If you believe that eyes are the windows to the soul, then they should be treated with the utmost care. Enter: Eye creams that de-puff, brighten, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.“The skin around the eyes is the body’s most delicate part, making it especially susceptible to premature aging and irritation from skincare products designed for the more robust skin of the face,” explains Heather Hickman, senior director of education at Dermalogica. “Eye creams are formulated with ingredients to target these signs of aging and to treat this delicate skin in a gentle, yet effective manner.”
So, what ingredients should you look for? If you’ve got puffiness and dark circles, look for ingredients like caffeine and vitamin C that work to brighten and increase the production of collagen around the eyes. If fine lines and wrinkles are your issues, make sure your eye cream contains hyaluronic acid that hydrates the most delicate skin on the face. And if puffiness, dark circles, and wrinkles are the problem, it’s best to find a blend of hard-hitting ingredients like vitamin C, antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, or add a retinol-based treatment into the mix. (Here’s a helpful eye cream ingredient cheat sheet to get you started.)
Below, we’ve done the work for you. Here are 10 dermatologist-approved eye creams to target all your under eye issues.
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1
For Dark Circles
Absolutely Ageless 3-in-1 Under Eye Cream
If you want to rid your eye beds of dark circles in a natural way, grab Abeeno’s Eye Cream. “The combination of blackberry extract and vitamins C and E enhance elastin production and brighten dark circles,” explains Dr. Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital.
2
For Brightening
Dermalogica BioLumin-C Vitamin C Eye Serum
Dermalogica ulta.com
$70.00
For a small tube, Dermalogica’s Biolumin packs a punch. “It brightens the eye area with a boost of highly stable vitamin C and hydrates and exfoliates to reveal healthy-looking skin around the eyes,” says Hickman.
3
For De-Puffing
Neocutis Lumiere Bio-Restorative Eye Cream
Neocutis dermstore.com
$97.00
If you want a “gentle yet powerful” cream, Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified dermatologist at Union Dermatology, is a firm believer in the power of Neocutis Lumiere Eye Cream. “It contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate, peptides to stimulate collagen, antioxidants to protect against environmental damage, and caffeine to help with swelling,” says Chang.
4
For Hydration
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream
Neutrogena ulta.com
$23.99
Dr. Zeichner recommends this drugstore gem, which is formulated with hyaluronic acid and acts “like a sponge that pulls in hydration to the outer skin layers to moisturize and plump the skin.”
5
For Dark Circles And Puffy Eyes
Tensage Stem Cell Cream
Biopelle dermstore.com
$180.00
Caffeine seems to be the hot ingredient in most eye creams—for obvious reasons. If coffee can perk you up, it can do wonders for your under eyes. Biopelle’s cream is a must-have product for Aesthetics director of La Suite Spa x Union Square Laser Dermatology, because of the caffeine boost. The heavy-hitting ingredient also works in tandem with shea butter, olive oil, vitamin C, retinol, and more to fight off dark circles and puffiness.
6
For Dry Skin
Skinmedica TNS Eye Repair
SkinMedica dermstore.com
$102.00
“SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair is great for people with drier skin types who have fine lines around their eyes,” explains Souhleris Grous. “The formula contains peptides to deliver a dose of moisture to dry skin, as well as ascorbic acids and low-dose retinol to target wrinkles.”
7
For The Phone-Obsessed
Luminous Eye Lift Serum
Skin by Syd. skinbysyd.com
$32.00
Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist at Day Dermatology in NYC, says the star of this serum is the fluorescent brightener. “It absorbs light in the ultraviolet and violet range and re-emit light in the blue region to shields the eye area from damaging high energy light produced by smartphones, tablets, and computer screens,”says Hadley.
Firmness, puffiness, dark circles, elasticity, and tone are just a few problem areas this cream tackles. “This contains vitamin K-oxide to help diminish the appearance of dark circles, and hyaluronic acid for hydration to plump the skin,” Dr. King adds.
9
For A Caffeine Boost
Eye Duty Triple Remedy
First Aid Beauty ulta.com
$36.00
“Drink more water, eat less salt, and sleep propped up on a couple of pillows so the fluid does not all collect in the under eye area,” advises Dr. Hadley. “And an eye cream containing caffeine should also help.” Grab this First Aid Beauty eye cream packed with caffeine. The caffeine works by constricting blood vessels, which reduces the amount of fluid accumulating.
10
For An Even Skin Tone
AOX+ Eye Gel
SkinCeuticals dermstore.com
$95.00
In SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel, the antioxidants act as the main fighters. “It interferes with the production of pigment which brightens dark circles, improves pigmentation, and also prevents free-radical damage from UV light exposure,” says Dr. King.
Nerisha Penrose Assistant Editor Nerisha is the assistant editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty and fashion.