We've Tried Hundreds—These Are, Without Question, the 17 Best Eye Creams for Visible Results

Best for: Targeting all eye area concerns, from de-puffing to smoothing fine lines and wrinkles

Key ingredients: Tripeptides and microalgae blend, winter cherry and cucumber seed blend, Persian silk tree bark extract

Why it's the best: "This newly launched eye cream from skincare expert Caroline Hirons' skincare brand, Skin Rocks, has become a fast favourite of mine. Not just because the silky texture instantly sinks into the skin, but it has some impressive clinical studies behind it. It immediately improves fine lines and under eye bags on contact with the skin, but it also reduces eye bag volume and eye wrinkle depth in four weeks. So impressive. If you want to invest in a great eye cream, make it this one," says Who What Wear UK beauty editor, Eleanor Vousden.

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Best for: Smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, brightening and hydrating

Key ingredients: Slow-release retinol (1%), hyaluronic acid, allosteris, bioflavonoids

Why it's the best: "If it's fine lines and wrinkles that are troubling you, then reach for Beauty Pie's Super Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream—in my opinion it's one of the best Beauty Pie eye creams. It's one of the few retinol eye creams I've actually seen results from. In fact, I postponed a Botox top-up because it was that good. Retinol is one of the only proven ingredients to help plump fine lines and wrinkles, so it's ideal to use around the eye area. This one from Beauty Pie not only is affordable but also has retinol and hyaluronic acid to help plump and hydrate the skin around the eyes too. If you're new to using retinol, you'll want to start off slowly by using it a couple of times a week, gradually building up to every day as your skin tolerates it," says Eleanor.

Best for: Brightening dark circles, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, de-puffing, boosting collagen

Key ingredients: ProxylaneTM, glycyrrhetinic acid, Matrixyl 3000, caffeine, optical diffusers

Why it's the best: "Dark circles can be tricky to treat and no eye cream will ever completely banish them (any brand that says it can, is just using marketing tactics) but there are certain eye creams that can certainly help with their appearance. I trust anything from Skinceuticals, which you'll find in some of the best skin clinics around. It helps to brighten dark circles and improve collagen production, which helps to plump out fine lines and deeper-set wrinkles around the eyes. It also helps to de-puff and contains optical diffusers to reflect light, so you get both immediate brightening and blurring for dark circles while treating them in the long run too," says Eleanor.

Best for: Firming and lifting the eye area

Key ingredients: Twin-encapsulated retinaldehyde, hyaluronic acid, cermides, chamomile extract

Why it's the best: Lifting the eye area is only really achievable by in-clinic aesthetic treatments. However, if you want to slow down skin ageing in this area, then this eye cream is a good fit for you. It contains peptides, which help to regenerate the eye contour and keeps the skin around the eyes sculpted. Like Medik8's award-winning Crystal Retinol serum for the face, the eye cream version also comes in varying strengths as your skin adjusts, so you can keep building on the results over time.

"I'm usually terrified of using retinol or retinal around my eyes, because I do find my skin to be quite reactive, but Medik8's Crystal Retinal is one of the few formulas I'm prepared to slather on. Whenever I'm looking (and feeling) drab, this stuff brightens things up in no time at all," says Who What Wear UK beauty director, Shannon Lawlor.

Best for: Sensitive eyes, de-puffing

Key ingredients: Thermal spring water, squalene, shea butter, niacinamide, probiotics

Why it's the best: We always turn to La Roche-Posay for both affordable and hypoallergenic formulas for sensitive skin, and this eye cream is no exception. Often recommended by dermatologists, this gentle eye cream is ideal for easily irritated eyes or those with sensitive skin that still want to treat their eye area. Squalene and shea butter help to nourish and hydrate, while the addition of probiotics help to strengthen the skin's barrier to leave your eye area looking and feeling more comfortable.

"I have very sensitive skin around my eyes, so don't usually use an eye cream as I'm afraid of irritating my skin," says Who What Wear UK junior beauty editor, Grace Lindsay. "However, this winter the skin around my eyes has been incredibly dry, so I've been keen to add one into my routine. Enter La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream. This hydrating formula has been designed with sensitive skin in mind, and is infused with the brand's thermal spring water to soothe the eye area. I've definitely noticed a difference since using this."

Best for: Awakening tired-looking eyes, dark circles, puffiness

Key ingredients: Caffeine, epigallocatechin gallatyl glucoside (EGCG) which is derived from green tea

Why it's the best: For under £10, it doesn't get much better than The Ordinary's Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG if you want to address tired eyes, dark circles or puffiness. Much how the caffeine in our latte gives us a boost, it works the same way on the skin to wake up tired-looking eyes and help reduce eye bags. "Thanks to the serum texture, it sinks straight in which makes it great for busy mornings when you need a quick fix," says Eleanor.

Best for: Awakening tired-looking eyes, reducing dark circles, de-puffing, those who prefer a lightweight serum texture

Key ingredients: Retinol, retinyl linoleate, licorice root extract, glycerin, ceramides

Why it's the best: This lightweight gel sinks in on contact with the skin, delivering weightless hydration while targetting a whole host of concerns. The inclusion of two types of retinoids help to target dark circles and wrinkles, while the cooling gel instantly helps to de-puff tired eyes. It's also seriously hydrating, which instantly makes dehydrated skin look plump and well-rested.

"I’ve been very disappointed with eye creams and serums in the past but this product surpassed expectations," says Who What Wear UK deputy editor, Maxine Eggenberger. "Over the past couple of years I’ve developed sensitivity in the eye area, but this serum is incredibly gentle and didn’t exacerbate my symptoms. I’ve always suffered from dark circles but I have noticed they’ve been much less predominant since I started using this. My husband even told me I 'didn’t look so tired', which is a major plus. It makes my eye area feel extra hydrated and the product itself is smooth to apply—glides on with ease and leave the skin feeling cool and extremely soft. A little goes a long way, too, so I know the product will last a long time, which goes some way to justifying the price tag too."

Best for: Brightening the eye area, de-puffing, hydrating

Key ingredients: Slow-release vitamin C, bioferments, niacinamide, Japanese plum, pro-glutathione antioxidant booster

Why it's the best: Tatcha is renowned for it's luxurious formulas and innovative textures and this new eye cream ticks both boxes. Vitamin C is a great ingredient for brightening dark circles and imparting radiance to lacklustre skin, while niacinamide works in tandem to brighten pigmentation around the eyes for a more well-rested appearance. The whipped, bouncy cream texture absorbs into the skin quickly and the peachy hue also helps to instantly brighten dark circles, making it great for wearing underneath makeup too. Trust me, your concealer won't have to work as hard with this one.

“I’m going to be honest here, I’m not much of an eye cream person. Despite the fact I have incessant dark circles and dry(ish) skin in the corners of my eyes, I just really struggle to find the right product for me," says Shannon Lawlor. "You see, I’m also prone to milia (those little white spots that crop up around your eyes from using creams that are too thick and rich for your skin). I want an eye cream that brightens my dark circles, is lightweight, sits well under the heaps of concealer I slather on and doesn’t cause irritation. Is that so much to ask? Up until this year, I hadn’t religiously used an eye cream for a really long time, but some new launches have totally changed that—one of them in particular. Tatcha The Brightening Eye Cream contains a load of time-release vitamin C to reap all of those brightening benefits for longer—and it’s suitable for sensitive skin. It also contains niacinamide to help with hyperpigmentation and fruit ferments to tackle puffiness. From the minute I put it on, my eye area looks rejuvenated—I truly can’t get enough.”

Best for: Deep wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles

Key ingredients: Peptides, vitamins A, C and E, hyaluronic acid

Why it's the best: While this may be one of the more expensive eye creams on our list, we think it's worth it. It contains five different kinds of peptides which help to stimulate collagen production, helping to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. One of which, a peptide called syn-ake, helps to prevent the progression of deep wrinkles.

“I always find my under eye area is super sensitive so I don’t switch out my eye cream very often. The Sarah Chapman Skinesis Eye Recovery is so smooth and soft and really helps with morning puffiness," says Who What Wear UK junior branded content editor, Humaa Hussain. "It also lasts forever and I am a very generous eye cream user, so that says a lot.”

Best for: Fine lines, de-puffing, dehydrated or dry skin

Key ingredients: Tripeptide-32, hyaluronic acid

Why it's the best: You'd be forgiven for thinking that tired eyes need a heavyweight eye cream to revive them. However, a heavy eye cream can add to the puffiness around the eyes. Instead, choose a lightweight gel-cream like this one from Estée Lauder to give tired eyes a wake-up call. In fact, this eye cream is part of the Advanced Night Repair range, which is loved by beauty editors and helps to supercharge the skin with hydration, de-puff and plump out dehydration lines around the eyes.

"While my dark circles, sensitivity and fine lines mean I'm always on the lookout for treatment eye creams, this has long been my go-to for general upkeep. There is nothing in here that is going to upset your skin, and it's just a generally soothing, hydrating, depuffing delight," says Shannon.

Best for: Dark circles, tired-looking eyes, de-puffing

Key ingredients: Caffeine, peptides, albizia julibrissin bark extract

Why it's the best: Waking up with puffy eyes and dark circles is no fun. As one of The Inkey List's best sellers, this formula (as its name suggests) uses caffeine to perk things up in an instant by de-puffing the eyes and brightening dark circles over time. "It has a cooling gel consistency that melts instantly into the skin, making it great to use on busy mornings and as prep for makeup too," says Eleanor.

Best for: Dry skin, dehydrated skin, fine lines, sensitive skin

Key ingredients: Caffeine, hyaluronic acid, thermal spring water, adenosine

Why it's the best: Dryness and dehydration around the eye area can be a real pain and also prevent makeup from gliding on as smoothly. This super-hydrating eye gel sinks right in to the skin to quench parched skin with moisture while instantly plumping fine lines that often go hand-in-hand with dehydration. "It works wonders for makeup application, sinking in within seconds and leaving skin plumped. The addition of caffeine also helps to address my persistent dark circles, too," says Shannon.

Best for: Firming, wrinkles and fine lines, under eye bags

Key ingredients: Alfalfa concentrate, phyto-active complex

Why it's the best: "Let me preface this by saying that no eye cream will ever compare to the effects of an in-clinic firming or lifting treatment. However, if you do want to lift and firm the area around your eyes with skincare, this is a great eye cream for restoring elasticity to the area. Alfalfa concentrate acts as an alternative to retinol to encourage collagen production, while the phyto-active complex stimulates microcirculation around the eye area to depuff. The results speak for themselves," says Eleanor.

Best for: Depuffing under eye bags, hydrating

Key ingredients: Caffeine, green tea, hyaluronic acid

Why it's the best: If you often wake up with puffiness around your eyes, then you'll really like the cooling rollerball applicator that helps to depuff by massaging away fluid build-up that can cause under eye bags. The serum texture contains caffeine, which helps to wake up tired eyes, while the addition of five types of hydrating hyaluronic acid floods the skin with moisture to rehydrate and plump fine lines. "I've been using this every morning and have noticed my eyes looking less tired and my concealer applies better without creasing so much," says Eleanor.

Best for: Dry, sensitive or irritated skin, fine lines, de-puffing

Key ingredients: Ceramides, panthenol, blumilight

Why it's the best: Korean skincare formulas are known to be elite and this particular eye cream is great for those with dry skin who also want to address fine lines and under eye bags. "Everything in the Ceramidin range is brilliant for dry or compromised skin, and the creamy texture of this eye cream is extremely hydrating and nourishing. I always reach for this during the winter months as it instantly hydrates, plumps fine lines and helps to de-puff with just a few taps of your fingers," says Eleanor. This is also a great addition to wear underneath concealer if you find you get dry patches during the day.

Best for: Fine lines, wearing underneath makeup, cooling and de-puffing

Key ingredients: Caffeyelike vita, floral water, hyaluronic acid

Why it's the best: "I get it, sometimes you don't want a heavy eye cream, which is why I always recommend a eye balm or stick to those prefer something more lightweight. This stick formula feels cooling on contact with the skin and the balmy texture perfectly primes the eyes for makeup by hydrating and plumping fine lines while giving makeup something to grip onto rather than sliding around. While it might not work miracles on dark circles or firm, it helps to de-puff the eyes and acts as a quick win on busy mornings when you want to swipe on and go. It's also a great way to refresh your undereyes throughout the day," says Eleanor.

Best for: Fine lines and wrinkles, dark circles

Key ingredients: Matrixyl 3000, argireline, squalane

Why it's the best: "Whenever I get asked about affordable yet effective skincare, I always recommend Naturium. I initially tried the serum version and was so impressed that I quickly added the eye cream version into my routine. It's creamy, really moisturising and had made a noticeable different to the lines around my eyes. It contains multiple peptides including argireline, which helps to soften muscle contractions so you end up with less expression lines over time," says Eleanor.