Best Under-Eye Creams to Get Rid of Wrinkles

In Touch Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services.

Do the dark circles under your eyes make you look like you’ve been awake for 100 years? Or are the wrinkles around your eyes making you look older than you feel? Then you could probably benefit by incorporating an under-eye cream into your skincare regimen.

There are eye creams that can target dark circles, improve the signs of aging, hydrate dry skin, and soothe stressed-out skin. So, with so many eye creams on the market, how do you know that you’re selecting one that is right for you?

Don’t worry, we’ve researched dozens of skincare brands to find the best eye creams making sure they contain only the highest quality and evidence-backed ingredients.

• Best Overall Eye Cream: CLEARSTEM BRIGHTEYES Eye Gel
• Best for Droopy Eyelids: Upneeq Eye Drops
• Best Anti-Aging Eye Cream: AnnieMak Renew Eye Cream
• Best Beauty Tool for Eyes: Foreo Bright Eye Lifesaver Bundle
• Best Multi-Use Eye Cream: Vena Miracle Manuka Multi-Use Cream
• Best CBD Eye Cream: Veritas Farms CBD Topical Cucumber Eye Cream
• Best Eye Cream for Dry Under Eyes: cbdMD Botanicals Eye and Lip Cream
• Best Eye Cream for Tired Eyes: Fresh Bombs Full Spectrum Eye Cream
• Best for Sensitive Skin: cbdMD Brightening Eye Cream

Best Under-Eye Creams in 2023

Keep reading to find out what eye creams you should be using in 2023 to give you brighter and fresher eyes that are hydrated and healthy.

Best Overall Eye Cream: CLEARSTEM BRIGHTEYES Eye Gel

Pros:

• Peptides and stem cells for collagen production
• Aloe vera to reduce puffiness
• No hormone disruptors
• Gluten-free and vegan
• Doubles as a lip treatment
• Free 30-day returns

If you’ve had enough of your eyes looking tired, you might want to try BRIGHTEYES Eye Gel from CLEARSTEM. The anti-aging eye cream is specially formulated with three different peptides, nourishing botanicals and a blend of stem cells to firm and brighten the delicate skin around the eyes. Better yet, this eye gel can also be used as an overnight lip treatment to hydrate and plump dry lips.

Within the first week, you may already see a reduction in puffiness, crow’s feet and dark circles. The cream can be used safely on the entire eye area, including the eyelids, to help reawaken tired-looking eyes and promote collagen production. 

This cream has a soothing, cooling sensation when applied. You might feel some tingling, but don’t worry, that’s just the peptides getting to work.

Best for Droopy Eyelids: Upneeq Eye Drops

Pros:

• Only FDA-approved prescription eye drops for acquired ptosis
• 84% of users experienced some form of improvement
• Works in as little as 5 minutes
• Can improve the field of vision
• Can last up to 8 hours

If you suffer from acquired ptosis — i.e. droopy eyelids — but surgical intervention is out of your price range, you might be hoping for a non-invasive way to get those tired eyes looking big, bold and bright again.

Step forward Upneeq. These FDA-approved eye drops work to lift your upper lid quickly to give you significant results that not only help you look and feel your best, but also improve your field of vision.

Upneeq works by activating receptors in your upper eyelid muscle, helping it to contract. This can lift your upper eyelid about 2mm, for a more bright and more open look.

These come in a 45-day or 10-day supply. You only need one dose a day, to see results starting in as little as 5–15 minutes, and lasting for up to 8 hours.

Best Anti-Aging Eye Cream: AnnieMak Renew Eye Cream

Pros:

• Patented anti-aging ingredients
• No toxic chemicals
• Dermatologist tested
• Can also be used around the mouth
• Non-GMO, gluten-free, sulfate-free and paraben-free
• Cruelty-free and vegan

The delicate skin around your eyes will drink up the Renew Eye Cream from Annie Mak. It’s specifically formulated to hydrate, smooth, brighten and strengthen the skin around the eye. The dermatologist-tested formula contains only pure ingredients, such as organic botanicals, and a highly advanced peptide complex that can help reduce puffiness, dark circles, dryness and redness. 

Ingredients include:

• Organic jojoba oil: This plant wax has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can  enhance collagen synthesis.
• Organic apricot kernel oil: This botanical helps reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eye area, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and exfoliation properties.
• Matrixyl Morphomics: A patent ingredient proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles through advanced peptide technology.

Who doesn’t love a multi-use skincare product? Well, this eye cream can also be used to diminish the fine lines around the mouth. Furthermore, you can use it safely in the knowledge there are no toxic chemicals, confirmed with third-party lab testing.

Best Beauty Tool for Eyes: Foreo Bright Eye Lifesaver Bundle

Pros:

• Two advanced skincare tools
• Massage and soothe tired eyes and dark circles
• Heat therapy for deep penetration of ingredients
• Hydrating boosting anti-aging serum
• Six anti-aging sheet masks

Help is on the way for tired, stressed, and irritated eyes with the Bright Eye Lifesaver Bundle from Foreo. The bundle features the IRIS device which is specifically designed to help relieve dry eyes, digital eye strain, wrinkles, dark circles, eye bags and puffiness by providing a soothing and relaxing eye massage.

You also get the Mini UFO device which uses heat therapy to help open clogged meibomian eye glands and infuse the hydrating ingredients of the Acai Berry sheet masks (and your eye cream) deep under the surface of the skin.

The bundle is finished with Serum Serum Serum, a lightweight serum that is naked with hydrating and antioxidant ingredients — like squalane and hyaluronic acid — to moisturize the skin, improve tone and plump the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Best Multi-Use Eye Cream: Vena Miracle Manuka Multi-Use Cream

Pros:

• Can be used under the eyes, face, hands and lips
• Manuka honey, sea buckthorn and CBD
• GMO and pesticide free
• Third-party tested to ensure quality
• Subscribe and save
• 30-day money-back guarantee

The Miracle Manuka Multi-Use Cream is a versatile cream designed to nourish, relieve and rejuvenate the skin. The cream is formulated with powerful natural skincare ingredients including:

• Manuka honey: Protects and revitalizes the skin with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well as balances skin pH to clear dead skin cells.
• CBD: The extract from the hemp plant soothes irritated skin, calms redness, and regulates sebum to calm acne and other inflammatory skin conditions.
• Sea buckthorn oil: Promotes hydration and skin elasticity, as well as stimulating cell regeneration for younger-looking skin.

The Miracle Manuka Cream can be used in so many different ways. Apply under the eyes before bed for deep hydration, use as a nourishing moisturizer and face primer, or use to relieve dry and cracked lips. The cream can also be used on the body and hands when your skin needs some extra love. 

Best CBD Eye Cream: Veritas Farms CBD Topical Cucumber Eye Cream

Pros:

• 100mg of full spectrum CBD per container
• USA-grown hemp
• Skin nourishing vitamins to fight dark circles
• Hydrating squalane and hyaluronic acid
• Third-party tested for potency and purity

Enhanced with cucumber extract, the CBD Cucumber Eye Cream from Veritas Farms also contains vitamins A and E to nourish and moisturize the skin around the eye area for a brighter, more youthful appearance.

Formulated specifically for deep hydration, peptides, collagen, hyaluronic acid and squalane help address fine lines, puffiness and dark circles, as well as firm and protect the skin of the delicate eye area.

The cream is third-party lab tested to ensure that the product is as potent as advertised and is free of pesticides, herbicides, microbes and other impurities. You can check the results for yourself via the website if you need some extra peace of mind.

Best Eye Cream for Dry Under Eyes: cbdMD Botanicals Eye and Lip Cream

Pros:

• Dual use: Eyes and lips
• Packed with skin nourishing ingredients including CBD
• THC-free
• Third-party lab tested
• USA-grown hemp
• Good value for money

Nourish and hydrate dry under eyes with the Eye and Lip Cream from cbdMD Botanicals. The rich and creamy dual-action cream is packed with antioxidants to replenish and soothe stressed-out skin and lips.

Each bottle contains 500mg of broad spectrum CBD to moisturize and calm dry and irritated skin, being gentle enough for the delicate under-eye area. Additional natural botanical ingredients include deeply moisturizing jojoba oil, vitamins A, C and E to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and argan oils, which are loaded with fatty acids to brighten skin.

cbdMD Botanicals extensively tests its products in independent labs to verify that they’re THC-free, as potent as advertised and don’t contain any impurities or toxins.

Best Eye Cream for Tired Eyes: Fresh Bombs Full Spectrum Eye Cream

Pros:

• 125mg of full spectrum CBD per tube
• Skin-friendly botanicals
• Suitable for all skin types
• Complementary CBD skin care products
• Independently lab-tested

Specifically formulated for the delicate and thin skin around the eyes, the Full Spectrum Eye Cream can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, puffy eyes and dark circles. 

Just a small amount applied around the eyes delivers soothing CBD, as well as a whole host of nourishing minor cannabinoids, terpenes and fatty acids to boost skin radiance and even out skin tone.

Best for Sensitive Skin: cbdMD Brightening Eye Cream

Pros:

• Infused with broad spectrum CBD for extra soothing power
• Free of perfumes, dyes, sulfates, parabens and gluten
• Organic plant extracts
• Peptides for anti-aging
• Third-party lab testing

Utilize the power of soothing CBD for brighter and fresher eyes, with the Brightening Eye Cream from cbdMD. Each tub contains 650mg of broad spectrum CBD, which will nourish the skin around the eyes and provide deep hydration to dry areas and more awake-looking eyes. Additional ingredients include:

• Eyebright extract: An astringent that reduces under-eye puffiness and dark circles
• Organic shea butter: A natural emollient that’s high in fatty acids to help lock in moisture
• Sacha inchi peptides:  Helps to decrease under-eye puffiness for a more contoured look
• Organic aloe vera: Can relieve under-eye swelling and improve the appearance of dark circles

This cream is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin, being free of perfumes, sulfates, dyes, parabens and gluten. Plus, every batch is independently lab tested to ensure product purity and potency.

How We Chose Our Winners

Through extensive research of the top skincare brands we found the best eye products for 2023. We ensured that we only selected products that were suitable for a variety of skin types and specially formulated for the delicate under-eye area.

Furthermore, for a product to make our carefully curated list, it has to meet our strict criteria when it comes to quality, efficacy and brand reputation.

• Ingredient quality:  An eye cream is only as good as its ingredients, therefore we favored products with all-natural formulations, free of artificial preservatives and fragrances, which can irritate the delicate skin around the eye. 
• Proven ingredients: We prioritized products that included ingredients that are proven to improve a number of under-eye concerns including dark circles, puffiness, and wrinkles. If a product contained evidence-backed ingredients such as peptides, hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera, we considered it for our list.
• Customer satisfaction: A key indicator of the effectiveness of an eye care cream is customer reviews. We read through dozens of verified customer reviews to see what real users had to say about the product and that they had seen positive results.
• Brand reputation: Brand reputation is very important, we wanted to make sure that we only recommended eye creams from skincare companies that you can trust.  We made sure we didn’t endorse any companies that made unverifiable claims e.gif a brand claimed to offer cruelty-free products, they had to be able to prove this claim.

How to Choose Under-Eye Cream For Your Needs

What should you look for in an eye cream? It’s all about the ingredients. Different ingredients will target different under-eye concerns, but here are some key eye cream ingredients to look out for:

• Caffeine brightens up tired eyes and decreases the appearance of dark circles, and reduces puffiness.
• Green tea protects and soothes the delicate skin of the under-eye area to keep it looking fresh and rejuvenated.
• Peptides are amino acids that make up the proteins that are responsible for skin elasticity, such as collagen and elastin.
• Vitamin C evens skin tone, reducing the appearance of dark spots and giving the skin a dewy glow.
• Retinol helps to reduce discoloration and pigmentation marks, whilst also helping to plump and firm the skin to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Aloe vera is a multi-purpose botanical that hydrates, soothes and cools stressed-out skin.
• Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally within the body and helps give the skin bounce and resilience, as well as boosting hydration by retaining moisture.
• Squalane is a common skincare ingredient known for its hydration properties for nourished and healthy-looking skin.
• Vitamin B3 helps the skin to retain moisture, whilst also evening out skin tone for brighter skin.

The types of eye creams that will work best for you also depend on your age. When you’re 20 years of age you can use a light eye cream as the damage to the under-eye area will be minimal. Plus, you can prevent and delay damage by using an SPF every day. Eye creams containing ingredients like caffeine will help wake up tired 20-year-old eyes when you’ve been burning the candle at both ends.

Once you reach your 30s you might start thinking about eye creams that tackle fine lines and wrinkles, such as those that contain retinol. Once you reach your 40s and 50s you should be considering eye creams that are targeted towards dehydration, eye bags, and puffiness.

Benefits of Using an Under-Eye Cream

The delicate skin under the eyes has unique needs. Since the thin skin around your eyes has no subcutaneous fat to protect it, this area of skin is particularly delicate. Plus, as this area of the skin is constantly moving and facing exposure to the sun’s harmful rays, the eye area is more susceptible to wrinkles and puffiness, as well as vulnerable to dark circles and dullness.

This is why a targeted eye cream can come in handy to help protect the skin barrier and keep the area hydrated. Using a cream that’s specifically formulated for the eye area has numerous benefits:

• Reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles
• Hydrate the delicate eye area
• Improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles
• Strengthen and protect delicate skin
• Soothe tired eyes
• Prep the skin for makeup
• Brighten tired looking skin.

How To Use an Under-Eye Cream

Although each person’s skincare regimen will differ, eye creams should typically be applied after cleansing and toning, but before serums and moisturizers.

To apply your eye cream, dispense a small amount onto your ring finger and apply in small dots around the entire eye contour. Then gently blend the cream into your entire eye area – including the crow’s feet under-eye area, eyelid, and brow bone – using upward motions until all of the cream is absorbed. Avoid direct contact with the eyes and rinse immediately if contact occurs.

Finally, it’s important to remember that consistency is key when it comes to eye cream. If you want to reap the full benefits of your eye cream, make sure you use it day and night each and every day.

FAQs:

Are under-eye creams safe?

Like with any skincare product, some ingredients may not agree with you. Therefore, it’s important that you check the ingredient list and do a patch test on less sensitive skin — such as on the back of your hand — before using. 

Plus, look for eye creams that are free from harsh chemicals, additives, and fragrances that can irritate the delicate skin of the eye area.

What’s the best under-eye cream for me?

This, of course, depends on your eye concerns. Check back in with our recommended ingredient list earlier in the article, which should help you when choosing an eye cream for a particular under-eye issue.

Additionally, where possible you should choose eye creams that are compatible with your skin type. For example, if you have dry skin, a water-based eye cream will be ideal, but an eye cream containing alcohol, artificial fragrances, or citrus oils will further dry out the delicate skin around the eye.

If you’re unsure of your skin type, a dermatologist will be able to help you identify it and advise you on what skincare ingredients work for you, as well as which ones to avoid.

Can I use more than one under-eye cream?

When it comes to eye cream, less is more. While you may believe the more you apply the more effective it will be, using too much product can clog your pores. Plus the more cream(s) you use around the eye area increases the chance some will creep into the eye and irritate them.

In Summary

Using an eye cream can have a number of benefits, including reducing the appearance of dark circles, tackling the signs of aging, and soothing dry skin. However, the delicate skin around the eye has its own unique needs, which means it’s important to choose a skincare product that’s specially formulated for the eye area. 

When choosing an eye cream look for ingredients like vitamin C and peptides which can boost collagen production, and hyaluronic acid and squalane to boost hydration for plumper skin. 

If you’re planning on using an eye cream that contains CBD, ideally you should consult with a healthcare provider, particularly if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

InTouch has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services.