The power of the best eye creams should not be underestimated. It’s a skincare step that many tend to skip in favour of using a daily moisturiser all over ther face, but there are some things that these formulas can’t fix.
If you want to soften dark circles, fine lines, puffiness or general fatigue in the eye area, an eye cream is designed to address these concerns.
The top eye creams tend to be much thinner in consistency than regular moisturiser, and are typically created with more potent active ingredients.
Beware of eye cream marketing, however. No eye cream will be a miracle cure, and skin variations like those outlined above are all completely normal and to be expected. That said, an eye cream can certainly help to reduce the appearance of unwanted discolouration or texture and work to brighten your skin.
How I tested
- Application – I tried each cream over a long period and at various times of day.
- Absorption – I assessed their texture, how the product felt on the skin, and any changes to the appearance of my skin.
- Addressing concerns – Some products excelled as a brightening solution in the morning. Others served a better purpose after a long day, or to soothe hayfever-prone eyes.
- Value for money – I was particularly mindful of price points, given the smaller quantities of cream per pot.
Why you can trust our IndyBest reviews
With years of experience both as a makeup artist and a beauty writer, our tester, Rose Gallagher, has worked to find solutions for all skin types, ages and eye concerns. Over the years, clients have asked her for the best solutions to concerns like dryness, dullness, dark circles and puffiness. The suggestions below pull from years-old tested classics and newer innovations that she thinks are worth your money.
The best eye creams for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Skin Rocks the eye cream: £65, Skinrocks.com
- Best budget option – Sali Hughes x Revolution ringlight creamy illuminating eye balm: £10, Revolutionbeauty.com
- Best SPF eye cream – Ultrasun SPF30 eye protection: £20, Boots.com
- Best luxury eye cream – La Mer the eye cream: £215, Cremedelamer.co.uk
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Skin Rocks the eye cream
Best: Eye cream overall
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Phytosterols, winter cherry, cucumber seed
Benefits: Reducez eye bag volume and eye wrinkle depth
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Deeply comforting on application
- Visible improvement of texture and fine lines over time
- Suitable for use during pregnancy and when breastfeeding
Take note
- Packaging is opaque, so it's hard to tell when it’s running out
This rich eye cream was the best all-rounder I tested. A deeply restorative treatment, this has a dense, buttery ure and instantly comforts tired eyes. Founder of Skin Rocks, Caroline Hirons, is a facialist with years of experience and has tried many products before offering her formula.
The texture of the cream has enough slip to massage the delicate eye area with no pulling or tugging. There are only two issues. The first is that the packaging is opaque, so it's hard to tell when you need to top up with a new bottle. It’s also fairly expensive, but I think it’s worth every penny.
Buy now £65.00, Skin Rocks
Sali Hughes x Revolution ringlight creamy illuminating eye balm
Best: Budget eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Glycerin, hyaluronic acid and shea butter
Benefits: Can be used over makeup to refresh and brighten tired eyes
How to use: Morning and evening, and/or over makeup as needed
Why we love it
- Reflective pearliness adds luminosity to the skin
- Affordable
- Cruelty free
- Vegan
- Made in the UK
Take note
- There are better formulas for targeting dark circles
As one of the UK’s most trusted beauty experts, Sally Hughes set out to create a skincare line that was affordable, cruelty-free, vegan and made in the UK. Ringlight is a lightweight cream that hydrates and brightens the eye area with a translucent, pearly sheen.
It can be used twice per day as part of your skincare routine, or used over makeup to resurrect a dry or tired-looking finish. When used in this way, it helps to soften existing concealer and gently rehydrate it, allowing you to press any dry or cakey makeup back into place for a fresher finish. However, if you want to target dark circles, I recommend opting for an eye cream containing vitamin C or retinol.
Buy now £10.00, Revolutionbeauty.com
Ultrasun SPF30 eye protection
Best: SPF eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Vitamin C and E, Q10, GSP-T
Benefits: Protects from sun damage and hydrates the eye area
How to use: Use a grain-of-rice-sized amount per eye each morning
Why we love it
- Dries quickly
- Won't run into your eyes
Take note
- Dry skin types may need a richer formula
Nothing ruins a holiday like getting sunscreen in your eyes. With this in mind, this lightweight, quick-drying SPF30 eye treatment from Ultrasun is a must for hot holidays.
I tested this on even the hottest and sweatiest of days and found no dreaded spill whatsoever.
Buy now £20.00, Boots
The Inkey List caffeine eye cream
Best: Affordable eye cream for puffiness
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Caffeine, Matrixyl 3000 (an ingredient to stimulate collagen) and albizia julibrissin bark extract
Benefits: Reduces puffiness and dark circles
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Lightweight lotion
- Won't pill under makeup
Take note
- Dry skin types may prefer a richer formula
This cream is fantastic, especially when you consider the price. Though it works well to hydrate and smooth the appearance of the skin, it excels at reducing the appearance of puffiness.
The caffeine in the formula works to target water retention, alleviating the appearance of tired eyes. I found that it didn’t pill under my makeup. However, if dryness is your main concern, you might have better results with a richer formula.
Buy now £10.00, The Inkey List
Murad vita-C eyes dark circle corrector
Best: Eye cream for dark circles
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Vitamin C, cucumber extract, light reflecting micro minerals and red and brown algae extracts
Benefits: Brighten the look of dark circles in as little as two weeks
How to use : Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Targets all tones of dark circles, including blue, brown and red
Take note
- It’s not a miracle worker
Another potent formula from Murad, this brightening treatment focuses on reducing the appearance of dark circles. On initial use, the brightening particles illuminate tired and dull eyes, and with continued use, an improvement in overall skin tone was visible. And a quick scroll of the customer reviews gives further support to the brand’s claims of targeting various tones of discolouration.
With that said, it is important to manage expectations when targeting dark circles. There are many ways an eye cream can brighten the skin around the eyes and, in turn, reduce the appearance of dark circles. For full colour correction, however, you may prefer to use makeup.
Buy now £69.00, Murad
Murad renewing eye cream
Best: Eye cream for fine lines
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Fast, noticeable results
- Targets fine lines and discolouration
Take note
- Retinol can cause slight irritation in early stages
Though I tested a vast number of eye treatments from various brands, the two I selected from Murad simply could not be beaten when it came to merging potent actives with comfort. If targeting fine lines and wrinkles is your main concern, this cream will deliver a noticeable reduction in line depth. What’s more, these results were fast. Though it’s a powerful formula, the cream has a creamy texture that still feels hydrating and comforting to apply.
There are only two slight drawbacks. The first is that if you aren’t used to using retinol, you’ll find some slight irritation in the early stages of using this cream, but that’s perfectly normal. The second is the price; £80 is a lot to spend on an eye cream.
Buy now £89.00, Murad
Elemis pro collagen eye revive mask
Best: Overnight eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Watermelon snow algae, flash filler hyaluronic acid, bush clover, padina pavonica
Benefits: Can be used quickly for instant results, or slept in for a deeply plumping and hydrating treatment
How to use: Can be used morning, evening or pre-party, ideally three times per week
Why we love it
- Helps to plump the skin around the eye area
- A great quick fix
Take note
- Most effective when used overnight
We all know that maintaining a regular skincare routine is the best way to look after our skin, but sometimes you need a quick fix. This eye mask from Elemis is ideal when you need results as quickly as possible.
You can use this in the morning to brighten tired eyes, before party makeup to plump the skin around the eyes, or, for best results, sleep after applying this as a deeply restorative treatment.
Buy now £48.00, Amazon.co.uk
Heveblue black yuja bean lifting auto eye cream
Best: Holistic eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Yuja water, black soy beans, probiotics from blue omiga bio-firm
Benefits: Built in vibrating massage tool
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Unique applicator
- Korean beauty cult classic
Take note
- If targeting fine lines is your main concern, you may wish to use an alternative with slightly more targeted active ingredients
This eye cream was genuinely innovative. Upon contact with my skin, the metal applicator detects your face and gently vibrates. It has plenty of power, so will last the duration of your cream, though you can replace the battery if you run out of juice.
Buy now £27.90, Pureseoul.co.uk
Estee Lauder advanced night repair supercharged eye cream
Best: To refresh tired eyes
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Vitamin E, Tripeptide-32, hyaluronic acid
Benefits: Firm formula won't run into your eyes
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Firm gel texture that doesn’t seep into eyes
- Delivered visible results quickly
Take note
- Not everyone will find the texture appealing
This eye cream launched years ago, when I worked a a personal shopper on the beauty floor of a luxury retailer. I clearly remember it as a popular choice among people of all ages, races and skin types. Years later, it remains a fail-safe option to hydrate your skin, ease the appearance of wrinkles and brighten the eyes. During testing, it worked quickly to deliver visible results. On top of that, if products easily seep into your eye area or you have more deep-set eyes, then you will like the firm, dense texture of this gel.
Buy now £56.00, Esteelauder.co.uk
Espa depuff and soothe eye gel
Best: Cooling eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Chamomile, cucumber, vitamin E
Benefits: Lightweight, soothing cream for irritated and/or puffy eyes
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Instantly cooling
- Spread easily with minimal product
Take note
- May not be rich enough for dry skin
For those who suffer from irritated, puffy or hay fever-prone eyes, this is the most cooling eye cream I tried. The unique formula is incredibly lightweight but spreads easily, meaning that the tiniest amount is ample for the entire eye area.
If you have dry skin, you may find that this isn’t rich enough for you. However, I felt it instantly soothed my skin, and it will last you a long while.
Buy now £42.00, Espa
La Mer the eye concentrate
Best: Luxury eye cream
Size: 15l
Key ingredients: Concentrated miracle broth, the clarity ferment, lime tea concentrate
Benefits: Brightens and deeply hydrates the eye area
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Dense but lightweight formula
- Quickly melts into your skin
Take note
- Incredibly expensive
Though La Mer’s eye cream is excruciatingly expensive, there is something to be said for the timeless appeal of this cult classic. From the large, heavy jar to the weighted wand ball applicator and the rich, balmy feel of the cream, it is an extravagant treat. It feels like a special skincare purchase.
The ure is like a runny icing, melting into the skin quickly and providing deep hydration. However, you may wish to find an alternative from the list if targeting fine lines is more of a priority.
Buy now £215.00, Cult Beauty
Tata Harper brightening eye gel
Best: Brightening eye cream
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Brightening vitamin C, upcycled avocado to target puffiness, kakadu plum
Benefits: Instantly brightens tired skin
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Metal applicator for extra cooling on application
- Flattering shimmer finish to illuminate tired eyes
Take note
- Natural botanical scent is quite strong
This lightweight balmy gel leaves a very sheer golden sheen on the skin. The metal applicator makes a remarkable difference to its cooling effect, and helps to massage the eye area.
However, it has a pretty strong scent – it’s not unpleasant, but it’s one to avoid if you don’t like fragrance.
Buy now £57.01, Tata Harper
Bubble star dew hydrating eye cream
Best: Eye cream for teenagers
Size: 15ml
Key ingredients: Shea butter, peptides and squalane
Benefits: Hydrating and age-appropriate
How to use: Morning and evening
Why we love it
- Accessible price point
- Pleasant but appropriate packaging
Take note
- No teen *needs* an eye cream
Eye creams aren’t just for anti-ageing, and this Bubble star dew hydrating eye cream is a case in point.
It performs well, doesn't include any active ingredients that are suited to more mature skin (that could potentially be damaging if misused), and allows for a teen to enjoy exploring their self-care. It has an accessible price point and the packaging feels age-appropriate.
Buy now £14.00, Boots.com
Your questions on eye creams answered
Which are the best eye creams?
Often referred to as the ‘queen of skincare’, it seems fitting that Skin Rocks founder Caroline Hirons has created my favourite eye cream. This delivered on every front – ease and enjoyment of use, and active ingredients that drive visible results. For more targeted action towards specific eye concerns, I saw the best results with the refined options from Murad.
How to apply eye cream
“It’s important to use a gentle touch when applying product to the eye area because the skin here is thinner than elsewhere on the face,” explains Maria Kilbride, a facial massage practitioner based in Sutton Coldfield. “The best way to do this is to use the pads of your ring fingers.”
“Work in sweeping motions, starting from the inner eyes and sweeping out towards the temples. This helps to gently alleviate any fluid build-up and softens the appearance of any puffiness. In terms of where to apply, gently use your fingertips to feel for the orbital bone. Use this as your guide. It sits just outside of the parameters of your eye, ensuring safe and effective application.”
“My favourite technique for a relaxing eye cream ritual is to pinch firmly above and below your eyebrow using your thumb and forefinger. This gesture releases any pressure and tension from the day.”
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