Don’t Think You Need an Eye Cream for Wrinkles? You’re Missing Out

Tester feedback: “I’ve heard a lot of depuffing promises in my day—this clear gel actually makes good on them,” says executive beauty director Jenny Bailly. “I tap it all the way around my eyes (yes, even the lids) to get everything looking a little more taut before I go in with concealer. It also contains peptides and antioxidants that make my eye area smoother when I use it consistently for a couple months.”

Best for Crow’s Feet: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Advanced Eye Complex

Why it’s worth it: SkinCeuticals products are known for their science-meets-skin-care formulas, and the revamped A.G.E. Advanced Eye Complex lives up to the reputation. “It improves the appearance of crow’s feet through its potent combination of proxylane, blueberry extract, and a complex of flavonoids and synergistic peptides,” explains Lauren Penzi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. Instead of simply delivering collagen to the skin, this 2023 Best of Beauty Award winner actually encourages cells to produce it from scratch, helping to firm skin and minimize fine lines over time.

If you’re wondering, the titular A.G.E. stands for advanced glycation end-products, which naturally develop and build up in our bodies as we age and cause our skin to sag, as Kunal Malik, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, previously explained. This eye cream is your first line of firming defense. It also has light-reflecting ingredients that brighten the skin around the eyes, but it’s the consistent application that yields the best long-term results. “With regular use, patients have definitely noticed a decrease in the appearance of fine lines around the eyes,” says Dr. Penzi.

Best Retinol-Free: Lancôme Rénergie Eye H.C.F. Triple Serum

Why it’s worth it: Lancôme’s Rénergie Eye H.C.F. Triple Serum is powered by a snake venom-like peptide, which targets fine lines by reducing muscle cell contraction (whoa). The 2024 Best of Beauty Award-winning formula also features vitamin F, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to brighten, firm, and smooth; for the uninitiated, vitamin F is made up of fatty acids that support your skin’s moisture barrier. The serum absorbs super quickly and skips the greasy finish in many of its peers.

Best Retinoid: Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye Smooth & Lift Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: IYKYK: Retinaldehyde (a.k.a. retinal) is even more potent yet more gentle than retinol, which means you should see an improvement in wrinkles more quickly (and with less potential for side effects) with the Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye Smooth & Lift Eye Cream. The cream’s retinal is encapsulated, which means it gradually releases to the skin to keep the results steady and irritation to a minimum. It also mitigates irritation by making sure your eye area stays hydrated with hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Plus, it’s infused with chamomile extract, an anti-inflammatory that’s known to soothe skin.

One of our favorite things about Medik8 is its gradual system that ramps you up to using retinal. This eye cream comes in three levels: 3 (for beginners), 6 (for people who’ve used vitamin A before but are getting back to it or ramping up), and 10 (for experienced users who are looking for a stronger formula). The site even has a quiz to help you figure out what’s best for your skin.

Best Drugstore: RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: RoC’s Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream is a fragrance-free best-seller that’s won multiple Allure Best of Beauty Awards. “[Here,] retinol helps boost collagen production, improve skin texture, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes,” says Dr. Penzi, who counts it among her favorites. “It also contains hydrating ingredients like glycerin and panthenol that dole out hydration and plumpness to the eye area.

Meanwhile, a mineral complex of zinc, copper, and magnesium provides antioxidant benefits to your eye skin and aids collagen formation. Jenny Liu, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Minneapolis, also backs the RoC eye cream, pointing out, “The brand has over 25 patents, so it’s well-respected in the retinol space.”

Best Prescription: Musely The Eye Serum

Why it’s worth it: Tretinoin is practically a miracle-worker. Fine lines? It’ll smooth them. Dark spots? Consider them brightened. But it’s only available in prescription treatments, which is where Musely’s The Eye Serum comes in. It uses a very low dose of tretinoin—0.001% to be exact—to increase collagen production in the skin, which will make your under-eyes look fuller to fill in wrinkles and prevent dark circles and hollowness. While effective, the concentration is low enough that it shouldn’t cause the irritation tret is known for—even in this delicate area. (As of press time, it’s also the only tretinoin-powered eye cream on the market.) The serum also packs caffeine to reduce puffiness, vitamin C to brighten, and niacinamide to quell inflammation.

Best for Nighttime: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex

Why it’s worth it: Having a separate eye cream for your nighttime routine might seem extra, but Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme (which, we might add, took home an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2022) hits different. “The combination of extracts, antioxidants, and peptides helps improve signs of aging such as crepey skin and fine lines, while the hyaluronic acid hydrates and softens the appearance of the skin,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. The ophthalmologist-tested, fast-absorbing gel cream is safe to apply all around the eyes, including the inner corners and lids—no stinging necessary.

Best Splurge: Chanel No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Eye Serum

Why it’s worth it: For those who aren’t entirely sold on or can’t reasonably tolerate retinol, Chanel’s No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Eye Serum subs out the ingredient for red camellia—a go-to active among the brand’s skin-care offerings. The flower extract targets eye wrinkles, dark circles, discoloration, and sagging, while the yeast extract derived from camellia also supports the skin barrier. The packaging is also refillable (and very Chanel). It comes with a rotating metal applicator that gently massages and cools the skin as you apply it, making quick work of puffiness.

Best Korean Eye Cream: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream

Why it’s worth it: David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York City, vouches for this thick, rich eye cream for people who want lots of hydration. One swipe of the lush formula and it all makes sense: In addition to classic soothing ingredients such as squalane and glycerin, Dr. Kim calls out line-softening ginseng and retinol, as well as brightening licorice. It’s an eye cream that does it all, especially for mature and aging skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to look for in an eye cream for wrinkles

The key to a great eye cream is what’s in its ingredient list, says Fatima Fahs, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Canton, Michigan. For immediate results, consider gentle ingredients that either boost skin hydration or prevent loss of hydration—such as hyaluronic acid, squalane, glycerin, and ceramides.

Another top ingredient for targeting fine lines is retinol, says Dr. Nazarian. The vitamin A derivative increases collagen production to improve the look of fine lines while evening skin tone and reducing signs of hyperpigmentation. It’s worth noting, however, that retinol is an intensive active ingredient that might irritate sensitive skin types. So always patch-test new products before applying them to your entire face—especially your under-eye area—and follow up with sunscreen.

Another ingredient Dr. Fahs shouts out is skin-brightening essential vitamin C, an antioxidant powerhouse that fights free radical damage and helps fade pigmentation concerns; not surprisingly, it’s a mainstay in brightening eye creams. But, really, any antioxidant is a good idea. “Antioxidants are a bonus in eye creams since they protect against environmental damage and help preserve skin from premature aging,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Everyone benefits from that.”

Dehydration can also exacerbate the look of wrinkles, so if you notice dry skin, consider incorporating a hyaluronic acid-infused product into your skin-care regimen. “[Hyaluronic acid] is a humectant that plumps and hydrates the skin to improve the appearance of fine lines,” says Dr. Fahs.

What else? “Peptides can be a great alternative to retinol,” Dr. Liu notes. “Peptides help to signal the skin’s internal production of collagen and have hydrating benefits to improve the appearance of crow’s feet.”

When to start using an eye cream

“You can start using eye creams preventatively—and the earlier, the better,” says Dr. Nazarian. While this might not be the case elsewhere on your face (after all, you might not want to sweat future jowls when you’re 20), the eyes are particularly vulnerable to showing wear and tear sooner. “This area of the body is so thin that even a small amount of damage shows dramatically early in life,” she says. She also recommends wearing sunglasses as a preemptive protective measure.

Meet the experts

• Kunal Malik, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Fatima Fahs, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Canton, Michigan
• Rachel Nazarian, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY
• Lauren Penzi, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY
• Jenny Liu, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York, NY

How we test and review products

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.