For a long time, I didn’t really buy into eye cream. It’s understandable why; it’s just a hydrating cream, and essentially the same as moisturiser. Whilst I still feel like eye cream is one of the last things you should invest in in terms of skin care – check out what I would choose before eye cream in my Beginner’s Guide to Building a Skin Care Routine post – it’s not necessarily something that should be ignored once you have the financial means to purchase it. As dermatologist Dr. Ruta Peckuviene stated: “heavy creams can increase fluid retention and exacerbate eye puffiness,” so really, we shouldn’t be using them around our eyes unless there’s absolutely no other option. This is why I’ve rounded up my top 5 cruelty-free eye creams for any budget, so that you can have youthful and smooth under eyes without breaking the bank!
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I will earn a small amount of profit if you choose to purchase something through my link. It will come at no extra cost to you, though, and means that I can continue to work on my blog.
1. e.l.f ‘Illuminating Eye Cream’
e.l.f are renowned for having an exceptional range of beauty products for ridiculously cheap prices, and their skin care formulae are no exception. This eye cream contains jojoba, Vitamin E and cucumber – all ingredients with well known benefits for skin around the eye area, especially dark circles. It will leave your skin hydrated, de-puffed, and with a youthful luminosity worthy of more than just £11.50. Amazingly, this eye cream is also entirely vegan, as well as sulphate and paraben free – it definitely ranks as one of the best eye creams out there!
2. Drunk Elephant ‘C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream’
I’ve already spoken about the cult favourite ‘C-Firma Day Serum’ from Drunk Elephant in my 5 Vitamin C Serums for Brighter, More Even Skin on Any Budget post. But what about it’s younger sibling, the ‘C-Tango’ eye cream?
Well, this product has been said by many beauty lovers to brighten even the darkest of under-eye circles, and de-puff the most tired skin. It of course has cucumber extract – a common theme among these eye products, and for good reason, too! – but what makes it unique are the 5 different forms of Vitamin C. Now, I am by no means a skin care expert, but I do know the benefits of vitamin C contain sun protection, brightening and hydration, to name a few. Therefore, having a whole bunch of fresh Vitamin C in your eye cream is sure to lead to a youthful glow.
This is without a doubt considered one of the best eye creams out there for dark circles, but I’m aware it comes at a steep price tag. If you can’t afford to invest in this just yet, don’t fret! There’s plenty more great eye creams out there for much cheaper costs.
3. 100% Pure ‘Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream’
If you read my Kinder Beauty Box review, then you will recognise this cream. I’ve been using it morning and evening since, and I have to say I really love it. It’s lightweight, but hydrating, and has definitely helped with my dark circles. It’s also a really nice size of 30ml – it may not seem like a lot, but when you consider how little is used daily, this will last a long time. At just over £20, I don’t think this eye cream breaks the bank too badly.
The main ingredient is caffeine, in the form of green tea and green coffee extracts. Caffeine decreases swelling, making it a great treatment for puffy eyes. It also means the product smells amazing; sweet and almost chocolate-y. This product is vegan, too, which is always a bonus in my book!
Dermalogica ‘Age Reversal Eye Complex’
This is an eye cream with retinol, so if you need to smoothen and give your dark circles a more youthful appearance, it’s the perfect choice. This eye cream is one of the pricier options on the list, but it is said to give an instant tightening effect to the skin. Retinol, or Vitamin A, is well known to increase skin’s elasticity and thickness, and this formulation by Dermalogica ensures that maximum anti-ageing results will be achieved. I would say this is easily one of the best eye creams out there!
5. REN ‘Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Eye Lift’
Finally, we have this gem from one of my favourite skin care brands – REN. This eye cream contains hyaluronic acid and light reflecting particles to provide the most anti-ageing and smoothing effects to dark circles. Whilst other eye creams on this list encourage consistent use to provide results, this eye cream takes instant effect and plumps skin within seconds. Any under-eye sagging will be firmed and tightened, and at less than half of the price of the previously mentioned Dermalogica. So, if you want instantly youthful under-eyes but aren’t ready to invest in the retinol option, this is the best eye cream for you.
Well, that’s it for my best 5 eye creams. I’ve noticed that my ‘best beauty products’ posts seem to be fairly popular with my readers – are there any other beauty items of which you’d be interested in knowing my favourites? Let me know in the comments below! In the meantime, you can check out some of my other ‘best beauty products’ posts here:
- The Best 5 Liquid Lipsticks
- The Best 5 Oils for Your Skin
- The Best 5 Vitamin C Serums
- The Top 10 Cruelty-free Nail Varnish Brands
Thank you so much for reading!
Eve
ethicalvanity.wordpress.com 
Dark circles can’t be diminished, any brand claiming it can do so is misleading the consumer, having said that.. dark circles can be temporarily brightened with products as such as those promoted in this post, but not diminished. Informative post tho..
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That’s a very good point – my post title was more meant as a hyperbole as such, to make it a bit more catchy, but you’re correct that it could misinform a reader. I’m aware that dark circles can’t be brightened if they’re actual skin pigmentation (like mine unfortunately!), so thanks for pointing that out and reminding me. I will change it now!
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I’ve got the same problem, (dark circles) sorry, I didn’t mean that it was you who was misleading, I was referring to the actual products, some of them do claim to do so, and so I thought you titled the post because of it. I was a great post nevertheless … x
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Ah no worries at all, there was no offence taken by me!:) Yes, brands do tend to lie about these things, but I suppose it’s all from a marketing perspective and if they don’t make the claims then no one will buy… Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment! X
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