The Best Eye Creams to Sort Out Those Fine Lines and Dark Circles

Horace is the Parisian brand finally moving men's skincare on from the testosterone-soaked days of two-in-one formulas and skin-annihilating scrubs.

A recent launch, this cooling eye cream works on puffiness with remarkable effectivity. The ingredients list easily stands up to those with triple-figure price tags, combining caffeine with soothing aloe vera and line-plumping hyaluronic acid. There's no fragrance involved (so no risk of tears) and it's free from skin-clogging silicones. In short, it's an incontestable winner.

This serum-textured eye treatment might feel lightweight, but rest assured it's working hard to deliver multiple aesthetic benefits. Vitamin C brightens the skin, hyaluronic acid hydrates it and peptides prompt collagen production, leading to less lines over time. A solid choice for everyone, but especially those who live in a smoggy city.

When it comes to getting rid of wrinkles, pretty much every industry expert agrees that retinol is the superior player. This active form of vitamin A works by accelerating the rate of cell turnover in the skin, meaning fresher, plumper cells come to the surface at a remarkably fast rate (around six weeks to be precise).

Medik8 is the brand most frequently recommended when it comes to can't-go-wrong retinol products, and now there's an eye-specific treatment in the cult Crystal Retinal line. This creamy yellow serum will sink straight into delicate skin, and deliver visible results without irritation. Just be sure to only use it at night, as retinol is rendered useless in sunlight.

If you're looking for a refresh (without going full Sylvester Stallone), this plant-powered formula will help you out. It's stuffed with fatty acids to feed the fragile skin around the eyes, and will make you look instantly well-hydrated, even after the latest of nights.

Augustinus Bader is coming for eye cream. Housed in a suitably show-off receptacle (which can be kept and topped up with the brand's refill tubes), it contains the brand's now-iconic TFC8: a complex of peptides and amino acids designed to awaken skin cells having an unauthorised nap. The result is skin that looks bright, firm and enviably youthful.

You've probably seen the A-listers soaking themselves in 111 Skin sheet masks on social media, but the brand's very best skincare can actually be found in its Intensive collection.

The cult line cleverly uses black diamond powder to enhance the delivery of its active ingredients – which, in the case of this eye cream, are a next-gen retinoid and the brand's signature NAC Y2 complex which boosts the skin's production of repair-stimulating glutathione.

For something that really packs a punch when it comes to fine lines, puffiness and crepey skin, stop here.

Shiseido's bestselling eye cream is a winning all-rounder that works to deliver sustained moisture along with moderate wrinkle-reversing benefits. The brand has infused its messaging with as much poetry as is possible, but what you really need to know is that you're getting a load of hydration-grabbing algae extracts alongside peptides that reduce the lines you're gained from years of screen-squinting.

Proof that eye creams don't have to feel claggy and congesting to do a decent hydrating job, Haeckels' algae-packed formula feels more akin to a lightweight serum. It's packed with humectants and antioxidants to keep skin feeling refreshed and supple all day. Plus, the brand is one of few that genuinely stand up to sustainability scrutiny, using biopolymer packaging, which looks like plastic but degrades entirely in time.

Swedish newcomers Obayaty are hoping to modernise the men's makeup arena, offering formulas that act like skincare, only enhanced by a touch of clever pigment.

This 'eye booster' is lightly tinted to deliver instant satisfaction when it comes to dark circles and fortified with caffeine and hyaluronic acid to ensure cumulative improvements. The sustainable packaging model means you'll order one case and keep it topped up with the brand's low-waste cartridges.

When your list of demands from an eye product extend beyond simply 'hydrating' and 'softening', it's time to loosen the purse strings a little. Formulas with 'active' ingredients rarely come with a high-street price tag, but that doesn't mean you'll have to venture into triple-figure territory.

Allies of Skin is the perfect middle-ground brand for those who want science without silliness: this rich eye cream contains peptides, which encourage collagen production, and fatty acids to smooth and strengthen the skin's outermost layer.

You won't find any skincare pseudoscience in Clinique's long-trusted offering. This no-nonsense eye cream contains caffeine to shift puffiness, and just the right amount of softening shea butter to leave skin supple, not shiny.

Nothing says NHS helpline more than a cheap, fragrance-heavy eye cream. So if your skin is easily upset, stick with tried-and-trusted brands like La Roche-Posay.

This recent addition to the line-up is a riff on the fan-favourite Hyalu B5 hydrating serum, tweaked to sink straight into the delicate skin around your eyes. The cooling serum texture contains all the good stuff: low-weight hyaluronic acid, barrier-strengthening niacinamide, and caffeine to shift bags. It's ideal for anyone who veers towards water-weight products.

There's an obvious irony to Soho House branching into skincare to mask the signs of a late night, but trust us: the brand's new grooming venture is really worth investing in. With a cool metal tip and peptide-powered formula, this surprisingly moisturising eye cream will depuff, brighten and soften all the signs of that ill-advised last Picante.

Révive is a brand known for its innovation in the skincare arena, and every product in the roster is formulated with forensically tested actives. This eye cream utilises hyaluronic acid for that surface-level hydration, but you're really paying for the cocktail of proteins, peptides and amino acids that'll strengthen the intra-cellular scaffolding that keeps your complexion looking firm.

Here's another winner from our go-to, frill-free skincare line. Like retinol, SPF is surprisingly scarce in eye cream formulas, down to the fact that it's tricky to achieve a pleasing texture. But everyone knows that prevention is better than cure, so dab on this impressively light SPF eye cream like a good skincare student every single morning.

With a cooling action you can really feel, this solid balm stick is a saviour after a day or screen-squinting (or a night of whisky drinking). Hyaluronic acid lends lightweight hydration, while caffeine shifts puffiness.