Give tired eyes some TLC with a brightening, soothing or hydrating eye cream
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When you’ve had a bad night’s sleep, stressful week of work, or a big night out, the first place it shows is under our eyes.
Luckily there’s a plethora of cream, gels and serums at your disposal, all designed to target dark circles, along with fine lines and wrinkles to boot.
We’ve handpicked the best 12, from budget-friendly beauty picks to luxury treats, to slot into your beauty routine.
Look out for hydrating and brightening ingredients like hyaluronic acid, caffeine, vitamin C and squalane.
In our line-up we’ve considered value for money, texture, consistency, budget and skin type, so you’ll find something for dehydrated, dry or dull skin to shop from.
Best eye creams for improving dark circles
Dr Sam Bunting Flawless Nightly Eye Cream | £37 from Dr Sam Bunting
Developed by dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting, this eye cream tackles dehydration
Don’t be fooled by this small tube of cream, it’s packed with a powerhouse of ingredients to brighten dark circles and soothe dehydrated skin. Just half a pump is enough to cover underneath both eyes, and it has a lovely balmy texture that softens and hydrates. While it’s not the most budget-friendly, it takes just days to see results and make-up sits well on top.
The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream | £8.99 from Boots
Caffeine can minimise discolouration, making it a go-to ingredient for your eye cream
For less than £10, you can’t get much better than this caffeine-rich serum. It’s a lightweight, fast-absorbing texture designed to treat puffiness and dark circles and be used day and night. It brightens too – all without irritating sensitive skin.
Ren Clean Skincare Radiance Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream | £44 from Cult Beauty
Ren Clean Skincare Radiance Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream
Tackle tired eyes thanks to this environmentally-friendly eye cream from Ren. Packed with sustainable ingredients, such as glycogen from non-GMO corn, it’s an extremely fast-absorbing texture, housed in a chic recyclable plastic pump-jar. You can see results almost instantly.
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Liz Earle Instant Brightening Eye Cream | £22.50 from Boots
Hydrating and brightening, this eye cream is a simple but effective addition to your skincare routine
This lightweight, tinted eye cream instantly brightens, thanks to a formula rich in light-reflecting pigments. Despite its tint, it works across all skin tones, blending in seamlessly to revive a tired complexion.
Summer Fridays Light Aura Vitamin C and Peptide Eye Cream | £40 from Cult Beauty
This cream from Summer Fridays is rich in vitamin C – an ingredient well known for improving dullness
Vitamin C is well-loved for its ability to brighten dull skin, so a shot of it in your eye cream will help improve dark circles too. This cream also contains caffeine, vitamin E and allantoin which, combined, combat puffiness and reduce discolouration.
B. Brightening Eye Cream | £6.99 from Superdrug
B. Brightening Eye Cream
For brightness on a budget, Superdrug’s in-house skincare line, B., has a plethora of brilliant beauty buys, including this eye cream. It has a refreshing gel-cream texture blended with caffeine, peptides, and niacinamide to boost hydration, add luminosity and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream | £42 from Cult Beauty
Squalane is a brilliant ingredient for protecting the skin barrier and boosting moisture levels
This 15ml pot is packed with marine algae, paracress, and squalane. The latter is derived from sugarcane which protects and boosts the skin’s elasticity and together, makes for a soothing cream that absorbs quickly, without leaving the delicate under-eye area feeling greasy.
Super Facialist Vitamin C + Brighten Dark Circles Eye Cream | £12.99 from Feel Unique
This budget beauty buy is a handy tube for brightening dark under-eye circles
When it comes to budget-friendly beauty brands, Super Facialist is one of the best. Designed to target pesky dark circles, one happy customer on Feel Unique said: “This has really helped with my dark under-eye circles. Feels tighter and less puffy under my eyes too.”
Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Eye Cream | £27 from Cult Beauty
Tackle tired eyes and dehydrated skin with this eye cream from Dr Jart+
South Korean skincare brand Dr.Jart+ is the brains behind the TikTok famous cicapair tiger grass colour correcting treatment which saw viral fame in 2020. However, its Ceramidin range created to combat dry, dull skin is the showstopper. The eye cream is a pinky beige gel, to brighten dark circles and give you a good night’s sleep in a jar. Tap under the eye onto cleansed skin day and night.
CeraVe Eye Repair Cream | £11.99 from Superdrug
This gentle eye cream from CeraVe is a great budget find for sensitive skin
CeraVe’s eye cream is a mix of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. The former prevents water loss and the latter is a non-exfoliating acid that plumps skin and retains moisture. It’s fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, meaning it so won’t clog pores or cause any irritation on sensitive skin types.
Vichy Minéral 89 Eye Brightening Serum with Hyaluronic Acid & Caffeine | £14.96 from Lookfantastic
Vichy’s Minéral 89 Eye Brightening Serum is a godsend for tired eyes
Vichy’s Minéral 89 hyaluronic serum is a cult beauty product and the accompanying eye cream is a must-have for your skincare arsenal. It plumps skin, leaves a dewy finish, and thanks to caffeine as the star ingredient, reduces dark circles and signs of fatigue.
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème | £35 from Boots
This Banana Bright Eye Crème from Ole Henriksen has light-reflecting pigments to instantly illuminate dull skin
This sunny yellow cream is rich in brightening pigments that colour correct, reduce the look of dark circles and hydrates skin in need of some TLC. Not convinced? One five-star review on Boots reads: “I am so glad I found this eye cream! I need something brightening, but gentle. This ticked those boxes. It’s silky once applied and not at all sticky, which I love. Great alone or under concealer too!”