The 13 Best Anti-Aging Eye Creams of 2020

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As we age, our eyes are the first area to show increased tiredness, water retention, and other surface issues, to say nothing of the fine lines and wrinkles that early sun exposure starts to make evident right on the face. So how do you keep the windows to your soul looking bright and fresh? The answer is a targeted anti-aging eye cream that adapts proven ingredients to meet the unique needs of this delicate area, supporting your skin in staying moisturized and resilient. After all, prevention is easy if you have the right products in your arsenal.

Keep reading to discover the best anti-aging eye creams.

Best Overall: Kate Somerville Retinol Firming Eye Cream

This innovative product and it's beautiful—but functional—applicator combine forces to deliver anti-aging power to your under eyes like nothing else. Retinol, the gold-standard anti-aging ingredient, is generally too intense to apply directly to under your eyes, but this formula uses bioretinols, natural ingredients that mimic the effect of retinol but with less sensitivity, to get the job done. Hyaluronic acid hydrates and helps smooth the appearance of skin as the unique applicator tip cools skin and massages product right where it’s needed.

If you are a first time user, it can take up to eight weeks for your skin to acclimate to retinol, so go slowly and back off nightly applications if you’re feeling the burn.

Best Budget: Paula’s Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel

Packed with a powerful blend of hyaluronic acid and peptides, Paula’s Choice uses proven ingredients to alleviate the appearance of aging, revealing visibly brighter eyes. Massage a pea-sized amount around the eye area until fully absorbed while the cooling applicator helps de-puff and soothe tired eyes.

Reviewers love the light gel formulation for daytime use, which can be hard to find in an eye cream, as many effective anti-aging ingredients are photosensitive and best applied at night.

Best Drugstore: Olay Total Effects Anti-Aging Eye Cream

Sometimes, a no-fuss approach is the best way to guarantee you’ll stay loyal to a product regimen, and this drugstore darling makes it easy to afford a routine you can stick to. Vitamins B and E gently exfoliate the undereye area to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and reduce the appearance of dark circles. Massage it in to reduce the look of puffiness and even out your skin tone, and make sure to follow it with an allover moisturizer to keep your face hydrated.

Fans of this product appreciate that it’s the rare unscented product in their beauty arsenal, making it easy to layer under whatever other skincare you’re using.

Best Serum: Drunk Elephant Shaba Complex Eye Serum

Reviewers love the silky texture of this eye serum and notice a fast improvement in fine lines and wrinkles. The serum contains potent doses of black tea ferment and copper peptides that help to firm the skin. A unique combination of edelweiss stem cells and niacinamide to help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The powerful antioxidants in Co-Q10 help reduce the overall signs of aging while also helping to fade the appearance of age spots.

Best Natural: Ren Keep Young and Beautiful Anti-Aging Eye Cream

If you’re early into your eye cream journey, this cream is the perfect place to start to get in the habit of applying a daily treatment. Ren uses natural bioactives Hexapeptide 11, Hydroxyproline, and Carthame Oil to lift and firm, replenishing moisture under the eyes and reducing both fine lines and deep wrinkles. Ceramide and plant collagen help to further fortify and moisturize skin.

Given that it’s 100% plant and mineral-derived, if you have sensitive skin (as many people do around their eyes) it’s more than worth a try.

Best for Bags: Dr. Brandt NO MORE BAGGAGE Eye De-Puffing Gel

The legendary Dr. Brandt created this advanced eye de-puffing gel to be a quick, innovative solution for tired-looking eyes. So if you wake up one day feeling like you’ve got last night written all over your face, this is the tube to reach for. It uses Brandt’s Filmatrix technology to form an invisible, biomimetic film that tightens the appearance of the eye for a visually smoother contour. Peptides also work to restore the look of elasticity and firmness while supporting the skin and helping to reduce the look of bags and puffiness.

Upon application, what you might call a cocktail of antioxidant botanical extracts and caffeine immediately help reduce the look of puffiness and decrease the intensity of dark circles. While you’ll instantly look well-rested, it also works overtime to help restore a youthful under eye shape for a consistently improved appearance.

Best Night: Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream

Sometimes you just need to spend a night truly treating and replenishing your skin, and this ultra-rich anti-aging eye cream uses Super Bio-Hyaluronic Acid to help counteract wrinkles all around the eye area, including crow's feet, corner creases, under-eye wrinkles, lid creases, and vertical lines. While it’s perfectly safe to use during the day, the texture is thick enough that it takes a long time to truly absorb, making it a better choice for overnight use than as the final step in a daytime skincare regimen.

Reviewers love how long a little bit of product will go, and some mention using it on other sensitive areas like the neck and decolletage for intense nighttime treatment as well.

Best Under Makeup: Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Eye Serum

olay-eye-lifting-serum — Courtesy of Ulta

There's little not to love about this drugstore-friendly option. It's formulated with peptides and antioxidants, plus it’s fragrance-free, non-greasy, and fast-absorbing. Even more good news: You can wear it under eye makeup without anything smearing or creasing.

Best for Dark Circles: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex

You can't go wrong with any product from Byrdie favorite SkinCeuticals, including this eye cream formulated to brighten and minimize dark circles and puffiness. The A.G.E. stands for Advanced glycation end-products, which is a factor in natural aging. The cream targets it with a combination of skin-loving ingredients, including Pro-Xylane, blueberry extract, flavonoids, and peptides. Effective? Yes. But it's also gentle on sensitive skin.

Best for Wrinkles: Hydropeptide Eye Authority Eye Cream

hydropeptide-eye-cream — Courtesy of Hydropeptide

Some experts call this the ultimate anti-aging cream, and we wouldn't disagree. The formula—with crushed pearl and peptides—moisturizes the eye area while simultaneously brightening the look of dark circles and fighting overall signs of aging. As if that's not enough, proceeds from each purchase of the eye cream are donated to build wells in developing countries. Beauty that gives back—our favorite!

Best with Caffeine: Neocutis Lumiere Bio-Restorative Eye Cream

Caffeine and hyaluronic acid are both key ingredients in this potent anti-ager. It reduces dark circles and puffiness, firms up sagging skin, and energizes the look of a tired eye contour.

Best with Hyaluronic Acid: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum

In case you didn't know, hyaluronic acid is a miracle moisturizer. It's capable of binding water molecules hundreds of times over its own weight, which translates to a thoroughly, supremely hydrated eye area.

Best with Probiotics: Tula Revitalizing Eye Cream

You've probably heard of probiotics in your food, but they also make a cameo in skincare, including this probiotic-infused formula. Why probiotics, you ask? Well, the good bacteria get rid of the bad bacteria, and that can help maintain equilibrium on the skin's surface. This potent eye cream is also infused with shea butter and trusty antioxidant vitamin C to protect against oxidative damage.

Next, see how one Byrdie editor permanently removed her under-eye bags!

These Are Easily the Best Anti-Aging Eye Creams on the Market

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