The 18 Best Eye Creams for Dark Circles and Wrinkles

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Has sleep become a hot commodity in your house? If so, you’re likely starting to notice the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles. Whether your dark circles and wrinkles are work-related or due to late-night movie marathons with the fam, the right eye cream can help you fix your issues.

Using the correct eye cream can help target your problem areas. Eye creams and serums are typically nutrient-dense, rich products that give the skin an all-over boost in health. Ingredients like vitamin C and caffeine treat dark circles and puffy-looking skin, while hyaluronic acid and retinol are a dream team for treating signs of aging.

We’ve scoured countless beauty aisles, visited dingy warehouses with a treasure trove of Asian beauty products, and chatted with the experts to find the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles—all for you. Because we think you’re worth it. Here are the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles that will help you improve your skin asap (actually, in a month or two because eye creams take time to work).

1. Blu Atlas Eye Stick

We can’t help but crown Eye Stick from Blu Atlas as our winner of the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles. It’s a handy, easy-to-apply serum that glides onto the skin to give it the ingredients it’s been begging for.

If your eyes look dry, tired, dull, wrinkly, dark, or puffy, then Eye Stick will be your new right-hand man. This deep blue stick can quickly swipe onto the skin during your morning and evening skincare routine. You’ll be saying sayonara to your fine lines and dark, puffy eyes because this bad boy helps improve the fragile skin around your eyes.

The Eye Stick is incredible, and the brand has a lot to offer those looking for a safe alternative to cheap grocery store products. Most products contain harsh chemicals that irritate and disrupt your skin’s microbiome. Blu Atlas products work with your skin to restore, refresh, and revitalize every inch of your body.

Eye Stick is made with products from natural origins like plants, minerals, and fruit. Ascorbic acid, a refreshing form of vitamin C, dives deep into the skin to give an intense detox while stimulating collagen production. Coffea Canephora introduces caffeine-rich antioxidants to the skin while protecting this fragile area of skin from sun damage. Rose flower water rounds out the natural ingredients and offers a healing, soothing balm to the skin that brightens while minimizing puffy, dark circles.

If you’re ready to combat those dark, puffy circles or wrinkles that have started creeping up on you, you’ll want a slick tube of this age-defying serum. Eye Stick is the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles and can help your eyes look years younger in just a few swipes.

2. RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream

RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream is the It Girl of eye cream. It’s a small tube full of age-reversing ingredients that has everyone talking. This It Girl is the one that gets gifted to gal pals, your next-door neighbor, and even the local priest. RoC employs a simple wrinkle-fighting formula with basic ingredients to help diminish signs of aging overnight, which, SPOILER ALERT, is why so many peeps love it.

If you’ve got excessively wrinkly skin around your eyes, you need a retinol eye cream in your skincare routine. There’s no better wrinkle-fighter, and it can help reduce puffiness, crow’s feet, wrinkles, and dark circles. You need to apply it religiously because retinol is a religious experience. Apply it daily to get the best results with your new wrinkle-blasting buddy.

3. Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

Are your eyes begging for a little TLC? Give them all the action-packed nutrients and vitamins they could ever ask for with C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream. This orange-themed beauty is full of good-for-you ingredients to improve dark circles, wrinkles, puffiness, and more.

Drunk Elephant is a popular brand that gets rave reviews from skincare experts and your fav YouTube beauty gurus. C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream contains cucumber extract, hydrating peptides, and five forms of vitamin C to deliver the skin-brightening and moisture-injecting effects your eyes need.

Don’t let the price tag scare you off. It’s one of the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles, and the fast-absorbing liquid will give you great results.

4. La Roche-Posay Redermic R Retinol Eye Cream

“I can be your hero, baby,” croons the surgically-white tube of eye cream from La Roche-Posay. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room. We know that an eye cream is an inanimate object that definitely can’t sing. But, if it could, Hero by Enrique Iglesias would be its calling card, its ear-catcher, its SHOUT into the void because this tube has a unique blend of retinol and caffeine that’s a solution for most skin concerns around the eyes.

Retinol, caffeine, and thermal spring water offer the fragile skin around your eyes a jolt of pep, ultra-nourishment, and perfect hydration. Redermic R Retinol Eye Cream is an all-in-one eye cream that treats dark circles, wrinkles, crow’s feet, and puffy areas of skin. It’s also one of the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles for cowboys and cowgirls tired of searching for the best all-in-one product.

5. The Ordinary Caffeine 5% + ECGC Depuffing Eye Serum

Simple, but that’s why folks love it. Caffeine 5% + ECGC Depuffing Eye Serum is the serum you want to have on hand when dealing with dark circles and puffiness. Splash a few drops of the solution around your eyes to quickly deal with your lack of sleep.

Caffeine and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) are the key ingredients in the blend. They help constrict blood vessels which helps with puffy, dark circles. While the serum isn’t the best at combatting signs of aging, it’s a blessing for folks regularly running on fumes. It’s an instant boost for your eyes, like tossing a cup of green tea onto your face, and it will help you face the day. It’s one of the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles at an affordable price.

6. Ole Henriksen Banana Bright + Eye Creme

You’ll go bananas for this one (pardon the bad pun, it was too good to pass up). Banana Bright + Eye Creme is a lightweight eye moisturizer that injects the skin with vitamin C and other skin-brightening ingredients. The blend of effective ingredients works well for dark circles, puffiness, wrinkles, and crow’s feet.

You can use it as a day or night eye cream to improve the skin around the eyes. Its fragrance-free, vegan formula is a safe pick for folks who deal with sensitivities or other irritants. Banana Bright + Eye Creme is one of the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles.

7. Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment

While it might look—and feel—like you’re gliding guacamole all over your eyes, don’t let this tricky little green goo fool you. It’s actually just a super creamy eye salve that restores the delicate skin around your eyes.

Creamy Eye Treatment from Kiehl’s is a decadent moisture that gets to the root of the problem. The skin around your eyes is often dull, dark-looking, and dehydrated because it lacks serious moisture. Kiehl’s rich, soothing formula penetrates the skin to revitalize your eyes and give a brighter, more youthful look. Keeping fragile skin around your eyes hydrated is essential, which makes Creamy Eye Treatment the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles.

8. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Soothing Eye Cream

Struggling to find a top-rated eye cream that works well for sensitive skin? Toleriane Ultra Soothing Eye Cream is the top pick for folks with sensitive skin or other skin conditions. It’s 100% free from fragrance, alcohol, and parabens which are big irritants for the skin.

Dab the eye cream around your eyes to get a refreshing, hydrating treat during your morning or evening skincare routine. Niacinamide and spring water add extra moisture and nutrients to help the skin around your eyes sparkle. Toleriane Ultra Soothing Eye Cream is the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles for folks with sensitive skin.

9. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex

Combine your beauty sleep with the A.G.E. Eye Complex to improve, brighten, and hydrate aging skin. SkinCeuticals formula specifically targets mature skin and the problems it faces. The blend can help alleviate dryness that adds to deeper lines and wrinkles and helps improve puffiness and elasticity.

Together the powerful blend restores aging skin with potent antioxidants, peptides, and other nutrient-dense materials. Blueberry extracts and Proxylane™ penetrate the skin to minimize fine lines and wrinkles. By infusing the skin with hydration, the eye salve can help combat those dark circles and puffy skin that appear as you age. A.G.E. Eye Complex is the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles for aging people.

10. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream

Save money for more important things—like margs from your local Mexican restaurant or your child’s new oboe—by using a simple, hydrating eye cream that doesn’t break the bank. Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream is a cult-classic beauty product that’s gathered a following due to its rock-bottom price and incredible results.

Neutrogena’s budget-friendly eye cream targets dark circles and fine lines while adding extra hydration to your eyes. Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream is the number one pick for those looking for a low-priced product that hydrates and repairs the delicate skin around the eyes.

11. Glow Beauty Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream

Get your glow on with Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream from Glow Beauty. The nature-based beauty brand utilizes safe ingredients that offer some of the best skin-loving benefits. Glow Beauty’s avocado eye balm helps your skin come alive while reducing wrinkles and fine lines that pop up as you age.

Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream works best as a treatment for fine lines and wrinkles, while their other product, Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream, is the eye cream for dark circles. Use both in the am or pm to get healthier, visibly brighter skin.

12. Cetaphil Hydrating Eye Gel-Cream

Are you dealing with oily, congested skin? Then a gel formula is the perfect solution to take care of your eyes without causing blemishes or clogged pores. Hydrating Eye Gel-Cream is an affordable, non-greasy lotion that rapidly absorbs into the skin and helps reduce wrinkles, fine lines, and dark circles. You don’t have to worry about “over-hydrating” because hyaluronic acid provides the perfect moisture level without stressing the skin. The formula is also hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested so you can use it confidently.

13. Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream

Ah, if only life had an “auto-correct” button like your smartphone does. Sunday Riley’s “Auto Correct” eye cream helps you fix problems like dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines or wrinkles. Most folks see results after just one use due to the light-reflecting particles revitalizing tired, dull-looking eyes. It’s the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles for folks who want immediate results.

14. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare is a wildly popular brand that formulates expensive but effective skincare products for men and women. Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum works well for all skin types to improve the fragile skin around your eyes. As the serum penetrates the skin, it helps increase collagen production and irons out fine lines and wrinkles. The lightweight serum is one of the best eye creams for dark circles and wrinkles.

15. Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream

Tighten, brighten, and firm the skin around your eyes with a lavish eye cream. Kate Somerville’s +Retinol Firming Eye Cream is expensive, but it makes up for the price by being incredibly effective. The cream helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while boosting your skin’s natural elasticity. Rejuvenate aging skin with one of the best eye creams for wrinkles.

16. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream

This one speaks for itself. Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream helps you solve the pesky problem of fine lines and wrinkles. Retinol and hyaluronic acid help diminish signs of aging by increasing cellular turnover and giving skin a much-needed boost of hydration with hyaluronic acid.

While the solution is lightweight, it’s a heavy-hitting moisturizer that won’t leave your eyes parched or sticky. Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream is the best eye cream for wrinkles that need a pick-me-up asap.

17. Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches

Think of Caffeine Energizing Hydrogel Eye Patches as a “quick fix” for dark circles and tired, wrinkly skin. While not a traditional eye cream, the patches deliver potent ingredients to speed healing and revitalize the skin around your eyes. It’s the perfect one-stop-shop for folks who deal with dark circles and wrinkles after too many late nights. You can slap on the patches and soak in all their skin-loving benefits while watching the latest Netflix show or reading the morning newspaper.

18. Eight Saints All In Eye Cream

Blast those dark circles and puffy eyes with All In Eye Cream from Eight Saints. Brimming with healthy, brightening ingredients, the cream moisturizes the eyes, diminishing wrinkles, and dryness. Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, cucumber hydrosol, squalane, MSM, and cocoa butter restore the skin around your eyes and give you your confidence back. No more worrying about deep lines or black circles around your eyes because All In Eye Cream can rejuvenate every inch of skin around the eyes.

The complete guide to eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles

Replenish the fragile skin around your eyes with an eye cream to target dark circles and wrinkles. If you don’t know what product will work best for you, there are a few factors and categories to look for. We’ll help you find and apply the best eye cream like a pro.

How to shop for eye cream

Don’t whip out your credit card just yet. First, brush up on your eye cream knowledge and identify which key factors will help you lock down your perfect match.

Good ingredients for the eyes

Whether your dark circles and wrinkles are from aging, genetics, eyestrain, allergies, or lack of sleep, the right ingredients can help restore, heal, and soothe the skin around your eyes.

Caffeine. Boost those puffy, tired, dark circles with some help from Mother Nature’s best wake-up call. Caffeine is the perfect ingredient for dark circles and wrinkles because it injects the skin with serious nutrients.

Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a great natural ingredient that visibly plumps skin, evens out the skin tone, reduces redness, and hydrates the skin while filling in wrinkles and fine lines. The ingredient is also a collagen booster that promotes more youthful-looking skin.

Retinol. If you want to plump the skin, boost collagen production, and encourage cellular turnover, snag a tub of eye cream with retinol. It’s a vitamin A derivative that helps restore the appearance of aging skin by diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid. One of the best hydrating ingredients, hyaluronic acid, is like an explosion of moisture for the skin around your eyes. It adds nourishment and moisture to the skin around your eyes, plumps up the skin, and diminishes signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.

Sunscreen. You shouldn’t forget some good ‘ole UV ray protection for your precious peepers. There’s nothing that ages the skin more than harsh UV rays. While finding a good eye cream with sunscreen can be tricky, the right product will help protect your skin while fighting signs of aging. You should only apply eye creams with sunscreen in the morning.

Ingredients to avoid

The skin around your eyes is the most fragile on your body, making avoiding harsh and harmful chemicals so important. Many popular skincare brands, especially cheap products you can find at grocery stores or drug stores, contain “filler” chemicals that are harsh on the skin.

While filler chemicals are helpful for extending the shelf life of a product or creating a rich foam, the side effects of the harsh materials are harmful to the skin near your eyes. Side effects include itchy, dry, red, rough, or inflamed skin.

Common ingredients to avoid are parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, PEGs, synthetic fragrance, and artificial dye. They cause reactions and problems on the skin and may worsen wrinkles, fine lines, and dark circles around the eyes.

Understand your skin type (and concerns)

Before you purchase your next eye cream, you must understand your skin type and any skin concerns you may have. For example, if you have extremely oily or acne-prone skin, you’ll likely want to skip the thick, viscous occlusives that may clog pores and cause blemishes or breakouts.

Folks with dry skin will get the best results from hydrating eye creams with thicker formulas. Peeps with sensitive skin or skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis should stick to fragrance-free formulas that are also free from harsh chemicals. Those with mature and aging skin should opt for lightweight formulas that contain hydrating ingredients.

Top tips and tricks for eye cream

We’ll let you in on some closely-guarded secrets and hot tips in the beauty industry so you can get the most from your expensive eye cream.

The best time to apply eye cream

Ready to have your mind blown? Here it is: read your eye cream tube, tub, or bottle to see if it’s an am or pm skincare product. While some products are formulated for nighttime use, others are for daytime wear and may contain ingredients like sunscreen.

After checking the best time of day to apply, then consider your current skincare routine. It’s best to apply eye cream after washing the face but before you apply any serum or face moisturizers. This gives your gooey eye serum the best chance to penetrate the skin and offer extreme nourishment and hydration without other products getting in the way.

Get your beauty sleep

Don’t underestimate the power of sleep. If you want to reduce dark circles and wrinkles, be sure you’re catching your nightly z’s alongside using an eye cream. An eye cream can only do so much to revive your eyes if you insist on weekend-long game marathons or regularly run on 4 hours of sleep.

Pairing the right amount of beauty sleep with the best eye cream should visibly improve the appearance of the skin around your eyes.

Dab, dab, dab

Pals and poodles, we hate to break it to you, but you’re most likely applying your eye cream wrong. The tip to applying eye cream is simple: always dab. Even if you’re using an applicator that came with your glorious new eye cream, dab it onto the skin gently.

Pushing or pulling the delicate skin around your eyes will cause more wrinkles and fine lines. Which completely eradicates any progress you might make with your eye creams.

So, Scouts, repeat after me: dab, dab, dab!

Refrigerate your eye cream before application

We hope we don’t lose you on this one, but honestly, a cool, relaxing eye cream can do a lot to soothe tired, stressed-out skin around the eyes. How’s it done? Just toss your eye cream into the fridge and wait until it’s chilled before applying. Not all eye creams can be placed in the fridge, so read the label to check for ideal storage temperatures.

Always patch test

It, quite frankly, doesn’t matter if you have perfect skin that’s never been bothered by a new product or if you’ve got sensitive skin that ruffles its feathers with every product you pat on your skin. You should always, always, always patch test. We say “always” three times because we want it to really sink in.

Patch testing is a simple way to protect your skin and body by running a quick test to see if a product works well for your skin. Clean a visible area of skin, like the inside of your wrist, and apply a small amount of product. Check the area every hour for the next day, or as long as you can remember, to see how your skin reacts. If your skin is irritation-free, then it’s likely safe to apply your eye cream all around your lovely eyes.

Frequently asked questions

Can eye cream get rid of dark circles permanently?

Sadly, no. But eye cream can brighten and lighten the skin around your eyes. While it doesn’t permanently remove dark circles like a powerful eraser, it does reduce the appearance of dark circles around your eyes. Think of eye cream as a corrective treatment that helps minimize dark circles, and it works best when added to a healthy lifestyle.

When should you start using eye cream?

Most skincare experts recommend adding an eye cream to your routine in your mid-20s. While this may sound shockingly young because you may not even have wrinkles or dark circles yet, treating the skin before it becomes an issue is the best way to minimize problems around your eyes. The skin around your eyes is delicate and requires extra care, even before wrinkles start to form.

What’s the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles?

Blu Atlas Eye Stick is the best eye cream for dark circles and wrinkles. The serum dives deep into the skin to restore and revitalize the skin around your eyes. Acting like a healing balm, the solution lightens dark circles, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, and ensures your eyes stay super-hydrated.