour has it, you'll find Antipodes' gold-infused eye cream in the kits of so many top make-up artists. After experiencing the major moisture and immediate brightening effect, I can absolutely see why. Before you drop triple-figures on a high-luxe option, give this one a go.

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Best cooling eye cream

Tula Glow + Get It Cooling and Brightening Eye Balm

Glow + Get It Cooling and Brightening Eye Balm
Best cooling eye cream

Tula Glow + Get It Cooling and Brightening Eye Balm

This one is a balm, rather than a cream, but it's such a brilliant formula it deserves a firm recommendation. Probiotic-powered skincare brand Tula has cleverly formulated this hydrating swipe-on stick to quickly cool and brighten the under-eye area: trust me, its a treat on eyes that are subjected to an unholy amount of screen time.

There's a subtle glowy tint, and the texture is light enough that you can (and should) swipe it on throughout the day.

Best eye cream for regeneration

Dr. Barbara Sturm Exoso-Metic Eye Serum

Exoso-Metic Eye Serum
Best eye cream for regeneration

Dr. Barbara Sturm Exoso-Metic Eye Serum

There's a lot of buzz around exosomes in the beauty industry right now, and Barbara Sturm is one of the first brands to harness them in a topical skincare line.

Simply speaking, exosomes are tiny (around 800 times smaller than a skin cell) extracellular particles that release beneficial cargo into the skin: think growth factors and peptides. Sturm's Exoso-Metic Eye Serum contains exosomes to top up the skin's natural levels, boosting regeneration and repair at a deep level.

Best eye cream for sensitive skin

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream

On Sale
Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream
Best eye cream for sensitive skin

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream

Now 20% Off

When you have easily upset skin, putting a product around your eyes can seem especially nerve-wracking. Of course, if your peepers aren't crying out for moisture, it's perfectly fine to leave them be – but if you do want a little help in the hydration department, place your trust in La Roche-Posay. This thoughtfully formulated eye salve will simply soften and soothe delicate skin, imparting moisture that'll last all day.

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Best eye cream for crow's feet

Environ Youth EssentiA (C-Quence) Vita-Peptide Eye Gel

Youth EssentiA (C-Quence) Vita-Peptide Eye Gel
Best eye cream for crow's feet

Environ Youth EssentiA (C-Quence) Vita-Peptide Eye Gel

Creeping crow's feet and pigmentation are tackled in one fell swoop with Environ's multi-benefit eye cream. The lightweight, milky serum contains a combination of lactic acid, mild retinol and powerful peptides that firm and brighten the skin surface. There's a faint shea-butter scent, and it absorbs into all skin types seamlessly.

Best eye cream for depuffing and brightening

MZ Skin Depuff & Define

Depuff & Define
Best eye cream for depuffing and brightening

MZ Skin Depuff & Define

Puffy under-eyes are caused by a build-up of fluid beneath the surface, so it takes more than slathering on any old eye cream to shift them. Formulated by an oculoplastic surgeon, MZ Skin’s advanced formula contains a combination of peptides and caffeine, which work to stimulate lymphatic drainage (the process responsible for moving all that fluid along).

Not just a one-trick pony, it’s also got several molecular weights of hyaluronic acid for multi-level hydration, and boasts an iridescent tint that instantly deflects from those dark circles. Consider it a skincare and make-up double-act.

Best retinol eye cream

Dr. Sam's Flawless Nightly Eye Serum

Flawless Nightly Eye Serum
Best retinol eye cream

Dr. Sam's Flawless Nightly Eye Serum

Dermatologist Dr. Sam Bunting is one of the skin experts I trust the most, so it comes as little surprise to find she's mastered the retinol balance in this eye cream. It's gentle enough to be used on all skin types, yet contains a powerhouse blend of niacinamide, vitamin C, and granactive retinoid. Use it every other evening to start seeing serious improvements in lines and pigmentation within a month.

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Best lightweight eye serum

L'Oréal Paris 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Serum

On Sale
2.5% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Serum
Best lightweight eye serum

L'Oréal Paris 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid Eye Serum

Now 14% Off

This affordable yet effective option blends hyaluronic acid with caffeine to tackle two of our key bugbears: dehydration and puffiness. The applicator features a trio of cooling rollerballs – heaven on tired eyes – while the watery serum formula sinks straight in without leaving residue. Great for anyone who finds rich creams too much.

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