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Byrdie / Sabrina Jiang
If you’re anything like us lately, you might be experiencing some stress, anxiety, and a few sleepless nights. Self-care takes center stage during challenging times. Long, hot baths, doing DIY face masks, and reading all the books are great ways to shut out the world, but one easy, quick indulgence we can do for ourselves every day is dabbing on just a bit of eye cream.
Applying eye cream has long been a standard beauty practice for women, but many men might not think to add it to their routine. If you haven’t started taking care of the delicate skin around the eyes, now’s the time to start. Eye creams contain ingredients that can increase moisture and plump the skin, making eyes appear more well-rested. Whether you’re dealing with stress, fine lines, or sun damage, eye cream can help boost your skin—and add a little calming self-care ritual to your day.
Read on for the best eye creams for men.
Best Overall
Youth To The People Superfood Hydrate + Firm Peptide Eye Cream
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Contains antioxidants
Good value
Plumps and hydrates skin
Texture can be a little waxy
Who else recommends it? Esquire also picked the Youth To The People Superfood Hydrate + Firm Peptide Eye Cream.
Youth To The People has a proven track record when it comes to superfood-powered products, and this rich eye cream is no exception. Its proprietary blend of kale, spinach, green tea, alfalfa, and vitamins C, E, and K work hard alongside aloe and sunflower oil to make a fantastic, 100% vegan product. It's also made in the U.S.A. and comes in fully recyclable packaging, checking all the boxes for a truly well-rounded eye cream.
Price at time of publish: $35
Active Ingredients: Kale and spinach extracts | Benefits: Smooths, plumps, and hydrates | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Budget
The Ordinary Caffeine 5% + ECGC Depuffing Eye Serum
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Inexpensive
Sinks in fast
Bottle lasts for months
Doesn't address all eye concerns
Budget-friendly brand The Ordinary hit the personal care industry like a lightning bolt back in 2016, and it continues to create affordable, effective products for its loyal following to this day. Its caffeine solution and EGCG eye serum go deep to fix the problem in record time, helping to reduce the look of darkness and puffiness. Add to that the vegan formula and recyclable packaging and you have yourself the best bang for your buck around.
Price at time of publish: $14
Active Ingredients: 5% caffeine, green tea catechin | Benefits: Reduces dark circles and puffiness | Size: 1 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
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Byrdie / Joline Buscemi
What Our Testers Say
"The Ordinary is known for its extremely affordable products, and at $6.70, this eye serum lives up to that reputation." — Joline Buscemi, Product Tester
Best Drugstore
CeraVe Eye Repair Cream
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Amazon
Not greasy
Sinks in fast
Helps reduce puffiness
A little heavy on the skin
Your delicate eye area needs protection, and this CeraVe formula is here to the rescue. This cream aims to help rebuild the skin barrier from the inside out while keeping the eye area hydrated, stronger, and longer. Plus, it's packed with essential ceramides 1, 3, and 6-II, hyaluronic acid, and a unique marine and botanical complex, and it uses a proprietary MultiVesicular Emulsion to deliver all of this goodness, to boot.
Price at time of publish: $15
Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides | Benefits: Smooths, plumps, hydrates, reduces puffiness | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Splurge
La Prairie White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire
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Helps improve elasticity
Thick, bouncy texture
Feels cooling on the skin
Expensive
Mo money, mo problems… except, of course, when it comes to the skin around your eyes. The key to this luxurious La Prairie eye cream—and the reason for its lavish price tag—is the golden caviar extract found within. Caviar extract is shown to have a number of age-fighting skin benefits. When combined with Lumidose, a proprietary molecule developed by the brand that purportedly brightens the skin, it may help minimize the look of dark spots and dark circles and tighten the skin around the eyes. Get the most out of this rich treatment by using the accompanying pearl tool to gently massage the lymphatic system while you apply.
Price at time of publish: $600
Active Ingredients: Caviar extract, peptides | Benefits: Improves elasticity, fades discoloration, reduces dark circles and puffiness | Size: 0.7 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Wrinkles
SkinCeuticals Eye Balm
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Derstore
Rich texture
Helps firm the under eye area
Intensely hydrating
Contains paraffin
SkinCeuticals has long been a leader in the cosmeceuticals game, endorsed by dermatologists time and time again. So it makes sense that the brand's hero eye complex, A.G.E. (which stands for "advanced glycation end-products"), is a favorite. With optical diffusers that almost instantly lighten dark areas, it's also formulated to fight glycation, which is a process that occurs as skin ages, according to the brand.
Price at time of publish: $86
Active Ingredients: Soy isoflavones, vitamin E | Benefits: Smooths, hydrates, reduces dark circles | Dosage: | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Puffiness
Clark's Botanicals Anti-Puff Eye Cream
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Feels cooling on the skin
Easy to use
Can be used all over face
Could be more hydrating
Clark’s Botanicals has created something special with its potent anti-puff peeper cream. It aims to energize, hydrate, smooth, and soothe and is packed with skin-loving ingredients like caffeine, hyaluronic acid, hexapeptide-11, and jasmine extract. Basically, it does a little bit of everything to keep your eyes looking anything but tired. Keep this bad boy in the fridge so it stays cool and lasts longer.
Price at time of publish: $75
Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamins C and E | Benefits: Smooths, plumps, reduces puffiness | Dosage: 1-2 pumps | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Dark Circles
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Eye Crème
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Sephora
Layers well under makeup
Moisturizing
Jar lasts for months
Potentially irritating
This banana powder-, collagen-, and vitamin C-infused eye cream works hard to help brighten and color-correct dark circles. If that’s still not enough, the smooth slip of this sunny-hued salve creates an ideal canvas for your favorite concealer.
Price at time of publish: $42
Active Ingredients: Vitamin C, collagen | Benefits: Smooths, reduces dark circles | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best With SPF
Supergoop Bright-Eyed 100% Mineral Eye Cream SPF 40
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FSA store
SPF 40
No white cast
Tinted formula gives eyes a boost
Not as hydrating as other options
You slather the stuff all over your face, but do you remember that thin skin around your orbital bone? Don’t forget the eyes! Just a hint of tint helps keep this 100% non-nano zinc oxide SPF eye cream from going on chalky white, ensuring that your most delicate skin is kept pristine for years to come.
Price at time of publish: $38
Active Ingredients: 14.4% zinc oxide, mica | Benefits: Protects from UV rays, boosts radiance | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Dry Skin
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
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Sephora
Rich texture
Layers well under makeup
Moisturizing
Contains parabens
There’s no wonder why the creamy avocado eye treat from Kiehl’s is one of the iconic brand's bestselling products. Thick and rich, this treatment floods dry, tired skin with new life—instantly. With a unique application (warm it up between fingers first to release the watery hydration waiting for you) this cream sends moisture deep within the skin, while also acting as a barrier to keep it there. It's a win-win!
Price at time of publish: $31
Active Ingredients: Shea butter, avocado oil | Benefits: Smooths, hydrates, primes skin for makeup | Size: 1 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Oily Skin
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream
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Amazon
Lightweight
Good value
Smooths skin
Not as hydrating as other options
We can practically credit Neutrogena and its Hydro Boost line for letting us all know the value of hyaluronic acid. Able to hold 1,000 times its weight in water, the skin-friendly acid packs a powerful punch of hydration wrapped up in a lightweight package—perfect for those with already-oily-enough skin. Adding that extra boost to the eye area is an important step to seeing long-term benefits.
Price at time of publish: $19
Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid | Benefits: Smooths, plumps, reduces puffiness | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Overnight
Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Sleeping Mask
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Amazon
Rich texture
Nice packaging
Hydrates skin overnight
Can irritate sensitive skin
Avocados are high in omega 3 fatty acids plus vitamins C and E, and when combined with anti-aging powerhouse retinol, they make for a great delivery system to help address wrinkles all night without drying the delicate eye area. Glow Recipe takes it one step further and keeps this mask thicker and richer, so it stays on all night, working hard while you rest. Now *this* is beauty sleep.
Price at time of publish: $44
Active Ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, avocado oil | Benefits: Smooths, hydrates, reduces puffiness and fine lines | Dosage: Pea-size amount | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Serum
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum
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Sephora
A little goes a long way
Firms skin
No oily residue
Can't necessarily be used with exfoliating acids
There is maybe no better skincare combo than retinol and the powerful antioxidant ferulic acid. While retinol fights and can even reverse wrinkles, ferulic acid's free radical-scavenging properties fights off the damage before it happens. When delivered in this concentrated serum, it’s a perfect lightweight alternative to more dense formulations. However, if you’re a skincare aficionado like us, the biggest benefit is how easy it is to layer, increasing the efficacy of all the products you use along with it.
Price at time of publish: $69
Active Ingredients: Retinol, bakuchiol | Benefits: Firms, reduces fine lines | Dosage: Half a pump | Size: 0.5 fl. oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
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Byrdie / Olivia Hancock
What Our Testers Say
"For me, the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum knocked it out of the park in terms of firming my skin and improving texture around my eyes." — Olivia Hancock, Product Tester
What to Look For in an Eye Cream for Men
Retinol
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Geeta Yadav explains that because the skin around the eyes is thinner than other parts of the face, it tends to show wrinkling and discoloration more easily from age 40 onwards. That said, she recommends eye creams with anti-aging benefits, particularly those that contain retinol. “Retinol is the gold standard for anti-aging,” she explains. “It’s clinically proven to help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, making it a must for tackling crow’s feet. It can be an irritating product, however, so this type of formulation—while effective—might not be tolerated by everyone.”
Hyaluronic Acid
“I find that a lot of men are resistant to using moisturizer, let alone eye cream,” says Dr. Yadav. While she strongly recommends that they use both, she suggests seeking out formulas that contain hyaluronic acid. “This ingredient is a humectant and can hold 1,000 times its weight in water to help keep the skin hydrated,” she says. “Hydrated skin looks healthier, plumper, and more youthful.” It’s also lightweight in texture and feel, making it a plus for anyone resistant to heavier, greasier-feeling moisturizers and creams.
Caffeine
If fighting puffiness is your goal, Dr. Yadav recommends opting for formulas that contain caffeine, which she says can work wonders. “Because it’s a vasoconstrictor, it helps tighten leaky blood vessels around the eye, which temporarily reduces swelling,” she says. “Look for it in a product with a rollerball applicator if you want that massaging action and cooling from the metal.”
Meet the Expert
Dr. Geeta Yadav is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Skin Science Dermatology in Toronto. She practices general, medical, and cosmetic dermatology.
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