How To Choose The Best Eye Cream For You

Dark circles, puffiness, wrinkles – oh my! If your eyes resemble those of pandas, it may be time to invest in a good-quality eye cream to target your top concerns.

The eye area is one of the first places you’ll notice signs of aging. One of the main reasons many people use an eye cream is to treat concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness.

However, before you start shopping, know that not everyone needs an eye cream. If the moisturizer or serum you’re using is well-formulated and fragrance-free, you can also apply it around your eyes.

The exception is if the moisturizer or serum you’re using isn’t emollient or enriched enough for your delicate eye area. Eye area skin that’s drier, has dark circles, or shows a loss of firmness requires a richer, more enhanced product for the best improvement possible.

Ready for smoother, brighter eyes? Here’s how to choose the best eye cream for you.

Choose the Right Ingredients

Seek out eye creams that contain a mix of the types of anti-aging ingredients everyone’s skin loves. Think antioxidants and replenishing and restoring ingredients to boost life back into your eyes.

Some great examples include ceramides, butters and oils, vitamins, retinol, peptides, fatty acids, glycerine, sodium hyaluronate, non-fragrant plant extracts, and triglycerides.

Likewise, any eye cream you pick should be fragrance-free. Whether natural, like essential oils or synthetic, scents in beauty products can lead to sensitizing and allergic reactions.

It also isn’t wise to apply fragranced products close to the eye itself – it could sting!

Check Out the Packaging

It may sound strange, but it’s important to choose an eye cream based on its packaging, too. Look for formulas that are packed well to keep the light and air-sensitive ingredients of eye creams stable – so stay away from jars.

Jar-packaged eye creams allow wonderful anti-aging ingredients to start deteriorating as soon as you crack open the product – like retinol, plant oils, and antioxidants.

Plus, there’s a hygiene issue each time you pop your finger into the jar.

Don’t Forget the SPF

If you aim to apply your eye cream during the day, don’t forget to choose one that provides broad-spectrum sun protection rated SPF 30 or higher.

If you can’t find an eye cream containing SPF that you like, don’t worry. Simply apply a thin layer of your usual eye cream and follow with your daytime moisturizer and sunscreen.

Know What Benefits You’d Like

Finally, it’s essential to know what issues you’re hoping to treat when choosing an eye cream.

Is the skin area around your eyes looking fragile and papery-thin? Or perhaps your eyes are looking a lot puffier than usual?

If you’re hoping to treat premature signs of aging, for example, the best eye cream for crow’s feet is packed full of ingredients like brightening vitamin C, anti-aging retinol, and targeted peptides.

Sensitive skin? Then look for an eye cream with soothing omega fatty acids and ceramides to enhance the skin’s barrier.

Remember to keep your expectations realistic, though. No eye cream on this planet will completely treat wrinkles, sagging skin, puffiness, and dark circles.

A high-quality eye cream will hydrate the skin, smooth texture, and visibly firm, brighten and reduce the look of lines, circles, puffiness, and wrinkles around the eyes.