The Cult-Fave Eye Cream for Dark Circles

The eyes are the window to the soul. And while your eyes may be gorgeous and your eyeliner game is on point, you may feel like you're being held back from your true potential if you struggle with dark circles.

When it comes to skincare concerns, dark under eyes are a pretty universal complaint! No matter your skin tone or skin type, you're likely to experience them at one point or another. They can occur for a wide range of reasons, and to improve their appearance, it's often important to pinpoint what that reason is so that you can target your treatment appropriately.

Let's talk about dark circles, what causes them and how to use eye cream and other key skincare products to ensure that the windows to your soul are as glowing and gorgeous as can be.

What Causes Dark Circles?

First, let's get one thing out of the way —.dark circles are super common.

They're nothing to be ashamed of, and just about everybody is going to see them in the mirror at one point or another. While it may help your self-esteem to find ways to minimize the appearance of dark circles, let's leave the shame around a less-than-perfect complexion at the door.

Sleep.

One of the most common things credited with >causing dark circles is a lack of sleep. If you're not sleeping enough, it can make your skin dull or pale, making dark circles more visible. Lack of sleep can also cause fluid build-up beneath your eyes, leading to puffiness.

While it's true that not getting enough shut-eye can leave you with dark circles, it's weirdly also true that oversleeping can cause dark circles, too. Basically, it's all about balance.

It's easy to let your sleep schedule get out of whack when you lead a busy life, but getting the right amount of sleep is crucial to your complexion, especially if dark circles are a concern.

Aging

Aging is the other main cause of dark circles, so if you're reaching middle age and are wondering why you're only just now struggling with them, age is probably why! As we get older, our skin changes — and >our skincare needs change, too.

It gets thinner, and your skin's stores of things like elastin deplete, and its collagen production slows, leaving you with less fat and, therefore, a loss of firmness and plumpness. These things allow your veins to be more visible.

It can result in a more visible bone structure, too, which can make your eyes appear more “hollow” — exacerbating or creating undereye circles.

Genetics

The other main cause of dark circles is simply genetics. While there are some things you can do (more on that in another section!) to reduce the appearance of dark circles, unfortunately, if you're genetically predisposed to dark circles, they're not likely to simply disappear.

However, they may get lighter or darker over time…with help!

Environment

There is a wide range of environmental factors that can have a serious impact on your complexion! Sun exposure is a big one.

Your undereye area is particularly sensitive, making it extra vulnerable to visible signs of aging and sun damage. Not only can exposing your undereye area to the sun unprotected lead to fine lines and eye-specific wrinkles like crow's feet, but it can lead to hyperpigmentation like dark circles.

Surprisingly, allergies can instigate dark circles, too! When your body has an allergic reaction, it triggers something called histamines to help restore order. But histamines cause symptoms like itching, redness and puffy eyes. So if your dark circles crop up around your seasonal allergies, it's likely connected!

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle can have a huge impact on your skin in more ways than you may realize!.

While it's common knowledge now that things like smoking and excessive drinking can have a negative impact on your skin, there are a few other things you should be mindful of if you're trying to even out your complex and bid dark circles goodbye.

Dehydration can exacerbate dark circles, so be sure to stay hydrated, which has a wide range of benefits for your skin.

If you spend a lot of time staring at a screen for work or in your free time, eyestrain, too, can lead to dark circles! Prolonged screen exposure can enlarge the blood vessels surrounding your eyes, giving the impression of dark circles.

Illness

There are also some >health conditions like anemia which can result in dark circles. If your dark circles have come on suddenly, or you have other symptoms that cropped up around the same time you noticed the dark circles, it's worth a visit to the doctor to make sure there isn't something else going on.

Can You Get Rid of Dark Circles?

It depends on what's causing them! If your dark circles are due to genetics or thin skin due to aging, they're likely here to stay. But just because your complexion has >the added baggage of undereye bags, it doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to get your skin glowing. It's just going to be a different process, and you'll need to have slightly different expectations regarding results.

If the cause of your dark circles is medical or allergies, then you need to look to address the underlying cause before you see real results.

Even lifestyle factors resulting in tired eyes or enlarged blood vessels may need to be addressed so that your skin gets the best possible benefits from your skincare routine. While the right undereye cream can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you, improving the look of dark circles may require you to improve your overall wellness and habits, too.

On that note, there are some things you should keep in mind in addition to skincare (which we'll cover in the next section!) to help keep dark undereye circles at bay.

• Hydration. Make sure you're drinking enough water throughout the day, which can help with any residual dryness and dehydration that can make dark circles worse.
• Cold compresses. Cold compresses can help reduce any swelling or irritation and minimize the appearance of dark circles in a pinch. If a compress seems complicated, just put a spoon in the freezer when you wake up, wait for it to get ice-cold, and then hold it under your eyes! Super simple.
  
  
• Elevate your head. Make sure your head is elevated while you sleep. If your pillows aren't supporting your head properly, it can lead to fluid pooling under your eyes, leading to puffiness and discoloration around your delicate eye area.
  
  
• Try makeup. Make sure you're using a concealer or foundation that's designed to play well with the delicate skin around your eye, and you can instantly and easily reduce the appearance of dark circles. (This should be in addition to skincare and lifestyle adjustments, of course — it's great in a pinch and for a quick confidence boost, but it shouldn't be your long-term solution and won't fix the underlying problem!)
  
  
• Apply green tea. Boil water, add two green tea bags and allow them to steep for five minutes before removing them to cool. Then, place them over your eyes for about 15 minutes, and allow the healthful properties of green tea to work their magic on your dark circles.

What Should I Know About Eye Cream for Dark Circles?

It's our favorite part of every article — time to talk about skincare products! We'll discuss a range of products you can incorporate into your skincare routine to ensure your dark circles are covered from all sides.

Obviously, the star of the show is the eye cream. There are a lot of products out there, and it can be hard to figure out which of the best eye creams will deliver more than empty promises.

The Perfect Eye Cream

We're going to recommend an eye treatment that isn't actually a cream — twist!.

We'll also talk moisturizers because that's important too. But our Vitaleyez Firm & Brighten Eye Treatment is the ideal way to address your dark circles and keep the skin around your eyes feeling nourished while promoting elasticity and banishing dry skin.

This age-defying dark circle formula is the all-around superhero you need to banish dullness and restore your glow. It's packed with Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight off damage-causing free radicals, minimizing dark circle-exacerbating sun damage.

It also uses Retinol, the perfect ingredient for your eye serum if your dark circles are potentially related to aging. It's an antioxidant with a unique ability to penetrate deeply into your skin and neutralize free radicals.

There's also >evidence that Retinol can have soothing effects, so it may help with depuffing. If you want to really boost its depuffing abilities, try using a cool, metal applicator to smooth on this eye treatment.

To top it all off, this eye treatment is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid, the ultimate ingredient for hydration. Hyaluronic Acid is a humectant, meaning it's a molecule that can attract and bind thousands of times its weight in water to itself. Other popular humectants include Glycerin and D-panthenol.

This is good news for your skin! It also means that although this eye treatment isn't one of those traditional eye creams for dark circles, it has all of the super-quenching properties you need to hydrate and strengthen your skin barrier.

A Great Moisturizer

Although our >Vitaleyez Firm & Brighten Eye Treatment is a bright eye boon, there are other steps of your skincare routine you can tailor to your needs to improve the look of your undereye area. One of these steps is moisturizing!

In general, a great moisturizer is key to a glowing and even-looking skin tone. This goes double when you're looking to protect your sensitive undereye area! You'll want a fragrance-free moisturizer that's enriched with hydrating ingredients like Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Peptides or Squalane, among others.

Our >HydraBalance Brightening Moisture Infusion uses brightening and evening peptides as well as Squalane, which provides hydration and seals in moisture for a soft, smooth and healthy appearance. Lecithin helps seal in moisture after Hyaluronic Acid has delivered it to your skin, leaving you with lasting hydration.

Finishing off your routine with an occlusive moisturizer like this one also means all of the eye creams, eye gel, eye gel cream, and whatever else you use will be locked in and able to work to their fullest extent.

Sunscreen, Always

This step is simple: never forget your SPF! You can use the world's most powerful eye complex to address your dark circles, but if you're leaving your skin unprotected from the sun's potentially harmful rays, you'll have an uphill battle.

Our >Complexion Protection Moisturizer with SPF 30 includes both mineral and chemical active ingredients to provide your skin with optimal sun protection without leaving a white cast or greasy feeling. Our formula also features Niacinamide to improve the look of texture, roughness, and discoloration as well as Vitamin C for an extra level of protection and a boost of antioxidants.

You can use our Complexion Protection Moisturizer in place of your usual, SPF-free moisturizer each morning to include two of your most crucial skincare steps in one go.

In Conclusion

Even though your glow comes from within, there are some things you can do to help improve your undereye circles on the outside. Luckily, you don't need a degree in dermatology to discover some great solutions. Finding the right skincare products to brighten your complexion and depuff while being gentle on the sensitive skin around your eyes can make a huge difference — and when paired with some small lifestyle changes, you'll be glowing inside out in no time.

By: Ivey Rogers Aesthetician Educator & Community
Engagement Manager