The 9 Best Eye Creams for Men in 2024, According to Experts

It’s not cheap, but just a dab applied at night clears up any signs of vampire eyes the next morning. Credit the mighty combination of lactic acid and vitamin C. Our testers loved how easily it absorbs into the skin, and saw less tired-looking eyes after two weeks of using it.

Testing Notes: This high-powered eye cream is on the creamier side, so our testers found they preferred using it at night versus during the day. “I feel like it did a great job moisturizing overnight and the lactic acid plus Vitamin C really did mean less visible dark circles in the morning (I have them whether I get good sleep or not),” said one enthusiastic tester.

Our twenty-something testers gave top marks on this drugstore eye cream. After all all-night ragers, workplace stress, relationship drama—can all show up on even younger faces. Tired skin is usually dehydrated, which shows up as bags and dark circles. In your twenties, it’s important to keep the skin around your eyes well-hydrated. It could mean you look like you got 9 hours of sleep when you actually got three. Though our older testers said this eye cream wasn’t strong enough to address more severe dark circles and wrinkles.

Testing Notes: It is true that a little hydration around your eyes can go a long way, especially when you’re younger and more focused on prevention than correction. Our testers found this lightweight clear gel to be just as hydrating as thicker creams, if not more so, but much easier to wear and apply. It’s ideal for both day and night, but as some older testers found, if you’re interested in wrinkle reduction or other solutions, you may want something more potent.

Winner of our 2022 Men’s Health Grooming Awards, this peptide and caffeine-packed gel instantly cools and perks up your eye area so you look more awake (perfect to rub on before your first meeting of the day) and it absorbs quickly so you’re not left with shiny eyes.

Testing Notes: Big things come in small packages with this potent eye cream. Our testers loved the immediate eye awakening effects of this gel which “absorbs quickly with a nice cooling effect,” according to one of them. On one hand, some testers loved how small the tube is, so it’s easy to take with you in a dopp kit or gym bag for some eye care on the go. On the other, a few testers felt it was too easy to squeeze too much out of the tube and since it doesn’t stand up on its own, felt the tube was hard to store. Then again, those things are easy to forgive when the formula works so well.

Kiehl’s Eye Fuel

Just like your morning cup o’ Joe, this easy-to-apply gel contains caffeine to wake up your peepers after a long night. It quickly de-puffs the under-eye area to make them look more alert and uses the power of Vitamin B3 to reduce dark circles. Use the eye gel after a sleepless night or long flight to easily reset your face. Though some testers say the scent is a bit too strong to use.

Testing Notes: If you want to look instantly more alert, this fast-acting lightweight gel is exactly what you need. In our extensive testing, this gel rose to the top because of its sheer speed in delivering results. It’s the perfect tool to have on hand for early mornings, late nights and any time your eyes need a little pick-me-up (like, say, spending hours staring at a computer screen). One caveat, the fragrance is strong, as some testers pointed out, which may make it unsuitable for sensitive skin or anyone who is especially picky about fragrance.

Read more: Best Kiehl’s Products

Swipe this around your peepers at night to help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles that make you look tired. The retinal in the formula goes to work quickly—our testers saw a difference after just a few uses. No wonder it received a 2023 Men’s Health Grooming Award.

Testing notes: We always appreciate when a product says exactly what it’s going to do and then actually delivers on those promises. Our testers all agreed that this retinoid-packed eye cream really does smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: both after just a few uses and over time. More than just that, one tester noted that “it went on smoothly without feeling sticky or too slick and had more of a matte finish, which I personally like.”

Read More: 2024 Men’s Health Grooming Awards

Rich in both hyaluronic acid and antioxidants, this lightweight eye gel is an ideal daily eye cream to improve the look of your eye area quickly. But where it really shines is its tightening effect, which is tailor-made to improve under-eye bags by making the skin around your eyes appear more taught and smooth. One tester loves its tightening feature, which feels like it’s really firming up and hydrating your skin.

Testing Notes: In our testing, we found that this clear, lightweight gel is ideal for mornings because it sinks in quickly and does exactly the job it advertises. It instantly creates a tighter, more lifted effect around your eyes. Plus, the more you use it, the better the results are. The one gripe we have is that the gel is thin and seems to melt pretty quickly, so can be hard to apply before it turns liquid-like.

Retinol is an important ingredient, but it can be irritating if you have sensitive skin or haven’t used it before. This creamy gel serum contains retinol, but is less likely to cause irritation. It’s perfect for retinol first-timers and established pros alike and helps smooth signs of aging fast. Though just like most retinol products, this might be too strong for some guys with sensitive skin.

Testing Notes: There are a lot of reasons to use retinol, but around the eye area the Vitamin A derivative is especially good at smoothing fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging. This retinol-packed formula won out in our testing process because the creaminess helps to minimize potential irritation from retinol with moisturizing ingredients and the dose of the retinol itself is efficacious but not too strong. It’s a good choice if you’ve never used retinol before, but also powerful enough for retinol veterans. The one thing to keep in mind, though, is that if you have especially sensitive or reactive skin, you may want to take it slow at first (like only using it every other night) to see how your skin reacts.

This powerful eye cream is ideal to address a variety of issues from bags to wrinkles, but it’s especially good if your problem is dark circles. It’s high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that will brighten dark circles and protect against future damage, but still gentle enough to use around the sensitive eye area. It’s both dermatologist- and ophthalmologist-approved.

Testing Notes: Antioxidants are a powerhouse ingredient in the world of skincare and this eye cream uses the potent L-ascorbic acid version of Vitamin C, basically the king of skincare antioxidants. It’s a powerful formula, one that we found may be too harsh for very sensitive skin, that addresses a variety of issues incredibly well. After a few days of using it, our testers found that dark circles looked brighter and the overall look of their eyes was brighter and healthier.

Effective eye creams don’t need to break the bank. This multi-purpose eye cream contains all the ingredients you want in an eye cream like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides to help reduce puffiness and dark circles and keep the skin around your eyes hydrated and happy. Our testers loved how it solved a bunch of different skin issues, at a price point that’s hard to beat. Though one tester noted that the formula can feel heavy.

Testing Notes: When it comes to a budget-friendly, does-it-all eye cream our testers agreed that this one is the best of the best. The well-rounded ingredients address all sorts of issues from some testers’ dark circles to others’ eye bags and everything in between. Keep in mind that it likely won’t give you instantaneous results thanks to the gentler formula (and lower price point), but with consistent use it can improve the overall look of your eye area. Another thing to keep in mind, as some testers pointed out, is that it’s thick, possibly even too thick to use during the day if you have oily skin or just don’t like the feel of heavy creams on your face.

How to Apply Eye Cream

Generally, you want to be very gentle when applying eye cream because the skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of your face. Pulling and tugging can increase issues like sagging or wrinkles over time. The best way to apply eye cream is by using your ring finger and using a gentle tapping motion. Use a pea-sized amount (you don’t need more than that as eye creams tend to be very concentrated) and gently tap it onto your skin with your ring finger starting at the inner corner of your eye and working outward. Follow under your eye, then work up to the corner and finally up to just under your brow bone (think of it as a big circle around your eye).

One caveat here: if your eye cream is a tube with an applicator tip (bonus point if it’s a cooling metal tip or rollerball), you don’t need to use your fingers. Smooth it directly onto your skin using the applicator but remember to apply minimal pressure. If you need to rub it in a bit more, use your tapping motion.

What Age Should Men Start Using Eye Cream

“There’s no perfect age to start using an eye cream,” says Dr. Marisa Garshick, MD, a New York-based dermatologist. “It’s always easier to prevent than to treat signs of skin aging. For this reason, even starting an eye cream in the 20-30s can be helpful. That said, it’s also never too late to start, so if you’re just starting to notice crow’s feet or dark circles, it is fine to start at any age.

Can Men Use Women’s Eye Creams?

All of the dermatologists we spoke to said it’s mostly okay to use eye creams marketed towards women. “However, there are several creams on the market made for estrogen-deficient skin,” says Dr. Bradley Glodny, board-certified dermatologist and owner of Park Ave. Derm.

Can You Use Moisturizers Instead of Eye Creams?

We get it, using a moisturizer as an eye cream can help save money, but most dermatologists we spoke to recommended using a separate cream made specifically for your eye area. “Since under-eye creams are created with specific ingredients geared to treat the specific concerns of the under-eye area, it is recommended that most men use a dedicated under-eye cream,” says Glodny. “Also, the under-eye area is very sensitive in most people and often general face moisturizer can be too harsh to place just beneath the eye area.”