22 Best Under Eye Creams For Dark Circles

Under eye circles can be the bane of many people's lives. Despite the fact that you may well feel fantastic, under eye circles that just won't shift no matter what you do means that friends and work colleagues can't seem to help asking “Are you ok? You look tired.”

So what causes under eye circles? Turns out there are actually quite a few different causes, which can include things like inflammation, lack of sleep, weight loss, and skin elasticity, all the way to simple causes like lighting. You can’t always control the way your face looks, and with under eye circles, people sometimes think it is acceptable to comment. 

At the risk of our own eyes now needing a little TLC, we've worked exhaustively to come up with a list of the 22 best under eye creams for dark circles. Let's get started!

1. Blu Atlas Eye Stick
 

This anti-aging and rejuvenating eye stick from Blu Atlas is full of beneficial nutrients. It's formulated to help reduce puffiness, firm the skin, and get rid of those dark under eye circles. 

Blu Atlas is a well-renowned male skincare brand, but their impressive product range is suitable for people of all genders. The brand specializes in creating products that are vegan and cruelty free, contain no artificial fragrances, and include at least 96% naturally derived products in the ingredient list. They also have a money-back guarantee, so you can purchase with no concerns. 

The key ingredients in this under eye stick are rose flower water, ascorbic acid, and coffa canephora (Coffee robusta). 

Rose water is full of natural compounds that help soothe and relieve dullness and puffiness in the under eyes, one of the key causes of those darker colourations and ‘bags’. 

Ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C easily absorbed by the skin, is an antioxidant and helps to relieve the effects of aging on the skin. Vitamin C also has an important role in the formation of collagen – the structural part of the dermis that maintains its firmness and elasticity. 

Caffeine, found here in Coffea canephora, is also a known antioxidant, but in addition, works to reduce cellulite, promote collagen renewal, and tightens the skin.

Altogether, these ingredients make this eye stick definitely top of the list for the 22 best under eye creams for dark circles. 

2. Paula’s Choice C5 Super Boost Eye Cream

 
Paula’s choice is another well-established skin care brand. This C5 super boost eye cream is their creation for a product tackling those dark under eye circles. The feature ingredient in this product is vitamin C. 

The product contains stabilized 5% vitamin C and works by counteracting redox reactions in the skin which create dullness, discoloration or dark under eye circles, and fine lines and wrinkles. 

The next ingredient is zerumbone, an extract from ginger to help to improve the under eye discolouration and especially the puffiness that results in under eye bags. The rest of the ingredients include peptides and hyaluronic acid to prevent signs of aging. 

Altogether, the formula results in a light, creamy lotion which has been proven to help correct under eye circles. This product has been through an in-house clinical trial, where 96% of users found that puffiness was reduced, and 92% thought they had less dullness around the eye area after 4 weeks use. 

The potent ingredients and impressive feedback from users puts this product at the top end of our list of the 22 best under eye creams for dark circles.

3. LilyAna Naturals Eye Cream 
 

LilyAna’s eye cream uses an advanced botanical formula, which works to help nourish and protect the delicate under eye skin. This formula includes provitamin A, vitamins B5, C, and E, rosehip seed oil, hibiscus flower, and rosemary leaf extract. 

These ingredients work together to help treat dark circles, puffiness, sagging skin or loss of firmness, wrinkles (including crows feet), and dryness. It has a gentle cream formula to help to lock in moisture in a way that is suitable even for sensitive skin. 

It is designed to be used around the eyes, and on the orbital eye bone, to help tackle under eye circles all around the eye. It is also cruelty free, vegan, and has no parabens, phthalates, SLS or SLES sulfates, petroleum, or gluten. 

4. Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
 

Clinique has produced a lovely creamy formula with a green tea scent to tackle under eye bags. It can be used once or multiple times throughout the day as is needed, and is applied with a unique cooling tip applicator. 

The applicator allows for a precise massage of the product into the skin, so the skin under the eyes can absorb the cream more effectively. When used daily, completely faded under eye circles can be expected in 12 weeks. 

This formula includes vitamin C, mulberry root, and green tea extract to soothe the skin, and work very gently. This item would be best suited for those with sensitive skin. In addition, Sigesbeckia orientalis (St. Pauls Wort) extract and whey proteins help to fortify and make the delicate skin around the eyes stronger and smoother. 

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

Sunday Riley Auto Correct is designed to act as an instant fix for those occasions when you haven’t managed to get a full night's sleep. As a result, it is able to tighten, brighten, and protect within seconds of application using natural active ingredients. 

The first feature ingredient is horse chestnut flower, which helps to tighten the face and stop puffiness. Meanwhile, the skin is nourished and left wonderfully hydrated with cocoa and shea butters. 

Darkness under the eyes is fought with caffeine and acmella oleracea extracts, which help to smooth fine lines and stop wrinkles. Finally, small particles reflect the light to brighten the area instantly, while lutein helps to prevent blue light damage. 

The formula is even pre-portioned, with one pump being enough for one eye and orbital bone and is one option definitely worth considering. 

6. Neostrata Bionica Eye Contour
 

This ophthalmologist tested product is specially formulated to be suitable for dry or sensitive skin. This will be welcome for many people, because there is nothing worse than discovering that the new product you bought to help treat your under eye circles causes other skin issues. 

This product has been created using polyhydroxy acids (PHAs). These acids allow for a gentle exfoliating action which is designed to prevent overly stressing sensitive skin. It also helps to protect the skin's natural moisture barrier, which allows for an improvement in skin texture. 

The PHAs also have antioxidant properties to prevent premature skin aging and can help to bring moisture to the surface of the skin as a humectant. It is gentle enough to be used after an eye procedure.

7. Mamaearth Bye Bye Dark Circles Eye Cream
  

This under eye cream from Indian brand Mamaearth is designed to help to reduce dark under eye circles with a mix of cucumber, hawkweed extract, daisy flower extract, and peptides. These all combine to help soothe the skin, and can even reduce the amount of melanin present in the under eyes, reducing the dark color specifically. 

In addition to the ingredients listed above, this formula also contains white lily extract, and coffee extracts to stimulate circulation, tighten the skin under the eyes, and reduce bagginess. It is also guaranteed to be cruelty free, and plastic positive. 

8. Eternalist A.G.E (Eyes) Advanced Anti-Wrinkles Complex
 

This creamy formula from Sensitive Skin Lab comes with a metallic applicator massager, which helps to spread the product evenly around the eye area for the best effect. The anti-wrinkle complex can help to reduce puffy or baggy skin around the eyes, as well as dark circles. It can even help to rejuvenate drooping eyelids.

It is able to do so through the action of its active ingredients; caffeine, essential fatty acids, and allantoin. These all have different beneficial effects and work together to help relieve the eye of the signs of dark under eye circles. 

Caffeine works to eliminate under eye fat, and reduce the puffiness of the skin. Meanwhile, the essential fatty acids are able to help smoothen out the texture of the skin, which can relieve changes in color due to texture. 

Allantoin is the final active ingredient, leaving the skin feeling softer and more elastic, and helping to lighten dark circles. 

9. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ Anti Wrinkle Eye Cream 

This is a targeted eye cream from the highly praised skincare brand Neutrogena. They are particularly well known for gentle facial products and have created a hypoallergenic eye cream that is suitable even for those with very sensitive skin. 

This creamy formula contains retinol, which is used to target the wrinkles and dark circles that form around the eyes. It is a night eye cream so it can be applied liberally for best effect. 

Within the formula there are micropeptides, which work with the retinol and help to target effects of collagen-depletion in the skin. This means that it helps to provide softer skin, with a more healthy look and feel. 

You can expect to instantly see smoother and hydrated skin, with visible improvement in wrinkles around the eyes within one week, and changes in dark circles or skin elasticity within 4 weeks.

10. Sostar Firming Eye Cream with Donkey Milk

 
Probably the most unusual formula on our list is this offering from Sostar. This is a company from Greece which has used an extremely interesting item in its formula to enrich the anti-aging effects of their product – donkey milk. 

You might be surprised to learn that donkey milk is absolutely packed full of vitamins and nutrients that are good for the skin; in addition to vitamin D, it also has four times the amount of vitamin C contained in cow's milk. This product is also full of the skincare and eye cream you would expect in a quality eye cream - shea butter for moisture, caffeine to revive the skin, and macadamia nut oil for softness. 

The formula also includes extra ingredients such as beeswax, ceramides, and niacinamide to act within the formula to give anti-aging properties. Altogether, this product helps to smooth and soften the under eye skin, while giving nutrients to the skin and helping it to recover from the effects of damage. 

11. Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream
 

This US product is a creamy formulation designed specifically to remove dark under eye circles and to generally depuff the area under the eye. It has two active ingredients, with salicylic acid and glycerin forming the majority of the high performance activity. 

Origin has a long standing reputation as a planet-friendly company that also places importance on using products that are not just effective, but also naturally derived. They also value ensuring that they are cruelty free, making sure their products are animal friendly. 

This product can boast a few statistics from in house research testing. It has the effect of creating brighter appearance (86%), and a reduction in puffiness (80%) from initial testing. In addition to the two named active ingredients above, this product is full of plant extracts, essential oils, and plant butters.

12. Hey Bud Eye Cream
 

Hey Bud uses hemp in their skincare range, due to its gentle action. They have created a lightweight eye cream which can help to remove dark circles through targeting puffiness, and fine lines or wrinkles. 

The formula is also able to improve hydration around the eyes. It is free of silicones, sulfates, parabens, and palm oil, which makes it an extremely friendly formula for people with sensitive skin. 

In addition, Hey Bud prides itself on being cruelty free and vegan. They are also a sustainable company, with a focus on reduce, reuse, and recycle. 

Key ingredients in this product include caffeine, hyaluronic acid, grapeseed oil, and hempseed oil. These help to plump the skin and deeply hydrate for reduction of wrinkles, fight signs of aging with antioxidants, and nourish the under eye area with fatty acids for a smoother appearance. 

13. Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask
 

Unlike most of the other products on this list, this under eye cream is designed to be used overnight (although it can also be used during the day) to rejuvenate and brighten the skin. 

This cream has a bit of a cult following and has an extensive list of skin-boosting ingredients packed inside. These ingredients include coffee arabica fruit extract, aloe vera, niacinamide, parkii butter, retinol, and avocado. Its main function is to hydrate and firm the under eye area to reduce and prevent sagging bags. 

This product has also undergone in house testing, where 24 participants used the product for a week. All of these testers said that they felt more moisturized, and had less dryness visible after 1 week. However, there was no testing for under eye dark circle reduction specifically, which is why its lower on our list of the 22 best under eye creams for dark circles. 

This product has a rich, creamy texture which is easily absorbed into the skin. It has also been formed without parabens, sulfates, or animal products, so it is suitable for vegan consumers. 

14. Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Eye Cream
 

This is another Origins product, which tackles a slightly different problem to its Ginzing Eye Cream higher on the list. This product specifically tackles dark circles under the eyes caused by saggy or wrinkly skin.

One of the primary causes of dark under eye circles is that the skin loses tension as it accumulates damage through the aging process. This means that light can reflect off it in a different way, and it can also create artificial shadows in certain lighting. 

In order to help reduce this effect, this product uses chamomile, algae, anogeissus, and jojoba butter. These act as antioxidants to reduce the effect of aging, increase collagen production (the protein that makes up the structural component of the skin), as well as increasing the moisture barrier on the skin to lock hydration into the top layer. 

Altogether, the ingredients in this formula work to help the skin recover from the effects of aging and to decrease wrinkles or saggy skin under the eyes as a result of skin looseness. 

15. Eve Lom Time Retreat Eye Treatment

This product from Eve Lom is targeted to reduce dark under eye circles through the action of different vitamins and chemicals. These help to create a smoother and brighter under eye, and instantly reduce under eye circles. 

The important ingredients in Time Retreat Eye Treatment are sodium hyaluronate, vitamin E, encapsulated retinol, and vitamin C. Sodium hyaluronate and vitamin E both help to create skin that is hydrated, and maintain a sufficient water balance to keep the skin firm. Vitamin E in particular ensures that the product is absorbed quickly for an instant effect. 

Encapsulated retinol is a very strong ingredient that is able to create firmer and lifted under eye skin. However, this ingredient is so strong that it may not be suitable for all skin types and should be tested before being put on the delicate skin around the eyes. 

Vitamin C is perhaps the most important ingredient for under eye dark circles in this mix, which helps to combat uneven skin tone. It creates luminous under eyes and banishes those dark circles so you can look and feel like your younger self again. 

16. Gle for Dark Circles
 

Gle For Dark Circles can boast being clinically tested, dermatologically tested, and cruelty free. In addition, this simple formula uses only two main active ingredients and no artificial scents, making it suitable for almost all skin types, including sensitive skin. 

This creamy formula uses vitamin C and caffeine. Vitamin C as we know is an antioxidant, so it can help to reduce the signs of aging through stimulating the formation of collagen. It can also help to prevent the signs of aging caused by free radicals. Because of this effect, vitamin C can be used for sun protection when combined with sunscreen. 

Vitamin C is also effective at repairing hyperpigmentation and redness, which contribute to dark under eye circles. 

Aside from reducing blood flow to the skin, caffeine is also potentially able to protect it from the effect of UV rays. In one study from 2013, researchers stated that due to the antioxidant effect of caffeine the photoaging of the skin could be slowed. 

17. Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Eye Zone Treatment
 

This multi-corrective cream is designed to help treat all four zones of the eye, so you can have an anti-aging effect all around them. This includes the brow bone, under eye, eyelid, and outer corner. 

Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye Zone Treatment uses bilberry seed extract and collagen peptides to help give the skin a real boost and allow your eyes to look younger. It is particularly good for correcting signs of aging, as well as smoothing and brightening the complete eye area. 

This formula has an edge over the others on this list, which is that it is part gel, and part cream. This means it is both hydrating, and is also absorbed very quickly without feeling greasy, allowing it to be put seamlessly under make-up. 

18. Remedial Pax Day & Night Eye Cream

This is an eye cream designed for use by men and women, and for use during the day and night. It is able to create long lasting effects when used over time and has a gentle formula, without SLS, parabens,or gluten.. 

This selection from Remedial Pax uses active ingredients such as niacinamide (vitamin B3), hydrolyzed collagen, sodium hyaluronate, and caffeine. This helps to achieve the appearance of smoother, more moisturized skin and reduced puffiness for an anti-aging effect and a reduction in dark circles. 

19. Kleem Organics Dark Spot Corrector Night Serum

 
Unlike the other products on this list, this is not specifically an under eye cream product. Instead, this Kleem Dark Spot Corrector Night Serum is designed to reduce hyperpigmentation and to target a variety of different causes of discoloration. 

It is able to fix hyperpigmentations through a variety of ingredients including vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid, all while remaining vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten free. Kleem also has a money back guarantee, and a guarantee that you will see effective results within 8 weeks. 

This product is designed for use on the face, but it may be too strong for some skin types. It is best suited for oily, combination, mature, or normal skin, and so may cause some discomfort for very dry, or very sensitive skin. 

20.  Ren Clean Skincare Dark Circle Eye Cream
 

REN Clean Skincare was developed in 2000 as a result of the founder’s wife suffering reactions to her skincare products while pregnant. The brand has a list of ingredients they refuse to use which have proven to be unsuitable for sensitive skin. 

This lightweight product is designed to reduce the formation of dark under eye circles. It does so using gentle ingredients such as elderberry flower extract to neutralize free radicals, glycogen for hydration, and a host of other ingredients to reduce dark circles, brighten and even the skin tone, and hydrate the under eye skin. 

The bottle is also made out of 87% infinity recycled plastic, as the brand prides themselves on being vegan and eco friendly. 

21. Keihl’s Midnight Recovery Eye
 

Another product by Keihl’s, the Midnight Recovery Eye cream is designed to be used in conjunction with the Midnight Recovery Concentrate, but acts specifically for the under eye area. It is able to diminish fine lines and reduce puffiness or dark under eye circles. 

There are no harsh chemicals here. Instead, the formula focuses on gentle, natural ingredients such as lavender oil, evening primrose oil, and butcher's broom extract to calm and restore the skin. 

It is an overnight treatment that uses botanical products to rejuvenate, strengthen, and replenish the under eye skin for a more youthful look.  

22. Juice Beauty Stem Cell Anti-Wrinkle Eye Treatment
 

This rather unique product from Juice Beauty certainly deserves to take its place on our list of the 22 best under eye creams for dark circles.

It has a blend of fruit stem cells and vitamin C that are certified organic, which works to reduce under eye dark circles through both antioxidant activity and essential fatty acids for hydration. 

It also uses vitamins E, and B5 in order to nourish the skin around the eye area. The fatty acids include evening primrose, borage, and linseed, all of which act to reduce the sometimes dark appearance of under eye bags and circles.

Customer reviews on the brand's site are extremely positive regarding the effectiveness of the product. What's more, it's free of silicones, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, artificial dyes and fragrances.