One of the beautiful things about concealer is its versatility. Find a good formula, and you can use it for everything under the sun—highlighting, contouring, diffusing the look of that pimple you woke up to, and, perhaps our favorite perk, camouflaging dark circles. Now, it’s important to be aware that there are tons of culprits where dark circles are concerned, and rather annoyingly, not all of them are under our control. (For instance, allergies, bone structure, age, underlying skin conditions like hyperpigmentation, and genetics can all cause or worsen dark circles.) You can read our A-list esthetician’s guide to treating dark circles, but for a quick fix, finding a concealer specifically geared toward dark circles is your best bet. And yes, some concealers are significantly more competent in the coverage, crease-proof, and all-day longevity departments than others. Since there are about one million concealers on the market all geared toward dark circles, we did the muscle work for you by whittling down the masses to our top 18 picks. Below, you’ll find our most trusted formulas and important information like shade range, ingredients, finish, and the like. Keep scrolling!
Dark circles are difficult to cover, thanks to their deep, blue-purple tones. That’s why a color-correcting product can help (this one is editor-approved). They counter the blue-purple tones, essentially canceling them out so your concealer doesn’t have to work as hard. However, if you don’t have a color corrector, or you want to keep things one step simple, we got you.
Full-coverage concealers can be helpful; they contain the most pigment, which means they’re able to cover dark circles more easily than other, more lightweight formulas. With that being said, you don’t necessarily need a full-coverage concealer to do the trick. Sometimes, a light-to-medium-coverage concealer can still cover dark circles if they have a light-reflecting quality. This minimizes the shadowed look of the under-eyes for a brighter, more wide-awake appearance. So, basically, it all comes down to the texture and formula you prefer. Luckily, we have recommendations for both.
When it comes to performance, coverage, and never-ending durability, MAC reigns absolutely supreme. Now, the brand makes a number of stellar concealer formulas, but this is our number-one pick for concealing our deepest, darkest circles. If put to the test, it will last a full 24 hours (yes, I’ve tested it), and the oil-free “natural matte” finish never settles into lines or looks obvious and cakey. Basically, it’s our dream concealer. Pros: Long-lasting, crease-proof formula. Cons: None. Promising review: “OK, so…not to be dramatic or anything but this new concealer just CHANGED my life for the better 100%! This concealer does not crease at ALL! I tried every concealer on the market for 20+ years and they all creased.” —Nordstrom customer
If you’ve heard about this cult-classic concealer and are wondering if it’s truly worth the hype, we’re here to confirm that it most certainly is. (FYI: According to the brand, one of these handy tubes is sold every 12 seconds!) You only need a few dabs to instantly blur away dark circles, and the full-coverage, vegan formula effortlessly helps brighten, firm, and lift the under-eye area as well. We attribute the high-results fervor to a unique ingredient roster featuring skin-improving additions like mango seed, shea butter, and licorice. Pros: Crease-proof formula infused with active ingredients. Cons: None. Promising review: “I have been on a hunt for the best concealer for under my eyes, something to cover and brighten my dark circles but also won’t settle in my fine lines. THIS PRODUCT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR! […] It doesn’t crease, doesn’t sit in fine lines, is super full coverage, and covers my dark circles but isn’t drying like most full coverage concealers.” —Ulta customer
When it comes to covering up dark circles on a budget, we always turn to this top-rated favorite concealer from Nyx. Not only does it come in under $10, but it’s also an almost identical dupe to another, more expensive, concealer on our list. The water- and crease-proof 24-hour wear is pretty impressive as well. Pros: Affordable price, crease-proof, and 24-hour formula. Cons: None. Promising review: “The coverage is amazing! It helps hide all my late nights and smooths out my under-eye. The shade range is fairly good for most if not all skin tones. I had it on for the entire night with little to no touch-ups.” —Ulta customer
From my 73-year-old mom to A-list makeup artists, everyone swears by this cult-loved magical little concealer from Maybelline. In addition to swiping away dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness, it’s enriched with strategic circulation-boosting ingredients like goji berry and Haloxyl so you look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed no matter how many hours of sleep you did or didn’t log last night. Pros: Affordable price, attached sponge for easy blending. Cons: Can crease in fine lines and wrinkles. Promising review: “I purchased this product, rushed home, placed it on my under eyes, and wham! Away went the dark hollowness and my tired eyes literally popped with youthfulness!” —Ulta customer
Finding a concealer that can thoroughly cover dark circles in a flash and feel and look practically invisible on top of the skin is no easy feat. Yet this pick from Uoma Beauty achieves just that. Brightening and hydrating, this concealer offers full, skin-like coverage that will last for hours and hours, with no touch-ups necessary. Pros: Full coverage, brightening formula. Cons: Some say it has a slightly tacky feel. Promising review: “This concealer is amazing. It is very lightweight and easy to blend. I have been using just this in the mornings nothing else and it looks great. 10 out of 10.” —Ulta customer
This is one of the best concealers for anyone with dark circles who also experiences lots of dryness. The unique formula helps tighten, brighten, and hydrate your under eyes so you’re getting the maximum benefit—almost like a treatment! Circulation-boosting caffeine is the hero ingredient, and the fact that all six shades coordinate with The Lip Bar shade families makes selecting your perfect color online fail-safe. Pros: Long-lasting, hydrating formula infused with active ingredients. Cons: Small shade range. Promising review: “I love this product. The application is smooth, the color is perfect, and the coverage is flawless.” —The Lip Bar customer
This concealer is one of the more expensive on our list, but we promise it’s well worth the investment (especially if dark circles are the bane of your existence). The name says it all. This full-coverage, “radiant matte” concealer immediately obliterates dark circles and rehydrates dry, crepey under eyes with sublime perfection. It’s not tacky, and thanks to the brand’s signature Vita-Serum Complex, you’ll get all-day moisture and built-in line- and wrinkle-fighting perks to boot. Pros: Full coverage, brightening formula with a wide shade range. Cons: Pricey. Promising review: “Concealer is not typically something that blows me away in terms of makeup. It does what it’s supposed to do but THIS! This melts into the skin and blends perfectly. I wasn’t even sure I was getting the correct shade but the way this just effortlessly blends and covers blemishes I was left shocked. Best concealer hands down ever.” —Sephora customer
I have been smitten by this concealer ever since it launched. Full coverage yet pillowy-soft, it won’t move and will look freshly applied for 24 hours. The circle-covering, transfer- and waterproof formula singlehandedly helps conceal, correct, and contour anywhere you choose to apply. For how heavy-duty the coverage is, we’re repeatedly impressed by how natural the end result is. Pros: Full-coverage, transfer, and water-proof formula. Cons: None. Promising review: “I love this concealer. You don’t even need a foundation. It’s full coverage and covers eye bags and pimples. Just need a base of moisturizer under and you are good to go for the day.” —Sephora customer
This concealer is another favorite among makeup artists and beauty editors alike. (It’s one of those products I tried and immediately wished I had discovered years ago.) Supremely silky and smoothing, this expert formula blurs the look of dark circles and provides lightweight, highly buildable medium-to-full coverage. But that’s not even the coolest part—this concealer contains three unique technologies to ensure you’re application is 10/10 for a full 24 hours. Here’s the 411: ActiveForce Technology prevents sweat, oil, and facial movement (i.e. smiling, laughing, frowning) from messing up your finish; Responsive Sensory Technology adeptly conforms to your skin’s condition, tone, and texture so you get the most natural look possible; and last but not least, Smart-Correcting Powder helps to subtly improve the texture and overall tone of your skin. (So yes, we pretty much want to bathe in the stuff!) Pros: Lightweight feel. Cons: None. Promising review: “My favorite concealer. Holds up well. Great coverage for under eyes.” —Sephora customer
Reviewers go absolutely gaga over this waterproof, long-lasting, anti-aging concealer. Perhaps it’s because it was developed, in part, by plastic surgeons and derms with amazing ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, collagen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins aplenty. Pros: Long-lasting formula infused with active ingredients. Cons: Some say it can be drying. Promising review: “It Cosmetics really hit the ball out of the park with this one. I’ve tried a number of high-priced concealers now, and this takes the cake! Because of allergies and heredity, I have dark pigmentation under my eyes, and a good concealer is a must. the tube is small. However, a little goes a long way, so it’s worth the price!” —Sephora customer
This creamy concealer is one of the newer products to supplement Kosas’s all-star lineup of clean makeup products, and it just might be our favorite (which is really saying something). It’s medium-to-full coverage and is packed with potent ingredients to immediately cover dark circles while imparting a luminous, ultra-brightening effect. The powerful formula featuring arnica, panthenol, caffeine, peptides, and hyaluronic acid is truly impressive, and the thirsty skin around your eyes will definitely thank you. Pros: Lightweight, brightening formula infused with active ingredients. Cons: None. Promising review: “My main concern is the dark circles under my eyes. I found that this Kosas concealer really helped easily blend that area, leaving my under eye looking bright and smooth.” —Sephora customer
If you want a concealer for dark circles that’s on the more natural-matte side of finishes, we recommend the above from Kosas. However, if a glowy, almost dewy result is more your beat, you’ll freak out over this best-selling concealer from Ilia. Almost serum-like in its consistency, this little bottle of magic still yields a notable punch of camouflage thanks to its medium coverage, and we appreciate the extra-credit additions like vitamin C and albizia julibrissin bark extract, which work to brighten, protect, and nourish our under eyes so we look more well rested even when we’re barefaced and concealer-free. Pros: Incredibly lightweight feel and infused with active ingredients. Cons: Some say it can look patchy when paired with certain powder products. Promising review: “Works well, and it’s not a thick concealer. Very easy to blend. I struggle with thick concealers and this isn’t. Great coverage” —Sephora customer
Yves Saint Laurent’s original Touche Éclat pen rose to such fervent icon status that the brand began creating equally lovable riffs off the OG. You can pick your poison depending on the kind of coverage you want, but for dark circles, specifically, we think this is the best option from the Touche Éclat family. It contains the same beloved under-eye illuminating properties as the original (which effortlessly diffuses the most aggressive of dark circles), yet it boasts a weightless yet fuller coverage, so you can build and bury shadows to your heart’s content. Not to mention, caffeine helps quell swelling and puffiness, hyaluronic acid keeps everything dewy and hydrated, and a dynamic duo of vitamin E and calendula extract boosts your under eyes with a protective dose of antioxidants. Pros: Incredibly brightening. Cons: Pricey. Promising review: “This has been my one and only for multiple years now. Beautiful coverage and never cakes, creases, or looks dry. Most days I use it to spot conceal all over and skip foundation. I have never used a concealer that is as lovely and foolproof as this one.” —Sephora customer
Is there a more well-known, top-rated concealer in the world? Honestly, we don’t think so. Nars reigns supreme among the makeup artist and editor set, and the super-high ratings show just how much customers love this creamy, high-coverage formula as well. This concealer is truly an all-purpose option for any and all concealer needs, but thanks to one of the key ingredients—a special light-diffusing mineral powder—it easily covers and camouflages the purple, blue, and even green tones lurking around our under eyes. Pros: Wide shade range, brightening formula. Cons: None. Promising review: “I love this concealer. It may be pricey, but it’s worth it and it lasts so long and works so well and when it says radiant, creamy concealer, it doesn’t lie.” —Sephora customer
This French tube might not be the most well-known of concealers, but it’s one of the all-time best where dark circles are concerned. The waterproof, long-wear formula won’t fade, cake, or crease no matter how long you wear it, and it tackles dark circles as well as other signs of stress, fatigue, or lack of sleep like puff, uneven skin tone, fine lines, wrinkles… the whole shebang. Pros: Long-lasting, waterproof formula. Cons: Some say it feels heavy. Promising review: I inherited deep, drastic, tragic under-eye circles. […] I think that I look more youthful now than I did ten years ago simply because of the Effacernes. It blends very naturally and I get none of the cakey or flaking appearance that I get with other concealers. The purple bruised areas were finally fully concealed with just a small amount of product.” —Ulta customer
I’ve turned so many people onto this concealer from Laura Mercier, and it’s actually one of the concealers both me and my mom obsess over. (And we have a 45-year age difference between us!) I love the fact that it caters to different undertones. It features cutting-edge technology to complement its 12-hour, crease-proof wear time; Skin Fusion Technology, which features emulsified polymers that fuse to your skin for flexible, budge-free wear; and a customized blend of blurring silk and silica powder, which creates a dreamy, smoothing, light-diffusing effect that nixes the look of wrinkles, dark circles, and fine lines in one fell swoop. Pros: Flexible, brightening formula. Cons: None. Promising review: “I purchased it after it was recommended as an excellent natural-looking concealer. It is just that! It blends into the skin super smoothly and looks like nothing is there! My main concern is dark circles under my eye—this concealer gives me just enough coverage while still looking natural and minimalist.” —Sephora customer
When the people asked Benefit Cosmetics to come out with a lighter liquid version of the brand’s cult-loved Boi-ing Industrial Strength Full-Coverage Cream Concealer ($22), the brand listened, and we were blessed with this best-selling alternative. It still delivers that beloved full-coverage effect of the original, but it feels comparatively lightweight and is specifically formulated to resist caking, cracking, flaking, or settling into fine lines or wrinkles. Pros: Full-coverage, yet lightweight formula. Cons: Some say it can be drying. Promising review: “I love this product! I barely have to use any and it covers my dark circles. It lasts me all day.” —Sephora customer
Armani Beauty made waves when it debuted the concealer counterpart to its holy-grail Luminous Silk Foundation ($69). While we do love that concealer, we happen to think this older concealer from the brand is actually the better choice for blotting away dark circles. It boasts a durable medium-to-full coverage, and it was specifically created with dark circles and shadows in mind. (That said, it also does amazing things for dark spots and hyperpigmentation.) We blame the magic on this concealer’s unique time-releasing oils, which make for better blending and an unparalleled smoothing effect. Pros: Smooth coverage. Cons: Pricey. Promising review: “This is a great concealer. I think it blended in well and looked like my natural skin. I also think it had great coverage without making my under eyes look fake.” —Sephora customer
