Most of us will experience one or a combination of eye-related skin concerns during the course of our lives. Between dark circles, fine lines, dry skin, and puffiness, it’s fair to say that our eye area has a lot to deal with. It makes total sense—the skin near our eyes is the most thin and delicate area of our face, so it’s often the first place to show signs of irritation, dryness, and ageing.
Naturally, the beauty industry has provided us with a bounty of products designed to address these concerns (should you so wish). From eye creams and eye serums to eye masks and patches, concealers, and colour correctors, there are a whole host of makeup and skincare products designed to address everything from under-eye bags to pigmentation and crow’s feet. In principal, this sounds great, right? But when it comes to finding a product that actually works, it can be hard to see through the lofty claims and marketing spiel that surrounds every new product launch.
The thing is, these products are up against some seriously tough work. Dark circles are hereditary, fine lines are exacerbated by eye movement (hardly avoidable), and puffiness is linked to the skin’s lymphatic system. Basically, don’t expect instant and ground-breaking results—choose your products wisely, use them consistently, and give them time to work their magic.
As you might expect (or may already know), for every effective eye product out there, there are at least ten ineffective products. Finding the best eye products really is no mean feat. Fortunately, I’ve done a lot of testing in my years as a beauty editor and esthetician, so I know which eye products are worth the hype and which ones are majorly overrated. Scroll down to discover the underrated eye products that actually work.
I’ve seen first hand (via my mum) the amazing results that this eye serum delivers—it definitely doesn’t get the hype it deserves. Like all NIOD products, it’s packed with innovative, state-of-the-art ingredients chosen for their ability to target fine lines, loss of elasticity, and puffiness.
This serum-gel hybrid went viral on TikTok last year thanks to its amazing ability to shrink puffy under-eye bags in a matter of minutes. Despite that, it’s still not received the love and attention it deserves in the mainstream. The star ingredient is a peptide called Eyeliss which reduces puffiness by increasing lymphatic circulation (meaning excess fluid is drained away).
While retinol is well-known for being one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients, it also has a bunch of annoying side effects—namely dryness and irritation. For that reason, most regular retinol serums are too strong to apply near the delicate eye area, however this swipe-on eye serum utilises a very gentle form of retinol. In addition, the formula is packed with nourishing and hydrating ingredients to counteract dryness.
e.l.f.’s Holy Hydration collection is amazing for dry skin, and while the cleansing balm and fragrance-free moisturiser are the line’s crowdpleasers, this eye cream is the unsung hero. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, peptides, and skin-soothing ingredients like cucumber and green tea, it’s a welcome treat for dry eyes.
Since dark circles are largely genetic, there isn’t a lot that topically applied products can do for them. But if there’s one ingredient that is going to be effective when it comes to targeting under-eye pigmentation, it’s vitamin C. Of course, not all forms of vitamin C are created equally, but this serum contains a form of the ingredient with particularly impressive anti-wrinkle and brightening effects.
Got puffy eyes? Excess water retention is one of the main causes of under-eye bags and it usually requires some clever lymphatic massage techniques to help drain it. This eye serum (from up-and-coming cult skincare brand Iraye) aims to achieve the same effect via ingredients that boost lymphatic activity and reduce water retention.
Waking up with sore, puffy eyes is never fun, but what is fun is being able to swipe on this cooling stick and watch the puffiness disappear. Top tip: store it in the fridge to amp up the chilled effect.
This eye gel may cost less than your morning coffee, but don’t let that put you off—it’s an underrated Boots bestseller which is regularly sold out in my local store. Granted, it won’t magically erase dark circles or fine lines, but it’s soothing, refreshing, and offers welcome relief to puffy eyes.
Laneige may best best known for its iconic lip sleeping masks, but in my opinion this overnight eye mask deserves just as much recognition. I can’t decide what I love more—the silky smooth serum formula or the cooling massage tool with which you apply it.
There are hundreds of eye gels and patches out there, but what really sets these apart from their competitors is that they’re packed with caffeine. Applied to under eyes, caffeine works by constricting the blood vessels and increasing circulation, which reduces the appearance of puffiness. In a study conducted by the brand, 97% of participants noticed their eyes looking less puffy in just five minutes.
Eye patches are a perfect solution when you want to want to quickly target dry and puffy eyes, but they’re not great for the environment. Which is why esthetician and Dieux Skin founder Charlotte Parler created these reusable eye patches, billed ‘the last eye mask you’ll ever need’. Applied on top of your eye cream or serum, the patches will press it in for maximum absorption.
Even if you don’t believe in crystal healing, you’ll be surprised at just how effective this rose quartz mask is when it comes to relieving tired eyes. The combination of the mask’s weight plus the chill of the crystals (again, even better if pre-refrigerated) depuffs and relaxes.
Despite only launching this year, Bare Minerals’ new brightening concealer has already garnered rave reviews—I’m confident it’s going to become a cult favourite. “This is a great concealer for dark under eye circles,” says one reviewer. “It’s really brightening and the formula is very creamy and comfortable. The staying power is great, I set it with powder and it lasts the whole 8-hour work day.”
If you’re serious about reducing the appearance of under-eye darkness then you need a product created specifically for that purpose. Part-concealer and part-colour corrector, this creamy solution counteracts the blue hue of dark under-eye circles and brightens skin with illuminating pigments, and it’s a bit of an editors’ secret.
YSL’s Touche Eclat is possibly the most famous eye-brightening concealer of all time—but if you don’t have £29 to spend on a single product, this £5 concealer from e.l.f. is a great dupe.
If you have dark circles, don’t be tempted to go in with the heavy-duty cream concealers you’d apply over breakouts—thick textures make them prone to creasing and caking. Instead, opt for a thin, liquid formula like this one, which blends beautifully.
