The Best Eye Creams for Smoother, Brighter Skin (2024)

Alastin

Best Overall

• Pros: Excellent consistency and texture, good for any time of day, formulated to address several key undereye concerns
• Cons: Pricey

“The Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment is fantastic for improving the appearance of fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness around the eyes,” Quenby Erickson, DO, a dermatologist based in Chicago, tells SELF. “These are the top three eye concerns that most people want to address and improve, which is why we recommend this product.” She also notes that it has a luxurious consistency that should feel great on your skin for the daytime or before bed. The Restorative Eye Treatment contains peptides (which you can think of as protein building blocks) and niacinamide (a form of vitamin B), both of which can “help brighten and even skin tone,” Mary L. Stevenson, MD, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. Green tea and oak leaf tea extracts also contribute to this cream’s soothing, dark circle-busting effects.

Dermstore

Runner-Up

• Pros: Fragrance-free, smooth and non-greasy feel, addresses fine lines
• Cons: Pricey

“This non-comedogenic, lightweight product glides on smoothly and acts as a great primer for makeup in the morning, and it’s nongreasy or irritating for nighttime use,” Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, a dermatologist based in Beverly Hills tells SELF. It contains a type of peptide that can penetrate the skin and, theoretically, help encourage collagen production. “Ultimately, this helps to thicken the skin around the eye and reduce the appearance of fine lines,” Dr. Shainhouse says. Dr. Stevenson also counts this sensitive skin-friendly eye cream as one of her favorites, noting that it contains proteins known as growth factors, which can potentially help repair and restore skin.

Amazon

Best Budget

• Pros: Affordable, fragrance-free, rich and nourishing formula
• Cons: Contains lanolin (a potential irritant), ointment consistency may feel greasy for some

Erum Ilyas, MD, a dermatologist based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, tells SELF that drugstore staple Aquaphor actually makes a lovely moisturizing eye cream. “I tend to have dry skin around my eyes that only serves to accentuate fine lines and wrinkles, as well as make my eyes seem puffier and my dark circles darker,” Dr. Ilyas explains. “I realized years ago that what works best is hydration. I massage Aquaphor around my eyelids in a circular fashion before bedtime to hydrate the skin and massage out excess puffiness.”

Amazon

Best Retinol Eye Cream

• Pros: Fragrance-free, smoothing and hydrating formula
• Cons: Relatively affordable, some reviewers report leaky packaging

“Retinol is a hero ingredient because it builds collagen, evens out skin tone, and decreases pigmentation,” Papri Sarkar, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Boston tells SELF, though it can be irritating. That’s why she recommends this particular retinol eye cream—it’s formulated to work gently but effectively (and hydrate your skin too). It’s also a favorite of Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology in Manhattan, who says it’s a great option for retinol newbies who want to incorporate it into their skin care routine. However, she recommends that those with sensitive skin do a patch test before applying in full. And it’s important for retinol users to apply SPF every day, as it can make you more sensitive to the sun.

Skinstore

Best for Signs of Aging

• Pros: Formulated to target the appearance of fine lines, fragrance-free
• Cons: Pricey

“My go-to eye cream is Skinceuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex,” Marnie Nussbaum, MD, a New York City–based dermatologist, tells SELF. It’s made with a range of ingredients that combat and prevent fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, and other signs of aging: A powerful peptide blend and a vitamin C derivative repair and brighten the skin, glycerin thoroughly hydrates it, and the tried-and-true SPF titanium dioxide protects the skin from sun damage. To top it all off, the A.G.E. Eye Complex also contains caffeine—this ingredient is thought to help immensely with puffiness.

Sephora

Best for Sensitive Skin

• Pros: Formulated with irritation-prone skin in mind, some reviewers report a cooling sensation
• Cons: On the thin side (according to reviewers)—might not feel as nourishing as some would like

“This eye cream contains hyaluronic acid and caffeine to hydrate and smooth fine lines while reducing puffiness,” Blair Murphy-Rose, MD, a board-certified cosmetic and medical dermatologist at Laser & Skin Surgery Center of NY in New York, tells SELF. It’s a favorite of hers because it’s suitable for all skin types. The fact that it’s also made with known soothing ingredients like cucumber extract and colloidal oatmeal makes it an especially good option for anyone with sensitive skin.

Courtesy of Clinique

Best for Dry Skin

• Pros: Rich consistency, fragrance-free
• Cons: May feel too thick for those with oilier skin

Winner of SELF’s Healthy Beauty Award for Best Eye Cream for Fine Lines and Wrinkles in 2023, this Clinique product revived our tester’s “tired, puffy, dark-circled eyes,” leaving the eye area more supple and moisturized. That’s thanks in no small part to the cream’s cocktail of hydrating and softening ingredients, including glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and soybean seed extract. Its formulation also features whey protein, which can help the skin appear firmer and smoother.

• SELF tester review: “It has a rich feel when I apply it, and it absorbs quickly. Upon waking, the skin around my eyes feels a little tighter, brighter, and more awake than I feel inside.”

Sephora

Best Eye Cream for Dark Circles

• Pros: Addresses dullness and uneven skin tone, lightweight
• Cons: Some reviewers found it drying

“The bottle is gorgeous (it looks so elegant on a shelf), the product is thin enough that it layers beautifully under concealer, and it does a great job at hiding the dark circles under my eyes,” Mona Gohara, MD, associated clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, tells SELF. Drunk Elephant’s potent vitamin C cream, which also contains peptides and the antioxidant vitamin E, is a skin care favorite for anyone in search of that bright-eyed, just-got-a-solid-eight-hours look. “I look well-rested no matter how little sleep I’ve gotten!” Dr. Gohara says.

Nordstrom

Best for Puffiness

• Pros: Lightweight (according to reviewers), anti-inflammatory ingredients
• Cons: Relatively pricey

If you’re looking for an undeeye cream that’ll help reduce puffy eyes, Dr. Murphy-Rose recommends Pause’s Eye Renewal Treatment. She points to caffeine, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, and phylloquinone (a.k.a. vitamin K) as key ingredients for depuffing. The first increases circulation (which helps make undereye skin look fresher and more awake), while the last two have anti-inflammatory properties. Overall, this refreshing eye cream should help firm, hydrate, and smooth the surface of your skin, Dr. Murphy-Rose says.

Sephora

Best for Skin Barrier Repair

• Pros: Fragrance-free, suitable for sensitive skin, very hydrating
• Cons: Some reviewers found it too thick for their liking

Ellen Marmur, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Marmur Medical in New York City, calls this SkinFix eye cream a great find if you deal with extra-dry, damaged skin. It uses a host of time-tested ingredients to not only hydrate the skin but strengthen its barrier too (and a healthy skin barrier is key for preventing dryness, inflammation, and irritation). Those include lightweight (and non-comedogenic!) squalene and jojoba oil. Plus, if you’re especially concerned about keeping your skin nice and calm, the aloe and soothing botanical extracts in this cream can help.

Amazon

Best Applicator

• Pros: Clean and easy application, great for signs of aging across the board
• Cons: Pricey

This sleek eye cream has familiar skin care stalwarts like peptides and antioxidants that brighten and protect the area, Noelani Gonzalez, MD, director of cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai West in New York City, tells SELF. But its formula (and presentation, for that matter, is far from run-of-the-mill. “This eye cream was specifically designed to treat the upper eyelid as well by smoothing wrinkles and firming the skin, which is something that sets it apart from other eye creams,” she explains. Its packaging has a built-in wand applicator, which makes it all the easier to dab on with precision.

INCIDecoder

Best Splurge

• Pros: Fragrance-free, built-in applicator
• Cons: Very pricey

DefenAge’s eye cream is a luxe pick if your top priorities are improving elasticity, texture, and uneven skin tone. “It’s formulated to help with skin renewal,” Dr. Chang explains, nodding to its range of ingredients that can help rejuvenate the skin, including a proprietary blend of peptides. She adds that it contains “hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin, and antioxidants to repair environmental damage.” In a list of some seriously costly skin care products, this one is the biggest investment. It comes with swaths of glowing reviews, but the price is definitely something to keep in mind if you’re shopping on a budget.

Amazon

Best for Travel

• Pros: Easy to portion out and use, fragrance-free
• Cons: Capsule packaging generates slightly more waste

“This is my favorite product because it contains peptides to support collagen,” Dendy Engelman, MD, a New York City–based dermatologist, tells SELF. Then, of course, is the star ingredient: ceramides, which naturally occur in our skin’s outer layer and keep the skin strong and smooth (so they’re more than welcome if you’re hoping to boost your skin’s water retention and improve overall texture). “Also, each capsule is one usage, which just makes it easier,” Dr. Engelman adds.

Dermstore

Best Gel Cream

• Pros: Very lightweight
• Cons: Might not feel rich enough for very dry skin types

If you’re looking for an eye cream that doesn’t feel heavy, greasy, or, well, overly creamy, Dr. Sarkar recommends EltaMD’s cooling eye gel cream. “This has the antioxidant and pigment reducer niacinamide,” she says, “as well as peptides and hyaluronic acid that minimize hyperpigmentation and make the area look plumper.”