The 6 best eye creams for dark circles, according to our beauty experts

Our experts review the best eye creams for dark circles to help perk up the delicate under-eye area

Collage of five of the best eye creams for dark circles featured in this guide from (left to right) The INKEY List, Murad, La Roche-Posay, Drunk Elephant and Cerave, set against a dusky pink watercolour background
(Image credit: The INKEY List/Murad/La Roche-Posay/Drunk Elephant/CeraVe)

Though a topical product can only achieve so much, the best eye creams for dark circles can help to reduce their visibility. These concentrated formulas will be lightweight yet potent enough to treat this delicate area of skin.

You're probably aware that bit of research is required when narrowing down the best eye cream to suit your needs. These gentle-yet-powerful formulas can tackle anything from a lack of hydration to the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Using a good eye cream can help, but it's useful to pinpoint any particular lifestyle factors that may be contributing to your own dark circles – such as lack of sleep, diet, or not drinking enough water. As you’ve probably guessed by now, though, as much as we’d like it to, an eye cream won’t provide a silver bullet. What we apply topically is just a piece of the puzzle, but a helpful one nevertheless – here are our beauty experts top tried-and-tested eye creams for dark circles...

The best eye cream for dark circles, reviewed by our beauty team

How we tested the best eye creams for

As expert beauty journalists, our testers chose eye creams that they knew from experience targeted the appearance of dark circles for a range of different skin types and concerns. Each eye cream that made the final list was assessed on the following factors.

  • Price and value for money
  • Packaging
  • Ease of application
  • Texture
  • How the area felt immediately after application and through the day
  • Key ingredients, including actives

How to choose the best eye cream for dark circles for you

Managing expectations is key, as dark circles are often caused by a loss of volume and genes, which can be difficult (and in the case of genes, impossible) to address. No eye cream can get rid of them entirely, however, they may reduce their severity. Look for ingredients that brighten and even skin tone, such as vitamin C and retinol, hydrate and temporarily plump, like hyaluronic acid, and decongest and constrict blood vessels (caffeine), support skin barrier function (niacinamide and ceramides), and boost collagen production (peptides, vitamin C and retinol).

Do you really need a separate eye cream, though? Some argue that you can just take the skincare that you’re using on the rest of your face up to the eye area, provided that the instructions don't tell you not to do this. If it doesn’t cause any stinging or sensitivity, that might work well for you. But due to how delicate the skin around the eye area is – up to four times thinner than the skin around the rest of the body – and its specific concerns, a specially formulated, thin-textured eye cream could be a more preferable option. This is especially true if you’re prone to puffy eyes or milia, which can be exacerbated by heavy and rich-textured products.

Experts also recommend that you combine your chosen product with lifestyle tweaks, like trying to up your hydration and good quality sleep, as well as wearing sunglasses and a broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30, or 50+.

What causes dark under eye circles?

Factors such as lack of sleep, smoking, dehydration, high-salt diets, caffeine, and alcohol can all contribute to this problem, especially when learning how to get rid of eye bags or puffy eyes. Allergies can be a factor too, as they can lead to congestion, sluggish circulation, and veins becoming more dilated and visible underneath thin under-eye skin. This is what often gives some dark circles their distinctive tone.

If the circles under your eyes are more brown in colour, though, they could be the result of pigmentation, a common condition where the skin becomes darker due to excess or uneven melanin distribution. Causes include sun damage, hormones and ageing, as well as genetics.

As if that wasn’t enough in the way of potential contributing factors, as we age, skin naturally loses volume around the eye area due to dwindling fat and collagen stores. This results in eyes appearing more sunken, with veins and dark circles becoming more pronounced. So while some lifestyle factors could be at play, there are biological causes that could be behind your dark circles, too. This is why it's important to manage expectations of what a topical skincare product can achieve – it may make a difference, but is unlikely to completely "fix" them.

Our expert panel

Reviewed by
eunice lucero-lee
Reviewed by
Eunice Lucero-Lee

Eunice is a beauty and lifestyle editor who previously held the position of US Beauty Channel Editor at woman&home. With more than 15 years of experience working on magazines and covering beauty, she has tried dozens if not hundreds of products over the years, including eye creams, meaning she knows what makes a good formula for targeting dark circles.

Reviewed by
Ayesha Muttucumaru
Reviewed by
Ayesha Muttucumaru

Ayesha Muttucumaru is a freelance beauty journalist who has written for titles including Women's Health, Red and Get The Gloss, as well as for woman&home. With more than 13 years of experience in the industry, she has tested many eye creams over the years, including formulas that claim to target dark circles – meaning she knows both what makes a good eye cream for dark circles and what can realistically be achieved with a topical formula.

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Ayesha Muttucumaru

Ayesha is a freelance beauty writer and when she's not contributing to woman&home she can be found writing about all things cosmetics, hair and self-care in her role as Senior Features Writer for Get The Gloss. She also writes a monthly hair column called ‘Who, What, Hair’ (which combines her love of puns and buns perfectly), in addition to a column exploring the new and exciting options now available for women of darker skin tones called ‘Not Fair’. She’s also been shortlisted for a number of awards including Best Online Beauty Journalist at the Johnson and Johnson Journalism Awards.